CASANOVA ' (70) Movie Review

Marcello Mastroianni is an Italian NATO official who finds no challenge in seducing modern, emancipated women. Without external threats he is unable to achieve arousal, which leads him into a series of “dangerous” encounters, such as a female lion tamer (in the cage, with her lions), a married woman (at her home, at the moment her husband is expected), and a peasant girl (he poses as a doctor to examine the girl, so that her family may be reassured that she's “pure”). Mario Monicelli's film was hardly inspired comedy to begin with, and it seems painfully dated today. Marcello's lively dedication keeps us watching, though, and it's fun to be reminded of just how stunning Virna Lisi was in her heyday. Look for director Marco Ferreri (The Grande Bouffe) in the role of Count Ferreri. Academy Award Nominee, Best Original Screenplay.

NEXT STOP … Il Bell'Antonio, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Alfredo, Alfredo

1965 113m/C IT Marcello Mastroianni, Virna Lisi, Michele Mercier, Guido Alberti, Margaret Lee, Bernard Blier, Liana Orfei; D: Mario Monicelli; W: Tonino Guerra. Nominations: Academy Awards '65: Best Story & Screenplay. VHS FOX