1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,454
This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture.

2
00:00:14,454 --> 00:00:20,219
The producer's purpose is to suggest some possible explanations, but not necessarily

3
00:00:20,219 --> 00:00:29,107
the only ones to the mysteries we will examine.

4
00:00:29,107 --> 00:00:33,471
350 years ago a fictional man was born on paper.

5
00:00:33,471 --> 00:00:38,956
The name Don Juan was scratched on a manuscript by a Spanish monk, and the legend of a great

6
00:00:38,956 --> 00:00:40,958
lover was born.

7
00:00:40,958 --> 00:00:46,603
A hundred years later, a Venetian named Casanova wrote six volumes on his own life and established

8
00:00:46,603 --> 00:00:49,525
himself as a legendary lover as well.

9
00:00:49,525 --> 00:00:54,329
The two men had a common occupation, the pursuit of women.

10
00:00:54,329 --> 00:01:17,550
Were they great lovers, or merely fools?

11
00:01:17,550 --> 00:01:22,795
Through the ages, legends of love and lovers have captured the imaginations of storytellers

12
00:01:22,795 --> 00:01:24,516
and their audiences.

13
00:01:24,516 --> 00:01:30,361
Platonic lovers, selfish and selfless lovers, star-crossed lovers, all have had their expression

14
00:01:30,361 --> 00:01:34,485
in music, drama, literature and dance.

15
00:01:34,485 --> 00:01:39,530
In all the annals of fiction, one character stands alone as the symbol of sensuality triumphant.

16
00:01:39,530 --> 00:01:45,855
He was the title character in a 17th century drama called The Playboy of Seville, a character

17
00:01:45,855 --> 00:01:51,300
whose very existence is based on the seduction of women.

18
00:01:51,300 --> 00:01:55,904
In the story he was a nobleman, handsome, intelligent and cynical.

19
00:01:55,904 --> 00:02:00,228
His list of female conquests totaled a thousand and three.

20
00:02:00,228 --> 00:02:04,432
When warned that someday he would pay for his lust, he would answer, there's plenty

21
00:02:04,432 --> 00:02:05,993
of time for that.

22
00:02:05,993 --> 00:02:11,518
His name, Don Juan.

23
00:02:11,518 --> 00:02:18,764
The beautiful Donna Anna is to be married to the Marquis de Mota, a friend of Don Juan's.

24
00:02:18,764 --> 00:02:25,210
Despite she's expecting a visit from her future husband, Don Juan has intercepted her invitation

25
00:02:25,210 --> 00:02:31,816
and in the darkness is planning to enjoy her favorites.

26
00:02:31,816 --> 00:02:37,701
At this moment he is under royal order of banishment for a similar affair.

27
00:02:37,701 --> 00:02:44,948
This is his way of having a last bit of sport before leaving Seville.

28
00:02:44,948 --> 00:02:56,878
Was this an act of love or simply a cruel deception?

29
00:02:56,878 --> 00:03:05,126
This time the plan fails.

30
00:03:05,126 --> 00:03:09,289
Donna Anna screams awaken her father, the illustrious commander of the order of color

31
00:03:09,289 --> 00:03:35,433
trouble.

32
00:03:35,433 --> 00:03:42,159
Don Juan escaped punishment by having someone else blame for the killing.

33
00:03:42,159 --> 00:03:45,201
The soul of the commander would seek its vengeance.

34
00:03:45,201 --> 00:03:52,808
A statue erected to honor Don Juan's victim came to life and invited him to dinner.

35
00:03:52,808 --> 00:04:01,816
The meal was elegantly served and the conversation was friendly.

36
00:04:01,816 --> 00:04:31,723
Around out the evening the statue proposed the toast.

37
00:04:31,723 --> 00:04:34,725
Donna was a murderer that went to hell for his sins.

38
00:04:34,725 --> 00:04:38,889
The legend of a great lover was born.

39
00:04:38,889 --> 00:04:42,292
A hundred years later that legend would spring to life.

40
00:04:42,292 --> 00:04:47,417
In the 1700s a man appeared whose very aim in life seemed to be the enactment of the

41
00:04:47,417 --> 00:04:49,018
Don Juan role.

