Orgies in the film The film “Casanova Federico Fellini” (1976)
The film “Casanova Federico Fellini” (1976) is a unique interpretation of the famous life and adventures of Giacomo Casanova, an Italian adventurer, writer and memoirist of the 18th century. Under the direction of legendary director Federico Fellini, the film is a profound exploration of themes of eroticism, art and human eccentricity. The film received good reviews from critics and the press. The British newspaper Guardian, without exaggeration, called it a masterpiece.
Orgies in the film
Orgies in the film “Casanova Federico Fellini” play an important role and help to better understand the main character and his inner world. These scenes, filled with theatricality, reflect the deeper meanings and themes that the director wants to convey. In each new country, Casanova continues to participate in orgies and love affairs. These scenes are filled with excess and flamboyance, showing his constant search for new sensations.
The orgies show that Casanova is trying to find happiness through pleasure, but in reality this is just an illusion. Despite many love affairs, he remains lonely and unsatisfied. The film shows that superficial pleasures cannot give true happiness.
Plot
The film begins with a colorful scene where Giacomo Casanova, played by Donald Sutherland, enjoys the carnival in Venice. Luxurious decorations and unbridled fun immediately set the tone for the upcoming events, which will be equally extravagant and theatrical.
The carnival becomes the backdrop for various reckless acts. One such episode is when Casanova visits one of the islands of Venice to make love with a fake nun for the amusement of a rich voyeur. Casanova is disappointed that this man shows no interest in his research in alchemy and his future plans.
Graph: Very good work, my dear young man. Congratulations, it was an impressive spectacle. Quite consistent with your reputation. A little lacking in finesse, maybe… in the horizontal position. Here you lack, how can I say, ingenuity. But overall great job.
Casanova: Your Excellency! Your praise… your praise does me credit, yet you will allow me to point out that my abilities are not limited to what you have just seen. I studied engineering and literature. I understand the art of politics and economics. I daresay that some of my discoveries would interest His Majesty the King of France. I practiced alchemy and studied the art of trade, and deeply studied the occult sciences. Yes. I have come up with an infallible method that will double government revenues within one year. May I humbly request Your Excellency to give me a letter of recommendation. I am ready to go to your country tomorrow evening, which I love as my second homeland.
“silence”
Losing the “one” true love
Two years later, in Forli, Casanova moves to the court of the hunchback Du Bois. During this time, he also looks after a beautiful young woman named Henrietta.
Casanova: We have too much power over women. We allow ourselves to tyrannize them, and we can do this only because they are softer, more reasonable, there is more humanity in them than in us, and what gives them an advantage over us makes them dependent on us. We are hundreds of times more cruel and unjustifiably cruel! We seem to be born to enslave and oppress.
Du Bois:A woman’s kisses are like glasses of wine. You drink and drink until you finally give up.
Casanova A man who has never said anything bad about women does not love them because in order to understand and love them you need to suffer for them. Then and only then can you find happiness on the lips of your beloved.
Du Bois: Kissing is simply the desire to absorb the object you are kissing.
Casanova: What is a kiss? Just a desire to immerse yourself in the soul of the woman you love.
The lovers swear fidelity to each other, but the next morning Henrietta disappears. Du Bois tells Casanova that an emissary from a distant court has taken Henrietta away, and she has asked that Casanova not try to follow her.
Casanova: Her place is next to me. I will get her back even if I have to fight the army of entire Europe. Where did she go? In the direction?
Du Bois: Of course: towards the Alps.
I’m leaving immediately. I have to find her.
Du Bois: Signor Casanova.
Casanova: She is the only woman I will always love.
Du Bois: I do not believe in this. I don’t believe.
Casanova attends a wild party at Lord Talu’s palace in Rome, where he takes part in an unusual bet. The debate is how many orgasms he can have in one hour. At first, Casanova is indignant and considers this an insult, but after much persuasion and praise of his bright reputation, he agrees. In the end, he wins this challenge.
Casanova: You travel through non-existent worlds. I prefer to travel in the real world.
Drunkard: But your travels are always connected with women. And this will get you nowhere.
Württemberg
Casanova moves to the court in Württemberg, hoping to be taken seriously as a writer and inventor. However, here he encounters the orgiastic and wild nature of the court, which interferes with his aspirations. His desire to do something truly meaningful is broken by the fact that people see him only as a great seducer and nothing more.
Casanova: I have a letter from Cardinal Louvier. He kindly agreed to introduce me to you. I would like to submit to Your Excellency. In my country, Your Excellency, the sea turtle is considered a symbol of long life. These are plans for defensive structures based on the principles of Democritus and Leucippus.
“silence”
Here Casanova meets Rosalba, a mechanical doll. They dance together and then have sex.
The end of everything
Time passes, and the elderly Casanova takes the position of librarian for Count Wallenstein in his castle in Dux. Life in the castle turns out to be more than disappointing: Casanova becomes the object of ridicule and hostility from others.
