Dangerous Beauty

Set in 1583 Venice, Dangerous Beauty offers the story of a young woman of humble means (Braveheart's Catherine McCormack) who becomes a courtesan, creating a slight impediment to her love for a nobleman (Rufus Sewell). If you smell a tale of degradation and class warfare in the making, sniff again. The film actually offers an intriguing history lesson in gender politics: while the noble ladies paid for their ability to marry well with their tongues and minds, courtesans became educated in history, politics and the arts so they could seduce with both body and mind. Director Marshall Herskovitz wraps this tale in enough style, romance and humor that it's usually as entertaining as it is provocative--until the final reel. Here, in an over-wrought Inquisition courtroom confrontation, the script hands McCormack an I-am-Renaissance-woman-hear-me-roar manifesto, inspiring all and sundry to leap to their feet in an "Oh Captain, my Captain" show of solidarity. Still, McCormack's radiant performance and an unusual exploration of primitive feminism give it the real punch its forced conclusion tries too hard to provide. Recommended. (S. Renshaw)