42
00:04:49,018 --> 00:04:55,424
A man who said of himself, the chief business of my life is to indulge my senses.

43
00:04:55,424 --> 00:05:01,789
I felt myself born for the fair sex.

44
00:05:01,789 --> 00:05:07,074
He was a lawyer, con man, writer, gentleman and scoundrel.

45
00:05:07,074 --> 00:05:12,719
Eighteenth century Venice was a hotbed of extremes, dignity and debauchery, brilliance

46
00:05:12,719 --> 00:05:16,643
and stupidity, extravagance and poverty.

47
00:05:16,643 --> 00:05:23,809
This man was the embodiment of it all.

48
00:05:23,809 --> 00:05:30,295
He pursued women constantly and like Don Juan he made no class distinction.

49
00:05:30,295 --> 00:05:34,699
Born illegitimate he became a self-appointed nobleman.

50
00:05:34,699 --> 00:05:40,544
His name was Giacomo Casanova.

51
00:05:40,544 --> 00:05:42,946
Was he truly a lover?

52
00:05:42,946 --> 00:05:47,710
If so then certainly Venice was his appropriate birthplace.

53
00:05:48,711 --> 00:05:55,197
In the lexicon of romance Venice is a name to conjure with.

54
00:05:55,197 --> 00:06:01,162
On excel in its beauty hear the balladeers sing of their great loves and the poets come

55
00:06:01,162 --> 00:06:15,495
for inspiration.

56
00:06:15,495 --> 00:06:21,020
Here Casanova lived by his wits, dabbling in cabala, an ancient mysticism invoking the

57
00:06:21,020 --> 00:06:25,103
powers of God and the cosmos.

58
00:06:25,103 --> 00:06:30,869
Was he a true believer or did he use mysticism to exploit the gullible?

59
00:06:30,869 --> 00:06:38,836
Casanova's reputation as shongaten could stand against that of Count Saint Germain who claimed

60
00:06:38,836 --> 00:06:44,521
several reincarnations and Count Caliostro who claimed to turn lead into gold and to

61
00:06:44,521 --> 00:06:47,764
extend life indefinitely.

62
00:06:47,764 --> 00:06:53,409
Yet Casanova also held his own in conversations with two popes, Catherine the Great, Voltaire,

63
00:06:53,409 --> 00:06:57,532
Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin.

64
00:06:57,532 --> 00:07:02,216
He gambled heavily and his sensual appetite was expensive.

65
00:07:02,216 --> 00:07:07,061
Under constant financial pressure he used various talents and schemes to replenish his

66
00:07:07,061 --> 00:07:10,224
purse but his profits were soon squandered.

67
00:07:15,548 --> 00:07:25,277
He spent his winnings on women and more often consoled himself in a new affair when he lost.

68
00:07:25,277 --> 00:07:31,242
In Amsterdam he urged financiers to issue insurance on a ship believed lost at sea.

69
00:07:31,242 --> 00:07:35,406
He claimed to have a cabalistic prophecy that the ship would be safe.

70
00:07:35,406 --> 00:07:38,288
Actually Casanova had little to lose.

71
00:07:38,288 --> 00:07:42,452
If the venture was a failure he would simply leave town.

72
00:07:42,452 --> 00:07:49,739
The ship turned up safely.

73
00:07:49,739 --> 00:07:55,544
Sir Thomas Hope, believing in Casanova's mystic knowledge had taken the gamble.

74
00:07:55,544 --> 00:07:57,826
Hope profited handsomely.

75
00:07:57,826 --> 00:08:03,791
He shared his profits with Casanova and offered him a substantial business position.

76
00:08:03,791 --> 00:08:05,633
Why did he refuse?

77
00:08:05,633 --> 00:08:10,397
Was he insecure about his talent for magic, fearful that failure and future prophecies

78
00:08:10,397 --> 00:08:16,683
might expose him as a fraud or was it because he was about to embark on his most larseness

79
00:08:16,683 --> 00:08:18,764
and erotic adventure?

80
00:08:22,568 --> 00:08:29,334
For Jacomo Casanova the time was now ripe for the climactic scene in a bizarre scheme.

