Dangerous Beauty [DVD]

Unconditional and will NOT COMPROMISE😘

no comment

I am not typically a fan of romantic movies. I find most of them fairly predictable, so I tend to avoid watching them. However I found Dangerous Beauty to be an exception. It's based loosely on the life of Veronica Franco, a courtesan in 16th century Venice.The story starts out with an almost Romeo and Juliet like setting, two young people in love, but their families don't afford them the luxury of marrying one another. Veronica's love interest is the brother of her best friend, a wealthy man who's family has planned for him marry for national alliances. Being that she's not up to par social in class standards for her would be in-laws, her mother offers to her an option on how she can still be with the man she loves, though not through marriage. The only way it would be socially acceptable for her to still see him, even after marriage, is if she was a well respected courtesan. She rejects the idea vehemently at first, but after her mother shows her what few other options she has in life, she accepts it, then embraces it.Her looks, quick wit, poetry and desire for knowledge allow her to raise through the ranks quickly and be quite sought after. She becomes very good at what she does, and wins the hearts of many rich and powerful men in Venice. By the time she is finally able to again be with her true love, wars, kings, the Black Plague and the Spanish Inquisition all now stand in their way. An amazing story with a heartwarming ending, it is a truly unique romance story.

As a man who views films as literature, for me, I find few films uphold a "this world" ethic and that makes this work a phenomenal achievement against films that seem to revere drug dealers, drug users, and murderers. Catherine McCormack's portrayal is stunning as Franco, who enters the life of a courtesan to be close to her love interest Marco, played by Rufus Sewell.The majesty of the film lies in its philosophical commentaries. Franco is a direct contrast to the women portrayed of the era. The 'downing a banana in one gulp', contrary to the opinion of a local San Diego film reviewer, is not designed for the enticement of baser film viewers. It is coupled with Franco's demonstration of her intellect, which showed a mind-body unity that Marco's wife Giulia De Lezze, played by the lovely Naomi Watts, finds "obscene." Where sex is viewed as a vile duty, Franco views it as pleasurable. Where women are relegated to the sidelines of society as mere producers of male heirs, Franco pursues her goals actively. Where husbands are chosen for women out of duty, Franco chooses whom she associates and has sex with. She is the Captain of her fate.The evolution of the conflict between Maffio Venier (played by Oliver Platt) and Franco presents an interesting transition of Venier's unrequited interest in Franco, to envy of Franco's monetary and intellectual success, to his becoming a "repentant" Christian, and finally to his ascension to the position of chief prosecutor in her inquisition as a suspected "witch." The trial of Franco before the Inquisition foreshadows the transition from early Christian civilization, and its lingering moral values, to the burgeoning Renaissance. Facing a sentence of possible death, this conflict climaxes in Franco's uncompromising, unapologetic, and courageous defense of her life and choices. To me, this makes Dangerous Beauty an incredible "sense of life" of film that should not be missed.

I first saw it when I was 17. I am 41 and still love every second of it. A woman learns to weald her power in a society where women are assumed to be wholly powerless. In so doing, she is able to have the love that society had denied her. She shaped a pretty impressive destiny with some pretty lame cards, and I will continue to find that to be both impressive and fun to watch!

This movie is a triumph to the women of our past who risked a lot of their own personal lives and endured hardships that no woman of today's America, could begin to imagine. Don't forget that Veronica became a prostitute when society in Venice would not allow her to marry her lover, Marco, due to his status among his fellow countrymen. In order to make some sort of life for herself, she reluctantly became a prostitute to be educated and recognized as a human being by her country and the men of her time. When Vernonica does become educated and attractive to the men and women of Venice,she is said to be "bewitching." To even mention the lack of nudity or reality of the life of a prostitute (did you forget the unattractive Bishop she entertains or King of Spain that she beds with a knife at her throat for more naval ships)means that you have missed the entire point of this movie. As stated in the movie "PRETTY WOMAN," I don't believe any woman aspires to become a prostitute, sometimes life makes it the only choice a woman has. This movie is about strength, true love, sacrifice and the reality of the lives led by women in our past and some of today. I myself had female relatives that endured hardship and sacrifices similar to Veronica in order for me to be able to live the life I choose today, with or without a man. I now have the freedom of choice. They did not. We all can only hope that our lives can be fulfilled and lived as we choose and if we happen to find a man like Marco who truly loves, respects and is willing to stand up for us, then we have everything.

pour information

Qualita prezzo

Very enjoyable movie. Great acting and storyline based on a true story.

Arrived on time. Only have “play movie” feature. The DVD I bought many years ago has other features eg director’s cut, interviews of actors / actress etc. Unfortunately I lost that DVD. At least I found the DVD. And it is good quality.

I really liked this movie, but my copy went AWOL, so I ordered this one as a replacement.