Casanova (TV series)



In 2005, the BBC made a three-part miniseries about the life of one Giacomo Girolamo Casanova. The series is notable for sticking fairly closely to Casanova's actual memoirs.

The series primarily uses flashbacks to tell the story; Casanova's youth in Venice, France and England is actually being written by the older Casanova. The younger Casanova is played by David Tennant, while the older Casanova is played by Peter O'Toole.

The series was written by Russell T. Davies, of Doctor Who fame.


 * Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Henriette, after Casanova's.
 * All Love Is Unrequited: You kind of have to feel sorry for Grimani.
 * Aside Glance: Casanova, after being told how things work in England.
 * Blue Eyes: Casanova. Peter O'Toole is famous for having piercing blue eyes, so David Tennant had to wear contacts, as his are brown. (The effect is slightly odd, since Tennant's look far darker than O'Toole's.)
 * Brother-Sister Incest:  Granted they're half-brother and sister, but still.
 * Casanova: What did you expect?
 * Chivalrous Pervert: Casanova's closer to this than the trope he's named for.
 * Ethical Slut: Again, Casanova is more of this than the the the trope he's named. This is Truth in Television, the real life Casanova had quite Fair for Its Day morals (for example, he liked and respected intelligent women.)
 * Hands-Off Parenting: Casanova seems to leave Giac with Rocco pretty much all the time.
 * Love Will Lead You Back: Or at least, Casanova hopes so.
 * Nostalgia Heaven: The ending.
 * Only Sane Man: Again, poor, long-suffering Rocco.
 * Parental Abandonment: Young Casanova is abandoned by his actress mother.
 * Parental Neglect: Again, Casanova is not a very good father.
 * Really Gets Around: The titular character. When he lists some of his exploits to a priest during a confessional, said priest faints.
 * Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: One of the big differences between Casanova and Grimani.
 * Servile Snarker: Rocco.
 * Turn Out Like His Father: Giac, Casanova's son lampshades this.
 * What Exactly Is His Job?: Casanova changes jobs as necessary in order to earn money.
 * You Have Waited Long Enough