81
00:08:29,334 --> 00:08:31,896
The lady was Madame Durif.

82
00:08:31,896 --> 00:08:35,860
Her wealth was surpassed only by her imagination.

83
00:08:35,860 --> 00:08:41,745
Being a sincere believer in the cabala, Madame Durif wished to be reborn as a man.

84
00:08:41,745 --> 00:08:47,630
Only as a male would she be allowed to commune with the cabalistic spirits.

85
00:08:47,630 --> 00:08:53,395
Using a young friend as an accomplice, Casanova was to invoke the proper magical environment.

86
00:08:53,395 --> 00:09:00,121
Then he would father the male child which would carry the spirit of Madame Durif.

87
00:09:00,121 --> 00:09:08,288
In return, Casanova would gain control of her estate.

88
00:09:08,288 --> 00:09:19,058
The evening was a strange mixture of fantasy, imagination and eroticism.

89
00:09:19,058 --> 00:09:25,984
To conclude, Casanova was to spend the night outdoors waiting for a cosmic sign of success.

90
00:09:26,985 --> 00:09:35,993
When the sign came, it was loud and clear and it frightened Casanova out of his wits.

91
00:09:47,003 --> 00:09:52,007
Although Casanova was to inherit Madame Durif's estate, her daughter managed to gain control of her assets,

92
00:09:52,007 --> 00:09:55,010
thereby doing Casanova out of his reward.

93
00:09:55,010 --> 00:10:01,015
Madame Durif was intended to be a victim, but since she enjoyed the full measure of Casanova's services

94
00:10:01,015 --> 00:10:08,022
and he enjoyed very little of her money, we're left to wonder who was the user and who was used.

95
00:10:11,024 --> 00:10:17,030
Venice was controlled by a governor who left the daily affairs of state to three inquisitors.

96
00:10:17,030 --> 00:10:20,032
For them, Casanova meant trouble.

97
00:10:21,033 --> 00:10:28,039
There were his financial double dealings, his mystic activities and his scandals with the wives of royalty.

98
00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:34,045
In 1755, when he was 30 years old, he was escorted to the royal palace.

99
00:10:34,045 --> 00:10:38,048
This was not a social invitation.

100
00:10:38,048 --> 00:10:43,053
His talent for intrigue and scandal had left the trail of enemies.

101
00:10:43,053 --> 00:10:47,056
Now, he was caught in his own web.

102
00:10:51,060 --> 00:10:56,064
The top floor of the palace was a prison.

103
00:10:56,064 --> 00:11:03,070
Here, without trial and for unspecified crimes, he was locked up, possibly for life.

104
00:11:07,074 --> 00:11:13,079
A painful prospect for a man who so desperately needed the company of women.

105
00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:20,086
Because of the metal roof over his cell, the prison was known as the Leds.

106
00:11:20,086 --> 00:11:23,088
No prisoner had ever escaped.

107
00:11:24,089 --> 00:11:29,094
While exercising in the prison hall, Casanova found some hope.

108
00:11:33,097 --> 00:11:39,102
The metal bar took a month of work until it was sharp enough, and then his plan went into action.

109
00:11:39,102 --> 00:11:46,109
After 15 months of imprisonment, he climbed out onto this roof on the night of October 1st, 1756.

110
00:11:46,109 --> 00:11:54,116
Finding a workman's ladder, he lowered himself past his own barred window and entered the business offices below.

111
00:11:54,116 --> 00:12:00,121
His intention was to wait until morning and walk out the front door of the building.

112
00:12:00,121 --> 00:12:04,125
He was a very busy man, and he was very busy.

113
00:12:04,125 --> 00:12:07,127
He was very busy, and he was very low.

114
00:12:07,127 --> 00:12:12,132
His intention was to wait until morning and walk out the front door when the palace was opened.

115
00:12:12,132 --> 00:12:14,134
He didn't have to wait long.

116
00:12:14,134 --> 00:12:20,139
He was seen at the window by a passerby who took him for an important nobleman locked in by mistake.

117
00:12:20,139 --> 00:12:25,143
The front door was unlocked, and Casanova was freed.

