Venice is one of the most popular locations for period and costume dramas, although the very period which made Venice so well-sought by contemporary film-makers is usually ignored by Hollywood. Today known merely as a tourist attraction, city-state of Venice used to be one of the major powers of medieval and Renaissance Europe, with enormous wealth based on trade and plunder and protected by mighty navy. One of the rare films set in Venice during the days of its old glory is Dangerous Beauty, historic drama directed by Marshall Herskovitz.
The plot, based on the novel The Honest Courtesan by Margaret Rosenthal, is set in 1583. Venice might not be the mightiest state of Europe, but it is definitely one of the liveliest and most open-minded. Veronica Franco (played by Catherine MacCormack) is a beautiful young woman whose relationship with rich noble's son Marco Venier (played by Rufus Sewell) is doomed because her mother Paola (played by Jacqueline Bisset) can't afford the dowry. Marco marries another woman for political reasons, but Paola advises Veronica to continue seeing Marco, this time as a courtesan. Coached by Paola, who used to be courtesan herself, Veronica learns not only about sex and seduction, but also about arts, philosophy and politics – subjects unknown to "normal", usually illiterate, women. Veronica soon becomes a huge success in Venice, earning not only huge amounts of money, but political influence as well. But the catastrophic plague changes everything and bigots find perfect scapegoats in courtesans. Veronica is targeted by Inquisition that accuses her of witchcraft.
Inspired by real life character, this film could have ended like just another Hollywood oversimplification of history and aggressive and anachronistic pushing of contemporary feminist agenda. Jeannine Dominy's script indeed flirts with that, but it also promotes the idea that is heretical to most of today's feminists - women can be empowered by using sex to manipulate the men. Because of that film looks very refreshing. Director Herskovitz doesn't care much about socio-cultural agenda, being more concerned with the reconstruction of 16th Century Venice. He enjoyed the services of very talented collaborators – cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, composer George Fenton, production designer Norman Garwood and costume designer Gabriela Pesucci. Their talents were well-matched by Catherine MacCormack, who portrayed woman able to seduce with her intellect as well as her natural charm. Other actors are also good, including Fred Ward as Venetian Senator - a role usually more comfortable for British talents. Unfortunately, at the end, Dangerous Beauty succumbs to Hollywood cliches with introduction of Inquistion and gives Oliver Platt unenviable task to portray unconvincing character. The ending is also somewhat disappointing. But if Hollywood conventions are taken into account, Dangerous Beauty, with its heretical message and high production values, is a film that deserves recommendation.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on October 13th 2004)
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