Review: Dangerous Beauty (1998)

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Dangerous Beauty

Rating

Director

Marshall Herskovitz

Screenplay

Jeannine Dominy (Book: Margaret Rosenthal)

Length

1h 51m

Starring

Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Oliver Platt, Fred Ward, Naomi Watts, Moira Kelly, Jacqueline Bisset, Jeroen Krabbé, Joanna Cassidy, Melina Kanakaredes, Daniel Lapaine, Justine Miceli, Jake Weber

MPAA Rating

Basic Plot

16th Century Venice is the home to the courtesans. A courtesan is a woman who is not only seductive, but an intelligent strategist. This is the story of one such courtesan, forced into the lifestyle to prevent living in poverty.

Review

This film plays extremely well for today. It captures the spirit of freedom during a time when women were not afforded such luxuries.

Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack), is a young girl who falls in love with a childhood chum, Marco Venier (Rufus Sewell). They are unable to wed because of their differing social classes.

Jacqueline Bisset is brilliant as Veronica’s mother, Paola. She commands such grace on screen that we forget who she really is and are engrossed by her character. Paola convinces Veronica that the only way to get Marco is to become a courtesan.

Veronica is very reluctant and is given the choice, be a courtesan or live in a convent. She is shown the convent and what happens inside and runs crying from the building and reluctantly agrees to become a courtesan.

Oliver Platt is Maffo Venier, Marco’s brother and lust-ridden for Veronica. Moira Kelly is Beatrice Venier, Marco’s sister and Veronica’s best friend.

A wealth of smaller stars appears in the cast, including Fred Ward as an elder patriarch of the Venier clan and a eventual suitor of Veronica’s.

Along with some graceful acting by McCormack and Bisset, the film carries some lush settings and wonderful costumes.

This film can be seen on the small screen, since it’s not big, but make sure you have some good resolution on your TV or you’ll miss some of the more elegant work of the year.

Awards Prospects

Costume Design and Art Direction are all within reach. If Bisset can keep up popularity until Oscar time, she could get a Supporting Actress nomination.