LDV118

30 AU CINÉMA CE SOIR These sublimated contrasts recur in Fellini’s Casanova . In a sense, Nino Rota’s Circus-Valzer translates Fellini’s sexual obsessions and accentuates the puerile and selfish character of Casanova, played by Donald Sutherland. What are the relative proportions of humanity and ‘mechanical’ inhumanity in the film, and therefore in the music? A brief aside: remember Ettore Scola’s That Night in Varennes , in which the elderly Casanova, played by Marcello Mastroianni, is transformed into a romantic hero still deeply moved by the beauty of the world. Now there we have the Casanova who created the sublimely written History of My Life . And that encapsulates the genius of Italian cinema and of two directors who are almost diametrical opposites. Let’s go back to Nino Rota, that wizard of sound in the service of Fellini. His Casanova – an utter creep, let it be said – is unanimously detested by all the characters he meets. And what incredible scenes, like the one with the gigantic organ played in Württemberg or the final scene of the dance with the mechanical doll . . . Spectacular triviality and aesthetic beauty combined!