Casanova (BBC3 series)

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Did anyone else watch this? It's got Peter O'Toole and David Tennant (yay!) in the title role, so a great opportunity for me to make the most of my Tennant fetish - although for some reason, even though he's a Scottish actor playing an Italian, he does it with a neutral English accent.

Also featuring: Matt Lucas as a camp bald man, the receptionist from Nathan Barley as a woman pretending to be a castrated man who ends up marrying Casanova, and a bit part for Mark Heap (but I've not spotted Kevin Eldon in it yet). Part two is on tonight, I think. Does ILX have an opinion?

― caitlin (caitlin), Sunday, 20 March 2005 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Our Freeview is broken so no chance for me to see it yet - this is a major bummer because it has Peter O'Toole.

― Ed (dali), Sunday, 20 March 2005 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought it was really good fun. I was tempted to start a thread about it, as I knew at least Caitlin would be watching due to David Tennant.

I think the pacing, the humour, the style and the panache of it is key, more so than the storyline which isn't doing so much for me thus far. I don't buy either of the loves of his life (her off Nathan Barley, and her off Kevin & Perry Go Large), or the ridiculousness of Casanova being able to ingratiate himself into Venetian society by pretending to be any of about twelve different professions without anyone going "but what is it you actually do". Nonetheless, it is hugely entertaining.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 20 March 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

He's from my home town!

― Dadrock Holmes (Dada), Sunday, 20 March 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

He used to go to school with my husband! (I take it you are talking about David Tennant)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 20 March 2005 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, his dad used to be the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and must be so proud of his son kissing the only gay in the village, shagging nuns and gangbanging sisters in the name of art...

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 20 March 2005 15:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I watched the first part last week. I thought it was appallingly bad.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Sunday, 20 March 2005 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Watching Episode 2, it struck me just how many of the jokes reference modern Britain; I didn't notice that so much in Episode 1. For example: the comments about England's carriages always running on time and never crashing; or the conversation:

"It will be a kind of ... National Lottery!"

"What will you call it?"

"Um - I have no idea"

(which doesn't work as well in print as it did acted).

There was one really good visual scene in last night's episode: the scene where Casanova and his manservant are walking along an alleyway discussing how much effort he has to put in to bring up his son; whilst the son, walking behind, gets rubbish thrown over him, chamber-pots emptied on him, chased by dogs, etc, etc.

Going by the trailer, the final part will have less Tennant and more O'Toole.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 21 March 2005 12:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Foolish cable thingygummies.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Monday, 21 March 2005 13:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I bet it'll be on BBC2 within six months

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 21 March 2005 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

it's good fun - there are loads of contemporary references - that's its "hook". The conventions of modern language (I liked the move to say "Your french is very good" when they move from italy!) The Ali G bit, the national lottery gags, the accelerated plot development.

Did all novs at this time have ppl about to get engaged/married then the bad guys machinations get them in jail?

Joe Queenan didn't like it, Paul Morley did.

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Monday, 21 March 2005 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

(i like it that this thread and the casanova thread are next door on newanswers right now)

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Monday, 21 March 2005 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

b..but this *is* the casanova thread!

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 21 March 2005 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Incidentally, according to a Russell T Davies interview I recently read, Casanova was originally intended to be a single two-hour ITV show. When they wouldn't let him extend it to three hours, he took it to the BBC instead.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 21 March 2005 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

That last episode was a bit of a let-down, wasn't it? The death of Rocco cast off as an aside, the ridiculous incest subplot, Edith's bizarre behaviour in burning the letter...

O'Toole was great, particularly in the "I've seduced you, it's what I do" scene, but the pacing let it down badly.

David Tennant has done well enough out of this that Who fans are beginning to talk him up as the successor to Eccles (assuming recommissioning etc). Him narrating the documentary on Saturday didn't do that rumour any harm either.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 11:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the guy might be annoying but I haven't seen this programme.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

On BBC1 tonight which is just as well as i missed the first episode on bbc3.

― leigh (leigh), Monday, 4 April 2005 08:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, they've been showing ads for it. I'm going to watch it, but from the previews it looks like I may be TOTALLY IRRITATED by it. Who knows.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Monday, 4 April 2005 08:48 (twenty-one years ago)

The last 2 episodes that i did see were much better than i'd feared.

― leigh (leigh), Monday, 4 April 2005 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been disappointed by BBC's historical dramas lately. I turned off Fingersmith 15 minutes into the first ep because it was so needlessly sexed up. Now, OK, this is Casanova, I will *expect* it to be sexed up. Depends on well they carry off the creative anachronisms, but seeing as how it's supposed to be comedic, I hope they are better at it.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Monday, 4 April 2005 09:07 (twenty-one years ago)

the ending was quite good i thort - it made sense emotionally. tho the "RTD can't do endings" ppl will say otherwise.

i am totally ignorant of the source material.

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Monday, 4 April 2005 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Still haven't watched the final episode.

