A "Seasonable" Choice for Fiennes

Joseph Fiennes will play Vivaldi in a new biopic about the Baroque priest/composer of "Four Seasons" fame, specifically his time serving as a music master at a school for abandoned, illegitimate daughters of Venice's courtesans. (I'm sold already). Malcolm Macdowell, Jaqueline Bisset, Lena Heady and Zuleikha Robinson round out the cast, with Gerard Depardiu still in talks to sign on as well. -- Amy

Source: Dark Horizons

Casanova Part I: Disasterpiece Theater?

Unlike the man it set out to dramatize, last night's Masterpiece Theater presentation, Casanova, failed to knock knickers off. (Not mine, at least.)

I had issues a'plenty, of which I'll name a few:

1) The film (especially the first three minutes or so) reminded me of a bad episode of THE MONKEES, with Casanova (or was that Davy Jones?) running around the back-alleys of Venice being chased by men he's cuckolded. And the background music accompanying these antics was something akin to the Benny Hill theme song. I get that they were trying to play up the farcical aspects of the story, but it was just annoyingly mad-cap and Stooge-like. This was probably my biggest gripe with the movie. It's almost as if they kept trying to make sure we'd get the joke by overly hamming it up. (Mind you, I'm not against stupid humor in a period piece, as evidenced by my review this year of Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story.)But in the case of Casanova, I was bored, not bemused.

2) The dialogue sounded way too 21st century, and the delivery reminded me of the rhythm you find on shows like "Gilmore Girls" or "Dawson's Creek," a.k.a. trying way too hard to come off as clever, and not entirely working. (A huge pet peeve of mine.)

3) The sets and costumes looked cheap and amateurish. Nothing about the production value seemed on par with what we've come to expect from Masterpiece Theater.

4) At the ball where Casanova presents his castrato-turned-fiancee, the whole scene just seemed like an '80s flashback weekend. I guess the director was trying to give the story an updated feel (perhaps as Sofia Coppola has done with "Marie Antoinette") but it didn't work.

I'll give the film's star, David Tennant, some props for being charismatic enough to carry the production. His charm and flirtatiousness makes you understand why women would have shamelessly flung themselves at him. Peter O'Toole was great as the elderly Casanova reflecting on his raucous past (although this framework narrative reminded me too much of "The Princess Bride"..."Oh don't stop now! Tell me more! What happened next?!"). The rest of the cast didn't do much for me.

I'm sure people out there are going to disagree with my opinion, so feel free to let me have it. I've heard that the movie eventually takes a poignant, tear-jerking turn, bt you'll have to let me know if that's the case. I won't be watching. -- Amy

Pope Joan in works

Donna Woolfolk Cross's bestselling novel "Pope Joan" will be adapted with actress Franka Potente (Run Lola, Run) in the title role, reports Dark Horizons. Shooting begins next May.

I haven't read the novel, but the "Pope Joan saga" has intrigued me ever since I heard about the legend, which claims that a young peasant girl adopted a man's persona and fooled her way into eventually claiming the highest title in the Catholic church, until she was eventually "discovered" after literally giving birth on a public street as shocked on-lookers watched in amazement. (Dateline or Primetime or one of those shows had a whole special on the story earlier this year.) Quite intriguing. -- Amy

Hoist the Jib!!!

This month PBS is really catering to my soft spot for English seafaring adventures. (I know, there's nothing romantic about foul-mouthed, rickets-laden sailors who could stand a little less grog and a little more personal hygiene. But still...)

Starting Sunday, Oct. 22, PBS's Masterpiece Theater treats us to a three-part adaptation of William Golding's trilogy To The Ends of the Earth. The story tracks a perilous 19th century ocean voyage from England to Australia. A hardened Captain Anderson helms the converted man-o-war ship with a passenger list that includes uppity British socialites and a salty crew.

You'll see some familiar faces among the cast including Charles Dance (Tulkinghorn from MP's Bleak House); Sam Neill (pictured, Komarovsky from MP's Doctor Zhivago); Victoria Hamilton (who has appeared in Mansfield Park, the Pride & Prejudice miniseries and Persuasion); and Joanna Page (pictured, Dora in MP's David Copperfield).

The BBC drama has already aired in England, so anyone who's seen it already should give us their thumbs' up or down. It appears to have gotten pretty good reviews.

Finally, don't forget to set your VCR or TiVo (or just tune in) to PBS this Sunday night to see Part I of Casanova. And check back on Romancing the Tome to get our review! -- Amy

Copying Beethoven

This looks like it might be good, especially if you were a fan of Immortal Beloved, like I was. Copying Beethoven is directed by the same woman who did Washington Square and the Secret Garden. It stars a brown-eyed Ed Harris as the composer in the last year of his life in a fictionalized account that claims a gifted young woman (Diane Kruger) helped the ailing genius with his work. Here's the trailer. It looks like it will have a limited release in November. NPR's Fresh Air has Ed Harris's take on playing the deaf and surly legend. -- Amy

More French Flak for Dunst

Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette is suffering further ridicule now that France's Marie Antoinette Association is blasting the film, due out this month, for being historically inaccurate — specifically the queen's saucy bedroom antics. The association's president, after seeing the film's trailer, said, "It's a fright. We've spent years trying to convince people that the queen was not just a libertine who told the starving to eat cake. What do you see on the trailer? You see Marie Antoinette eating cake. I fear the film is going to set us back many years."

I think someone needs to just take a deep breath and chill out. Then again, Kirsten Dunst's response isn't doing her any favors: "It's kind of like a history of feelings rather than a history of facts," says the actress. "So don't expect a masterpiece theater, educational biopic." (She'd better not be bashing MP!)

I don't know...I agree that I would like a Marie Antoinette film to at least give me accurate information, but I also think the Marie Antoinette Association may have their corsets laced a little too tight. -- Amy

Source: IMDB.com

Knightley's Poet Pic a Go!

Dark Horizons says plans are finally underway for Keira Knightley to star in a film about Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The screenplay for "The Best Time of Our Lives" was written by the actress's playwright mum, Sharmon Macdonald. In the movie (which will begin production next spring) Knightley will play the wife of William Killick, a man who turned up on the poet's doorstep armed with a machine gun and grenade. -- Amy