Dangerous Beauty . Tucson Weekly . 03-16-98

Dangerous Beauty

DIRECTED BY: Marshall Herskovitz

REVIEWED: 03-16-98

This is why we love Hollywood! Dangerous Beauty mixes the crass and melodramatic with the lofty and noble, extruding trashy entertainment that's wildly enjoyable, even if it does leave you feeling used and guilty. Catherine McCormack plays Veronica Franco, a courtesan plying her wares in a strange version of 16th century Venice where everybody speaks English and appears in soft focus. Oh well, whatever--she's a plucky one, and her plain speaking, bawdy intelligence eventually charms most of the Venetian ruling class, including hunky Marco Venier (Rufus Sewell), who risks it all to be her boyfriend. Dangerous Beauty transplants progressive '90s sexual politics to the repressive 16th century, where uneducated wives were kept safely inside but courtesans read whatever they liked and had the run of the place. Veronica's pleas for independence, sexual equality, and erotic freedom resonate across the centuries, making her far more spicy than any 20th century spice girl.

--Richter

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