2005 Film Extra Quality - Casanova

The official Touchstone/HBO Blu-ray released in Europe (Region B) is the source of nearly all “extra quality” files. America never got a proper Blu-ray release beyond a barebones, now-unavailable disc. The Curse of the US Distribution The white whale behind the “extra quality” search is Disney’s treatment of the film. In 2005, Casanova was released under the Touchstone Pictures banner (Disney’s adult label). When Disney pivoted to streaming, they relegated most of the Touchstone catalog to digital-only encodes.

Because the film was not a blockbuster (it grossed $37 million on a $40 million budget), Disney never authorized a 4K scan. The original 35mm negative sits in a vault, uncannily pristine. Until a boutique label like Criterion or Arrow Video picks it up, the only way to see the film’s true texture is via a high-quality rip of that European Blu-ray. casanova 2005 film extra quality

However, this is not the Casanova of smutty lore. Played with a sly twinkle by Heath Ledger (in one of his final purely comedic roles), Giacomo is a man who uses love to escape death sentences but finds his match in Francesca (Sienna Miller), a proto-feminist writer who scorns his advances. The film is a battle of wits, set against a Venice recreated entirely on studio lots in Tuscany and London. In 2005, Casanova was released under the Touchstone

The “extra quality” version reveals Hallström’s intention. You notice the subtext in Jeremy Irons’ performance as the puritanical Bishop Pucci (the wrinkles around his eyes tell a story of repressed desire). You hear the gondoliers singing in the rearspeakers. You see the dust motes dancing in the Venetian sunbeams. Until Disney or a boutique label rescans the 35mm negative for a native 4K HDR release, the “Casanova 2005 film extra quality” will remain a niche pursuit. But it is a worthy one. This film deserves a spot next to The Princess Bride and Shakespeare in Love as a paragon of period romance. The original 35mm negative sits in a vault,