A carnival in Venice is the prelude to a series of erotic encounters that follow Giacomo Casanova through the cities of 18th Century Europe. With an air of funereal solemnity and elegance, this forsakes realism in favour of a stylised romantic pessimism which confronts impotence, failure, sexuality and exploitation as fully as Pasolini's Salò. Although teetering at times dangerously close to Ken Russell, the visual daring and pure imagination of every image leave it as an elegiac farewell to an era of Italian cinema. Sutherland's performance is the most astonishing piece of screen acting since Brando's in Last Tango in Paris.