Product Description

CATHERINE MCCORMACK PLAYS VERONICA FRANCO, THE REAL-LIFE COURTESAN WHO USED HER INFLUENCE OVER THE MOST POWERFUL MEN IN EUROPE TO CHANGE HER OWN LIFE, AND THE COURSE OF WORLD EVENTS.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4234 in DVD
• Brand: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 1998-10-27
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.com
Although it was unfortunately ignored during its brief theatrical release, this sumptuously seductive production is that rarest of cinematic breeds, the (barely) respectable guilty pleasure. Combining historical fact with hysterical anachronisms of language and mannerism, it's been tailored for maximum contemporary appeal but maintains a lush, romantic feel for its factual 16th-century tale of Venetian love, lust, and political repression. Catherine McCormack (Mel Gibson's ill-fated bride in Braveheart) delivers a star-making performance as the "dangerous beauty" who becomes a skillful courtesan to pursue her forbidden love for a dashing Venetian senator (Rufus Sewell). It's all rather silly in a high-toned fashion, and the film turns dour when the church intervenes with a Scarlet Letter-like papal inquest. But the movie's joyously ribald vitality is utterly irresistible, and the casting of McCormack with Jaqueline Bisset (as her mother and courtesan mentor) is a stroke of pure genius. Merchant-Ivory would've made a smarter film from this material, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

TIMELESS MESSAGES WRAPPED IN A SUPERB ROMANTIC PIECE
Imagine an *intelligent* romantic comedy with a beautiful female lead, set in Venice, with a wafer-crisp and witty script, plus some brilliant doses of worldly wisdom!

Veronica (Catherine McCormack) is the kind of woman every man dreams of: a stunning beauty who's also literate and has a great sense of humor. But you see, it's 16th Century Venice, and Veronica has been pressed into service by her mother to work as a courtesan. If you're out of touch with that era's terminology, a courtesan was a prostitute with wealthy, upper class clients. So she's available to some men for some things, for a price. And she's permitted perks not available to other women, such as access to books.

The love of her life, a man of position and stature, does not quite go in the sweet, sentimental manner she had hoped. After a time, she becomes accustomed to her job and uses it to her advantage and that of Venice, by entertaining the King of France sufficiently to convince him to provide much-needed ships at a time of war.

However, her love for Marco just won't go away, even after he succumbs to family pressures and marries an appropriately positioned woman. That unhappiness is multiplied many times over when the plague strikes Venice, followed closely by the church's Inquisition. That's when we reach the film's climax.

Yes, we'd like to have a deeper understanding of what makes Veronica tick; how she reconciled herself deep down to her un-chosen life situation. And it's sentimental, which might turn some off, but really isn't out of proportion to the story and its other strengths.

The film presents a couple of very beautiful nuggets of wisdom:

(1) There's a consistent moral thread that runs through every society from age to age and generation to generation, the tenets of which are established within parameters, and therefore subject to change; or more specifically, subject to a change in perspective. And that change can come very quickly -- veritably over night in some instances.

(2) That there is also another constant that defines the human condition in any era -- that we will do whatever is necessary to survive. It is simply an undeniable, irrefutable basic instinct of the human animal. Moral tenets and survival, however, taken as properties are something akin to oil and water, and will mix accordingly. Being more often than not polar opposites, conflict is inherent and will ultimately surface at some point or other, the outcome of which is determined by the strength of whichever perspective is prevalent at the moment. And it is at such moments that we discover that life, like politics, can be a sordid, unpleasant affair; or at the other end of the spectrum, the greatest gift of all.

This is a rare film, a smart love story that isn't saddled with an overly-predictable outcome. For that and its other assets such as dialog and captivating visuals of Venice, it comes highly recommended from me.

Spectacular
A sumptuous love story set in Venice, this has remained my favorite film ever. The luxurious costumes, tender music, astonishing true story, and the breathless beauty of Catherine McCormack leave you mesmerized. This film did not do well at the box office, but that's because movie-goers like the big stars rather than the intellectual Oscar-contender. Based on the true story of Veronica Franco, a poetess and courtesan in Venice 1500s, 'Dangerous Beauty' tells of her decision to become a free and educated prostitute over an obediant, repressed wife, and what ensued when she fell in love with a man of title and estates. Marshall Herskowitz (dir.) exhibited his brilliant talent and McCormack artfully, and made it more entertaining than any Merchant-Ivory film. McCormack is definitely one to watch in years to come, and I hope we see her in more costume dramas, because she excells. 'Dangerous Beauty' (bad title) is one of the best, and once you see it for the first time, you'll want to watch it over and over again.

Romantic, sumptious, decadent...
I caught this movie late one night when there was nothing else to watch. I was totally captivated and smitten by Catherine McCormack's portrayal of Veronica Franco a real life Courtesan of the 16th century. It was an exquisite film from beginning to end. Jacqueline Biset was superb as Veronica's mother who taught her daughter the powerful arts of her sex and set her upon a path that would eventually lead her into the arms of Senators, Kings and Priests. The understated Rufus Sewell was excellent as the love of her life who at first abandons her when she has to bed the King of France for the sake of her country, but who finally rallies to her side when a jealous young priest accuses her of witchcraft. There are many memorable moments in this film, one being Veronica trying to dissuade her friend from having her daughter become a Courtesan. It is poignant and heartfelt as two women look at the lives they live and wish they were the other. Add to this the scene where Veronica confesses not to being witch before the Catholic Inquisition but just a woman whose choice of profession has been dictated to her by the narrow constraints of Venetian society. This is a film for those who want to be stimulated both sensually and intellectually. It's a shame that it didn't reach a wider audience when it first came out in 1998. Absolutely stunning is my final thought on this ad-fab film.