Off The Bookshelf UK - VHS The Honest Courtesan [1999] The Honest Courtesan [1999] New & Used The Honest Courtesan [1999]

Search VHS - select a category

Buy The Honest Courtesan [1999] online at Discounted New and Used prices. Delivered to your door with Off-The-Bookshelf.

The Honest Courtesan [1999]
starring: Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell, Oliver Platt, Fred Ward, Naomi Watts
directed by: Marshall Herskovitz

Used Price: £14.95

Audience Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5039036002646
Format: Closed-captioned, Dolby, PAL, Surround Sound
Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 27, 2000
Running Time: 108 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: February 20, 1998
Sales Rank: 4355

Related Items:

The Honest Courtesan: Veronica Franco, Citizen and Writer in Sixteenth-century Venice (Women in Culture & Society)

Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
Although it was unfortunately ignored during its brief theatrical release, The Honest Courtesan is a sumptuously seductive production that is the rarest of cinematic breeds; the (barely) respectable guilty pleasure. Combining historical fact with hysterical anachronisms of language and mannerism, it's been tailored for maximum contemporary appeal but maintains a lush, romantic feel for its factual 16th-century tale of Venetian love, lust and political repression. Catherine McCormack (Mel Gibson's ill-fated bride in Braveheart) delivers a star-making performance as the "dangerous beauty" who becomes a skilful courtesan to pursue her forbidden love for a dashing Venetian senator (Rufus Sewell). It's all rather silly in a high-toned fashion, and the film turns dour when the church intervenes with a Scarlet Letter-like papal inquest. But the movie's joyously ribald vitality is utterly irresistible, and the casting of McCormack with Jaqueline Bisset (as her mother and courtesan mentor) is a stroke of genius. Merchant-Ivory could've made a smarter film from this material, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis:
Set in 16th Century Venice this period drama tells the story of Veronica, a beautiful but penniless woman in love with the handsome and wealthy Marco Venier. Veronica's mother educates her in the ways of a courtesan, who has the power to become educated in all things that men find interesting.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- why dangerous beauty is my favorite movie
i first came across this movie when i went to the cinema to see another movie and the trailer for dangerous hearts came on i thought mm that might be good ,being a fan of veronica francos works and having read about her i thought that this movie would interest me .i saw this movie and now i dare say i could act in it .it is very enjoyable the scenery breath taking ,rufus sewell is brilliant as marco and the love story between him and veronica is acted out beautifully .this is the kind of movie where after a hard day you can put your feet up and relax and enjoy .i could go on all day about how much i love this movie but i wont bore you all i will say is give this movie a go if you enjoy a period piece with a good true story you will love this ... Read More:

Rating:

- Really entertaining and original quite moving at times.
This 'bodice-ripper' was both entertaining and humourous, as well as serious. The true story was quite moving at times. Catherine McKormack is absoloutely wonderful as the lead and she fits the character perfectly. She brings a humanity and genuineness to the character as well as excellent comic timing, strength of character combined with feminine fragility.

Not too olde worlde in terms of dialogue and storyline, but more contemporary and yet it still manages to convey the romanticism of the renaissance period in Venice in which it is set.

Rating:

- If you are going to be a courtesan, be the best you can be
We are told at the start of "Dangerous Beauty" that this is based on a true story, and indeed Veronica Franco was a well-born Venetian beauty during the Renaissance who decided to become a courtesan. The argument is that for an intelligent woman this was a better choice than being forced into an arranged marriage with some old rich guy or to end up poor. This is especially true when Veronica (Catherine McCormack) is told by the man she loves, Marco Venier (Rufus Sewell), that they cannot marry because they are in different classes of Venetian society. So when Veronica's mother, Paola Franco (Jacqueline Bisset) reveals that she had once been a successful courtesan, the daughter is persuaded to follow suit, especially once her mother tells her ... Read More:

Rating:

- Venice at it's most exquisite
This delightful film has quickly become a firm favourite.

The story is light & fun but based on a true story which encourages you to think & raises some interesting questions. Much of the scriptwriting is closely linked to the writing of the heroine (which I was prompted to read after watching this film). I have enjoyed this film on many levels.

The story is compelling as you step inside the lives of women in 15th century Europe where the only women allowed inside a library were women. Where women played a key role as courtesans or mistresses in the affairs of state but were so limited in assuring their own safety & futures. It does not glamorise the role of a courtesan but highlights the limited options for ... Read More:

Rating:

- breathtaking....
your typical period drama/romp but with a clever take on it-- the woman is the one in control. Veronica a 16th century feme fatale, a courtesan who has the men of venice worshipping her, however, things turn nasty when the catholic inquisition comes to town.....
P.S. this is a true story.

VHS : The Honest Courtesan [1999]