118
00:12:34,151 --> 00:12:37,154
That was Casanova's own version of his escape.

119
00:12:37,154 --> 00:12:39,156
Was it true?

120
00:12:39,156 --> 00:12:45,161
There are some who say it was a fiction, a product of his own fertile imagination.

121
00:12:45,161 --> 00:12:51,167
The disbelievers suggest that he may simply have bribed the guards and he was released.

122
00:12:51,167 --> 00:12:54,169
Personally, I prefer the romantic version.

123
00:12:54,169 --> 00:12:59,174
In any case, he would now be exiled from the Leds.

124
00:12:59,174 --> 00:13:06,180
To Paris, to Holland, to Rome, Milan, Marseille, London, running, conniving, debauching.

125
00:13:06,180 --> 00:13:09,183
The pursuit of women resumed.

126
00:13:09,183 --> 00:13:13,186
He was a very busy man, and he was very busy.

127
00:13:13,186 --> 00:13:15,188
He was very busy.

128
00:13:15,188 --> 00:13:17,190
He was very busy.

129
00:13:17,190 --> 00:13:19,191
He was very busy.

130
00:13:19,191 --> 00:13:21,193
He was very busy.

131
00:13:21,193 --> 00:13:23,195
He was very busy.

132
00:13:23,195 --> 00:13:25,197
He was very busy.

133
00:13:25,197 --> 00:13:27,199
Debauching.

134
00:13:27,199 --> 00:13:30,201
The pursuit of women resumed.

135
00:13:30,201 --> 00:13:36,207
Several times he considered marriage, but cooled on the idea in time to avoid the commitment.

136
00:13:36,207 --> 00:13:44,214
On the one occasion, when he came close to taking the vows, circumstances took a strange turn.

137
00:13:44,214 --> 00:13:46,215
The young lady was named Leonilda.

138
00:13:46,215 --> 00:13:50,219
Casanova asked for her hand and she agreed.

139
00:13:50,219 --> 00:13:54,223
Her widowed mother was sent for to complete the arrangements.

140
00:13:54,223 --> 00:14:01,229
Now, the ghost of his own past, Indra Veen.

141
00:14:01,229 --> 00:14:14,240
The girl's mother was Lucrezia D'Antoni, with whom he'd had an affair some years earlier.

142
00:14:15,241 --> 00:14:20,246
The young lady, who was 16, was his own daughter.

143
00:14:30,255 --> 00:14:39,263
For a short time he was grief-stricken, but very soon consoled himself by renewing his affair with the mother of his almost bride.

144
00:14:40,263 --> 00:14:46,269
He arrived in Florence, alone and empty-handed.

145
00:14:46,269 --> 00:14:52,274
He was granted asylum by Duke Leopold, who told him he would be welcome if he stayed out of trouble.

146
00:14:52,274 --> 00:14:56,278
His good behavior lasted two weeks.

147
00:14:56,278 --> 00:15:11,291
He came to the rescue of an actress being abused by a theater manager.

148
00:15:11,291 --> 00:15:16,295
Once again, his adoration of a gentle sex was his downfall.

149
00:15:16,295 --> 00:15:21,300
He was reported by the manager and expelled from Florence.

150
00:15:27,305 --> 00:15:39,316
In the endless string of assignations, flirtations, intrigues, call them what you will, the question remains, was there love?

151
00:15:39,316 --> 00:15:42,319
The answer is yes.

152
00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:50,326
In Cezana, Casanova met a young lady who had left her home to escape from an unhappy marriage.

153
00:15:50,326 --> 00:15:55,330
She was bright and beautiful and they fell truly in love.

154
00:15:57,332 --> 00:16:02,336
For several months they traveled together, reveling in the glow of romance.

155
00:16:18,351 --> 00:16:25,357
Although Henriette cared deeply for Casanova, she was a shrewd judge of character.

156
00:16:27,359 --> 00:16:33,364
Casanova was not a man with whom one could build a future.

157
00:16:33,364 --> 00:16:37,368
Her message read, Tu obligeras aussi Henriette.

158
00:16:37,368 --> 00:16:41,371
You will also forget Henriette.