Tired and exhausted, Casanova curls up in his chair and falls asleep. In this dream, he returns to Venice and is chased by the ghosts of his past lovers, but they all disappear. Soon an ornate stagecoach appears, beckoning him to join the passengers. He eventually meets Rosalba, the mechanical doll, again and they dance together.
The Gallant Age: Debauchery and licentiousness at the court of the French kings of the 17th – 18th centuries
Casanova, the famous adventurer and seducer of the 18th century, personifies the spirit of the Age of Gallantry, a period when refined manners, refined politeness and the art of seduction reached their apogee. This century, known as the Age of Enlightenment, was a time of intellectual, cultural and social transformation, and Casanova became a prominent representative of its key features.
The gallant age, the era of absolutism, was known not only for the political power of kings, but also for sexual promiscuity, which gripped all levels of society, especially the French aristocracy. The German historian Eduard Fuchs, in his book An Illustrated History of Manners: The Age of Gallantry (1913), describes this period as a time when the higher the status of the nobles, the more dissolute their morals were. Fuchs notes: “The higher we rise, the more dirt accumulates; in the courtyards it reaches the size of a real mountain.”
Louis XIV and his court
Debauchery was especially pronounced at the court of Louis XIV. Every woman who appeared at court could become an object of desire for the king. Relatives and courtiers were obliged to share their wives with the king if they interested him. Louis XIV was known for his erotomania and saw women only as sex objects. Duchess Elizabeth Charlotte wrote: “The King liked everyone, as long as she wore a skirt.”
Swinging at court
Swinging, or partner swapping, was common at court. Men often had several mistresses, and women changed partners. For example, the Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg and M. and Madame de Boufflet lived in a four-way relationship, sharing each other peacefully.
Orgies under the Duke of Orleans
The court of the Duke of Orleans, Philippe II, regent under Louis XV, was especially dissolute. Orgies became a common condition of the aristocracy, and participation in them brought glory and satisfied ambition. The Royal Palace in Paris was the main center of debauchery, where the “festivals of Adam” were held, in which ladies participated in the costume of Eve. The culmination of these celebrations was the exchange of ladies for group sex.
Perversion and debauchery
Similar orgies continued under Louis XV and Louis XVI. The most perverted methods of sexual gratification came into fashion: rape, incest, pederasty and entertainment in the spirit of the Marquis de Sade. A piquant entertainment was watching how a mistress or wife satisfied the whims of a friend or acquaintance.
Debauchery reached its apogee among the French aristocracy. This was especially evident in the circle grouped around the Duke of Orleans, Philippe II, nephew of King Louis XIV and future regent. The Duke received a very telling assessment in the epitaph for his mother: “Here lies the mother of all vices.” Under his leadership, the former bacchanalia turned into constant orgies.
This orgy began with his regency in 1715 and quickly became a daily practice for the aristocracy. Participation in it brought fame and satisfied ambitions. Love affairs have become fashionable and public, and licentiousness has reached unprecedented levels. At the center of this madness stood the regent himself, who issued only one law in eight years: “Let’s have fun!”
These entertainments included the most base and bestial methods. Everything happened quickly: in the morning people got acquainted, and in the evening, disorderly sex began.
Monasteries, especially women’s monasteries, turned into houses of debauchery. The abbesses not only did not interfere with wild life, but they themselves set an example. For example, Duchess Palatine Louise Hollandina, head of the monastery in Montbuisson, gave birth to 14 children from different fathers and was openly proud of it.
The nuns took part in orgies and often organized them themselves right within the walls of the monasteries. Behind the harsh rules of the order hid the same “gallant age” with all its depravity.
Conclusion
According to Federico Fellini, he did not like Casanova. Only as filming progressed did the director’s attitude toward the character shift from outright hostility to sympathy: Fellini recognized him as a man whom fate had deprived of the ability to love. In fact, the “loving” Casanova did not like the women he dated. He could feign love, but he only experienced physical attraction. Therefore, his love vows in the film alternate with orgies where there is no place for feelings.
Orgies in the film represent a symbol of emptiness and despair. Casanova participates in them, trying to fill the inner emptiness, but each time he remains unsatisfied. This desire for physical pleasure without emotional connection highlights his inability for true love and intimacy.
Casanova’s relationship with a doll in the form of a woman symbolizes his life filled with illusions and artificiality. For those around him, he is the greatest seducer, but in reality he is a deeply unhappy person. The doll is a metaphor for his unfulfilled aspirations and unmet needs for sincere love and understanding.
The film “Casanova Federico Fellini” is one big attempt by Casanova to find happiness and sincere love. Instead, he constantly makes the same mistakes in an effort to maintain his image. In the end, he finds himself a prisoner of his illusions and cannot go beyond his own fantasies. His story is a tragic example of how outward charm and success can hide deep inner loneliness and unhappiness.