Casanova's Big Night (1954)

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(1,295 ratings)

Bob Hope tries to capture the comic magic of his 1946 costume farce Monsieur Beaucaire with the splashy Technicolor romp Casanova's Big Night (filmed in 1952, released in 1954). Set in 18th century Venice, the film casts Hope as Pippo, the humble tailor of notorious ladies' man Casanova (an unbilled… More Bob Hope tries to capture the comic magic of his 1946 costume farce Monsieur Beaucaire with the splashy Technicolor romp Casanova's Big Night (filmed in 1952, released in 1954). Set in 18th century Venice, the film casts Hope as Pippo, the humble tailor of notorious ladies' man Casanova (an unbilled Vincent Price). When Casanova skips town without paying his debts, the local tradesman's guild, led by Casanova's butler Lucio (Basil Rathbone), conspire to pass off one of their number as the great lover and arrange a profitable marriage. Selected to impersonate Casanova is the hapless Pippo, who soon afterward is hired by the imperious Duchess of Castelbello (Hope Emerson) to test the fidelity of the duchess' future daughter-in-law Elena (Audrey Dalton). Along the way, Pippo is given lessons in etiquette and swordsmanship by both Lucio and tradeswoman Francesca (Joan Fontaine). Eventually, Pippo finds himself up to his neck in court intrigue, courtesy of the scheming Doge of Venice (Arnold Moss). Further complications include a couple of hilarious swashbuckling scenes, an interlude in a dungeon with addlepated prisoner Emo (Lon Chaney), and the obligatory disguise scene. The Pirandellian ending of Casanova's Big Night was later imitated by such films as The Maltese Bippy (1969) and Wayne's World (1992). Bob Hope is in fine form, the production is sumptuous and the supporting cast superb, but somehow there's a little something missing in Casanova's Big Night. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Norman Z. McLeod
Written By: Hal Kanter, Edmund L. Hartmann
Genres: Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 17, 1954 Wide
On DVD: Sep 6, 2005

Critic Reviews

Michael Szymanski, International Press Academy
It's worth watching this dated comedy being released by Paramount
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Above average Hope vehicle from the era where he was just starting to slide.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Carismtico como sempre, Bob Hope no perde uma piada sequer - seja atravs de inteligentes trocadilhos ('Canal N5'), humor fsico ('Tenho muitos seguidores em Veneza') ou comdia de situao ('Fomos todos enganados por Emo').

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Another fun and hilarious comedy with Hope, I really enjoyed it. It has a great supporting cast too, full of stars. My favourite was Vincent Price, who has a great part in the beginning of the movie. The story was good, not as predictable as you'd expect from this kind of… More
Another fun and hilarious comedy with Hope, I really enjoyed it. It has a great supporting cast too, full of stars. My favourite was Vincent Price, who has a great part in the beginning of the movie. The story was good, not as predictable as you'd expect from this kind of movie. Also the ending was really different. If you like Hope, you should see this movie.

Cast

            Bob Hope as Pippo Popolino

            Joan Fontaine as Francesca Bruni

            Basil Rathbone as Lucio

            Audrey Dalton as Elena

            Hugh Marlowe as Stefano Di Gambetta

            Arnold Moss as The Doge of Venice

            John Carradine as Minister Foressi

            John Hoyt as Maggiomi

            Hope Emerson as Duchess of Castelbello

            Robert Hutton as Raphael Duc of Castelbello

            Lon Chaney Jr as Emo

            Raymond Burr as Bragadin

            Frieda Inescort as Signora Di Gambetta

            Primo Carnera as Corfa

            Frank Puglia as Carabaccio

            Paul Cavanagh as Signor Di Gambetta

            Romo Vincent as Giovanni

            Henry Brandon as Capt. Rugello

            Natalie Schafer as Signora Foressi

            Douglas Fowley as Second Prisoner

            Lucien Littlefield as First Prisoner

            Oliver Blake as Amadeo

            Nestor Paiva as Gnocchi

            Vincent Price as Casanova

            Joan Shawlee as Beatrice

            Barbara Freking as Maria
See full cast