Reply #18: la nuit de varennes

[Gabi Hayes]

from Roger Ebert's review



"La Nuit de Varennes" begins with an intriguing notion. What if a group of travelers were journeying by coach along the exact route being taken by Louis XVI in his attempt to escape from France? What if their paths crossed? And what if the travelers represented a Who's Who of second-rank nobility, intellectuals and notorious celebrities? What if, indeed, they included Casanova, that aging rake; Tom Paine, the radical American pamphleteer; Restif de la Bretonne, the first pornographer; and a countess from the king's household?

I liked it more than he did, but the cast (except Harvey Keitel), especially Mastroianni, was so wonderful, it made up for some of the weaknesses.

more from Ebert:


"The way Mastroianni projects Casanova's weariness, wisdom and infinite sadness is very touching. His performance deserves a footnote in film history as a variant of the Casanova he might have given us in "Fellini Casanova" (1977), if Fellini had not at the last moment decided to cast Donald Sutherland instead of Mastroianni."
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19830331/REVIEWS/303310301/1023