In the words of the Catholic Inquisition, the crimes of Giacomo Casanova include "debauchery, heresy and fornication with a nun."

Of course in the mind of Casanova himself, he's not a criminal heretic and fornicator, he's merely a philosopher who adores the beauty of women, and who finds great pleasure in expressing his worship in carnal ways, with an unmatched skill, as often as possible.

That is, until he finds the woman who can express her own philosophy of love more inarguably than he, and who possesses unmatched skills of her own.

So begins a delightfully funny, sexy, exciting and romantic tale in director Lasse Hallström's retelling of the storied life of the legendary lover.

Hallström has directed many excellent films that always take a very heartfelt and sentimental view of human nature, as demonstrated in the highly praised Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Cider House Rules.

Casanova is the Swedish director's most playful film yet, full of irreverent humor, rich with excellent performances that are each perfect in their own way.

Heath Ledger captures his Casanova's wit, cockiness, charm and his foolhardy compulsion to flirt with disaster in the name of love.

The women in Casanova's life are each completely seductive in their own way, with Sienna Miller as the feminist Francesca Bruni who steals the seducer's heart, and Natalie Dormer as a notorious but secretly hot-blooded virgin, who saves herself for true lust, rather than true love.

The story's structure as a recalled memory of old age allows for a humorously juggled mix of the improbable and the impossible, with characters frequently allowed to play over the top, particularly in the case of Jeremy Irons as the Vatican's watchdog Inquisitor Pucci.

Casanova combines many of the best features of the swashbuckling romantic costume adventures that have come before, and takes it's place with the likes of Dangerous Beauty, Don Juan De Marco, Shakespeare in Love and Tom Jones.

Beautifully filmed locations in Venice and extravagant costumes by the best costumers in Italy add to the visual delights of this wonderfully realized fable.

A duel over one of many beautiful women