159
00:17:04,392 --> 00:17:13,400
The next day her coachman returned with a one word message. Goodbye.

160
00:17:21,407 --> 00:17:27,412
A legend is a story handed down to us from the past containing an element of truth.

161
00:17:28,413 --> 00:17:34,418
Although it is a fact that these two legendary lovers could each claim a thousand affairs,

162
00:17:34,418 --> 00:17:39,423
are we to assume that quantity is a valid measure when applied to love?

163
00:17:42,425 --> 00:17:49,432
In the case of Don Juan, the question is dealt with in a poignant and telling manner by author Edmund Rossdand.

164
00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:04,445
Having been cast into hell by the statue of the commander, Don Juan was greeted by the devil,

165
00:18:04,445 --> 00:18:10,450
who had been expecting him and welcomed him.

166
00:18:16,456 --> 00:18:22,461
The devil explained that all who come to hell are assigned a role to reflect their performance on earth.

167
00:18:23,462 --> 00:18:28,466
Don Juan asked what his role was to be.

168
00:18:31,469 --> 00:18:35,473
It was the suit of a court jester, a fool.

169
00:18:35,473 --> 00:18:40,477
Don Juan complained there must be some mistake.

170
00:18:40,477 --> 00:18:46,482
No mistake said the devil. Put it on. You will be our clown. You will make a perfect fool.

171
00:18:47,483 --> 00:18:52,488
Don Juan argued that he was a great lover, a man of a thousand and three conquests.

172
00:18:52,488 --> 00:19:01,496
The devil had a suggestion. If one could remember one, just one of his supposed loves, he could avoid the fool's role.

173
00:19:03,497 --> 00:19:07,501
The bargain was struck and the women were summoned.

174
00:19:08,502 --> 00:19:12,505
Now the strange trial began.

175
00:19:12,505 --> 00:19:19,512
I remember how could I ever forget our beautiful night in Paris. You are Arabella.

176
00:19:19,512 --> 00:19:23,515
No one. It was Rome. I am Sarah.

177
00:19:26,518 --> 00:19:30,521
Only one. I only have to remember one.

178
00:19:30,521 --> 00:19:37,528
And so it went. One by one they came and time after time he failed.

179
00:19:42,532 --> 00:19:49,538
This time I'm certain I will not be made a fool. It was Madrid. You are Esmeralda.

180
00:19:49,538 --> 00:19:54,543
No one. We were in Malaga. I am Cara.

181
00:19:55,544 --> 00:20:01,549
The sad parade continued until...

182
00:20:04,552 --> 00:20:10,557
Yes said the devil. A real tear. This one truly loved you.

183
00:20:10,557 --> 00:20:14,561
Offered you a great and lasting love.

184
00:20:17,563 --> 00:20:22,568
Finally, accepting the truth of his life, Don Juan said,

185
00:20:22,568 --> 00:20:26,571
Give me the suit.

186
00:20:33,577 --> 00:20:38,582
Jacomo Casanova. Great lover or great fool.

187
00:20:40,584 --> 00:20:45,588
By his own admission, the number of his liaisons equaled that of Don Juan.

188
00:20:46,589 --> 00:20:51,593
Ironically, there is evidence that he contributed to the libretto of Don Giovanni,

189
00:20:51,593 --> 00:20:55,597
the Mozart opera based on the Don Juan story.

190
00:20:59,601 --> 00:21:03,604
Yet there is an outstanding difference between the two men.

191
00:21:03,604 --> 00:21:10,610
While Don Juan left bitterness in his wake, Casanova's women maintained tender feelings for him

192
00:21:10,610 --> 00:21:13,613
long after the passion of their affairs had faded.

193
00:21:14,614 --> 00:21:19,618
An enduring testimony to the generosity of Casanova's character.

194
00:21:22,621 --> 00:21:26,625
If a lover can be defined as one who enjoys the giving as well as the taking,

195
00:21:26,625 --> 00:21:32,630
then surely Jacomo Casanova must be granted the title of lover.

196
00:21:32,630 --> 00:21:39,716
Breaking into this

197
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:48,644
Coming up next in search of traces a route to what may be the historical side of the Garden of Eden.