Adventures of Casanova

veal her identity, Zanetta states that she is Bianca ton as the dastardly de Brissac. But what really ADVENTURE! ROMANCE! D’Albernasi and that the pageboy is her servant. makes the film come to life and even occasion - Although she is the “governor's daughter,” the ally lifts it from its B-movie roots, is the superb Adventures Of Casanova presents the legendary rebels accept Zanetta. As Bianca is still posing as score by Hugo Friedhofer. womanizer as not only a legendary womanizer the page boy, she is chosen to be Casanova’s but an expert with the blade (sword, that is), servant and complications ensue. She nonethe - Friedhofer had spent years as an orchestrator for champion of the oppressed, and hero for the less arranges to dine with him in the guise of a Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, so he ages. In other words, Eagle-Lion’s 1948 release local lady named Zanetta, and appears before knew this type of film scoring intimately. By 1948, is a standard-issue programmer, one of about him in women’s clothes. After dinner, Casanova he’d been composing for films for years and had fifty titles they released that year. reveals to his guest that he has known all along already won the Academy Award for his brilliant Adventures of Casanova stars Arturo de Cor - that his servant was actually a woman. After de score to William Wyler’s The Best Years Of Our dova as Casanova, Turhan Bey as his friend Brissac suspects that Bianca has been captured Lives . He’d also written The Bishop’s Wife , Fritz Lorenzo, John Sutton as his enemy, the Count by the patriots, he orders the governor’s arrest Lang’s Woman In The Window (credited with de Brissac, and fetching Lucille Bremer as Lady and takes his place. Later, hoping to trap Arthur Lange, and an Academy Award nomina - Bianca and Noreen Nash, as Zanetta, her ser - Casanova, de Brissac challenges him to a duel, tion), Body and Soul and others. How Eagle-Lion vant. Shot in Mexico, the film was directed by but Lorenzo, unwilling to have Casanova’s life en - could afford him after he’d won his Oscar is any - Roberto Gavaldon, who only directed a couple dangered, races ahead of him and takes his one’s guess, but they could and they did and of American films, but was quite prolific in the place, but is fatally wounded, dying just as Friedhofer provided the film with a lusty, full-bod - Mexican cinema with over thirty films to his credit. Casanova arrives. While the real Zanetta mourns ied, and wonderful score, very much in the Ko - Crane Wilbur, who wrote some excellent noirs, Lorenzo’s death, she reveals her identity to D’An - rngold mold, but unmistakably Friedhofer. including the classic He Walked By Night and neci and tells him that the woman they know as Friedhofer would score many big-budget films The Phenix City Story , provided a screenplay Zanetta is actually Bianca. Casanova, unaware subsequent to Adventures Of Casanova, but oc - that was fanciful and historically almost com - of “Zanetta’s” true identity, falls in love with her, casionally still did lower-budget stuff. He eventu - pletely inaccurate. From the TCM website, here but both are taken prisoner by de Brissac and ally ended up doing some television scoring, and is a synopsis of Adventures of Casanova . charged with treason, which carries the death went back to low-budget films towards the end penalty. In order to save Casanova’s life, Bianca of his career. “In Palermo, Sicily, in 1793, the powerful armies denounces him and agrees to marry de Brissac, of the Emperor of Austria have virtually crushed but tricks him into delaying Casanova’s execu - That career resulted in some of the best film a local rebellion. Bernardo D’Anneci, patriarchal tion until after their marriage. Jacopo, a patriot scores ever written, with such Friedhofer classics leader of the insurgents, admits that a younger disguised as a priest, visits Casanova in his jail as Ace In The Hole, Hondo, Vera Cruz, Violent man is needed to carry on the fight and sends cell and tells him that Bianca is trying to help him. Saturday, Soldier Of Fortune, Seven Cities Of his aide, Lorenzo, to find Jacques Casanova, the After the oft-delayed marriage ceremony takes Gold, The Rains Of Ranchipur, The Harder They great warrior and lover. Casanova is in Malta, place, Casanova faces immediate execution. Fall, Boy On A Dolphin, An Affair To Remember, preoccupied with his romances, but after However, on the wedding night, Jacopo and TheYoung Lions, The Barbarian and the Geisha, Lorenzo tells him that the allied armies of Austria Zanetta, posing as Casanova’s wife, are permit - This Earth Is Mine, One-Eyed Jacks , and many and Spain have confiscated his estate and ted to visit Casanova in jail. She takes bottles of others, including his wonderful and macabre hanged his father, he agrees to become their drugged wine with her, knowing that they will be score to William Castle’s Homicidal . Friedhofer new leader. Meanwhile, Governor D’Albernasi in - confiscated and drunk by the guards on duty. passed away in 1981. forms his daughter, Lady Bianca, that she is to After the wine has taken effect, Casanova es - marry Count Julien de Brissac, emissary of the capes and races to Bianca's boudoir, where he This is the world-premiere release of Adventures Austrian emperor, but she refuses and is con - finds de Brissac about to consumate the mar - of Casanova . All that existed from this film were fined to her quarters. Upon Casanova’s return, riage. After a sword duel, Casanova kills de Bris - a set of acetates that Friedhofer had, a profes - the patriots rally to his side and stage daring sac. The governor, whom de Brissac has had sionally made tape copy of which was given to guerrilla attacks against D’Albernasi’s forces. imprisoned, is released and, no longer under the me before he died. Our great mastering engineer, When the governor increases the price of bread, evil influence of de Brissac, proves to be a James Nelson, has done wonders in cleaning up Casanova kidnaps the prefect of police, the Mar - benevolent leader. He informs the citizens that the sound and the result is a classic Friedhofer quis De Gaetano, along with the governor's the king has granted them repre sentation, and score finally available for all to hear. Most of the brother and a cavalry troop. Then, under a flag that Casanova, who plans to marry Bianca, will acetates were in really good condition – only a of truce, he goes to the governor’s palace with be their new ambassador to Naples.” couple of cues were in lesser condition, but D’Anneci and Lorenzo and negotiates the re - we’ve done our best to make those sound as lease of a month’s supply of food to the people in So, mostly the film is a swashbuckler, filled with good as they can sound. We have put the cues exchange for the hostages. With the help of her swords flashing, intrigues, double-crosses, in film order, which makes for the best listening servant, Zanetta, who expects to marry Lorenzo, switched identities, cowards, an oily villain, and a experience. Bianca plans to escape to the patriots’ strong - hero who can out-duel and out-love anyone. The hold and dons a page boy's outfit to disguise her - fact that the real Casanova was, at the time of — Bruce Kimmel self. Lady Adria, the governor’s favorite, is the film’s events, a librarian in his 60s, well, why impressed by Casanova's bravado, and de Bris - let that stand in the way of a good, old-fashioned sac decides to use her to trap him when she in - yarn. The film had good production values for a vites him to visit her boudoir. However, under the low-budget programmer, and while there’s no spell of Casanova’s ardent love-making, she re - Errol Flynn or Olivia de Havilland or Basil Rath - veals the plot and helps him to escape. Bianca bone in sight, the cast does very well, especially and Zanetta then join Casanova and Lorenzo as Turhan Bey as loyal friend Lorenzo and John Sut - they return to the stronghold. When forced to re -