Watched the first ep of Fingersmith, and thought it a bit rub. Ended up thinking: "bah, why can't they adapt some P Ackroyd novels for telly instead of all Waters' stuff"

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 4 April 2005 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Thing that annoyed me was, the *book* of Fingersmith was really well written and atmospheric and quite Ackroyd-like. It was only the TV adaptation that was totally sexed up and silly, and left out half of the atmospherics (not to mention important bits of the PLOT!!!) in order to make room for more lesboporn. Blah. After the vague disappointment that was London - Fire and Destiny I'm not I'd let the BBC at Ackroyd's fiction. (Though The Great Fire Of London would make a lovely meta-meta-historical-dramamentary)

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Monday, 4 April 2005 10:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Mmmmm David Tennant. I might have to watch the Beeb1 showings now, as I couldn't be arsed trying to twiddle the aerial to the right microdegree for reception of Beeb3 digidol when it was on there. I wonder if I'll develop the same degree of crush that I did when Taking Over The Asylum was broadcast years ago.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 4 April 2005 13:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The lesbonic sex in ep 1 of Fingersmith was pure porn. It might have been high-class period drama porn, but it was still porn and nothing more.

Personally, I think D. T. looks more attractive than he did in Asylum, now he's lost all that floppy early-90s hair.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

What annoys me was there was EVEN MORE LESBOPORN in the second episode, which was never in the book. The whole point of it was that they had sex once, pretended it "was all just a dream" and thus their denial sealed their fates.

WHAT IS WITH ALL THE LESBIAN THREADS TODAY?!?!? I'm getting disturbed.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:08 (twenty-one years ago)

It's the spring sproinging.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I might watch this tonight, I might.

But I bet I won't.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 4 April 2005 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Eh.

I thought it was pretty enjoyable, all told.

OK, the framing device immediately made me prick up my ears and go "where have I seen this before?" and then go OH YEAH, QUILLS!!! Aging pervert telling the story of his life to the chambermaid, use another cliche, PLEASE. Peter O'Toole was really wasted in the role.

(Between this and The Doctoraunt At The End Of The Universe, Does Russell T Whatsisname have no original plot ideas ever?)

Still, it was witty and camp and clever. The anachroisms worked as comedy. And Tennant, though I didn't think he was actually *handsome* enough to be Casanova certainly showed enough schoolboy charm to be fanciable.

Plus, there were great slashy moments. Man shagging a girl masquerading as a boy = HOT HOTT HOTTTTT!!! I'm a happy girl.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 07:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't think he was actually *handsome* enough to be Casanova

haha exactly my problem with it - he's cute and funny, but ultimately he does look like him out of the divine comedy, and I aint talking Dante. Now imagine Peter O'Toole when he was Tennant's age - *that* would be believable!

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 07:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Then again, sometimes "cute and funny" - innocent and slightly vulnerable and sensitive looking - is much more successful with the ladeez than the classically handsome bloke. Handsome Rogues, you know they're rogues, so you tend to avoid them. It's the cute and funny ones who slip past your guard.

So perhaps it's more believable because he's not stereotypically handsome...

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 07:47 (twenty-one years ago)

OTM on the unlikelyhood of Tennant ever aging into PO'T but really good silly fun I thought. We laffed a lot.

― lock robster (robster), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 07:50 (twenty-one years ago)

my dear, 1960s o'toole was not a 'classically handsome bloke', he was an angel reincarnated on earth

― debden, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 08:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I did watch it, sort of. I thought, at first, it was a nice mixture of Derek Jarman and Up Pompeii, but by the end I was well fed up of it.

(Nae tits.)

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 08:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't understand how he came so suddenly to be in love and wanting to spend the rest of his life with Bellino after five minutes of confused lust. A bit more development wouldn't have gone amiss there. But on the whole, I thought it was quite good fun.

― Madchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 08:51 (twenty-one years ago)

But I always thought that was just the way that boys operated!

― WE ARE THE KATE!!! (kate), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 08:55 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.retirement-matters.co.uk/images/potoole.jpg

I'm easy, I liked it. He may not look like the above any more but at least he still has the world's most elegant pottymouth.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

he's cute and funny, but ultimately he does look like him out of the divine comedy, and I aint talking Dante

LAFF of the day!

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I found it tired and unfunny - but I may have misplaced my sense of humour of late.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Have you looked down the back of the sofa?

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I fail to see the humour in that comment :)

Also I thought the fast pace tried to disguise the tired script.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I sat under Peter O'Toole's signed picture in the Coach and Horses in Soho on my first visit to London.

― leigh (leigh), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

If you'd sat under Peter O'Toole i would have been well impressed - and so would he probably

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

a-HAH! I've just checked Henriette out on imdb and realised where I recognise her cheeky dimples from - she's the lovely girl in Small Faces, first film by Gilles thingummy (who did Regeneration) from a few years ago, which also starred the very pretty Joseph Macfadyen. Whose ?brother? Angus was in Taking Over The Asylum with David Tennant. Who says Glasgow's a small town?

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

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