Casanova's life was extraordinary (friend of King Louis and the man who set-up the first lottery, lover of innumerable women and man of letters, an escapee from Russia, having been held there by a furious Catherine The Great, a spy who escaped from a Venetian gaol the night before his execution) and this is reflected in this extraordinary film, which sweeps you off your feet in the manner of Birth of a Nation or Abel Gance's Napoleon. The playfulness and breadth of eighteenth century novels is the spirit that defines this remarkable piece of cinema. Unmissable, if only you can get to see it!