Movies with the name Casanova in the title have almost always been stinkers so it's bold of Lasse Hallstrom to call his film simply "Casanova" but it turns out to be a welcome exception to the rule as it's a smart and sophisticated comedy romp. The city of Venice has never looked so scintillating on screen and the glorious setting is the perfect background for a tale of love and lust and mistaken identity that never stoops to the ludicrous posturing and leering typical of most period farces. Richard Lester's excellent Musketeer movies come to mind along with a little Monty Python but the screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher and Kimberly Simi, from a story by Simi and Michael Cristofer, borrows cleverly from Shakespeare too in its pleasing symmetry.

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