This six-part study of the famous womaniser Giacomo Girolamo Casanova was penned by Dennis Potter and starred Frank Finlay – and a succession of actresses in varying states of undress.
Throughout the series, Casanova is thrown into gaol on charges of impiousness, forgery and fornication; obsessed by memories of Cristina, a simple girl, willingly seduced; taken with the three daughters of his landlord in Grenoble (who he decides to seduce); pretends to be a magician to fool an old man and his daughter; travels to England and ends up at the age of 75 “imprisoned” as a librarian at the court of a Czech count.
Mrs Whitehouse (of course) condemned the “lewdness and gross indecency” of one of the episodes. The author advised her to “hold her tongue” and insisted it was a very moral series.
The series was re-edited for broadcast in September 1974. The edit reduced the running time from 325 minutes to 195 minutes and the programme was broadcast over two nights as 1 x 100-minute episode and 1 x 95-minute episode.
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova
Frank Finlay
Lorenzo
NormanRossington
Cristina
Zienia Merton
Barberina
Christine Noonan
Schalon
Patrick Newell Senator Bragadin Geoffrey Wincott Valenglart
David Swift Genoveffa Lyn Yeldham Anne Roman-Coupier Ania Merson
Uncle
George Benson Helena
Elaine Donnelly
Rose
Julia Cornelius
Manon
Brigid Erin Bates
Anna
Caroline Dowdeswell Senior Inquisitor
Ronald Adam
Episodes
Steed In The Stable | One At A Time | Magic Moments | Window, Window | Fevers Of Love | Golden Apples
