Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty is one of my favorite movies. It's not widely viewed, but it's wonderful. It stars Rufus Sewell and Catherine McCormack and it's about Veronica Franco, 16th century Venetian poet and courtesan (highly paid and educated prositute).
A young and adventurous young woman falls in love with a man she can't marry because of her station and is far too free spirited for nunnery. So she takes the only route that would keep her sane.
I feel like quoting. So, here. Have fun. I'll avoid spoilers - I'll only tell what is already obvious in terms of history and my explaination. And what I find immensely entertaining, of course.
[Marco Venier is serenading her outside to join him on the canal]
Mother Franco: And where do you think you're going?
Veronica: ...Nowhere.
Mother Franco: That nowhere has a nice tenor.
Marco: God made sin so we might know his mercy.
Marco: My marriage must be a marriage of state.
Veronica: My people are true citizens 700 years back.
Marco: A coat of arms does not an inheritance make.
Veronica: I speak of love, you talk of money.
Marco: I speak of my duty.
Veronica: And what of your heart?
Marco: This isn't about my heart, it's about politics.
Veronica: How romantic.
Marco: Marriage isn't romantic, that's why god invented poetry.
Veronica: To sweeten men's lying lips!
Mother Franco: You can still have Marco...but not in wedlock. There's an alternative to marriage. You'll become a courtesan...like your mother used to be.
Mother Franco: The emperor Pericles relied more for policy on his mistress than he ever did on his lieutenants. Courtesans, my dear, are the most educated women in the world.
Mother Franco: Any chamber maid can flop down, take off her shirt and men will come. But true power comes from something much deeper than beauty. Cleopatra knew that. She could seduce a man at twenty paces without revealing an inch of flesh.
Veronica: How?
Mother Franco: With her mind. Desire begins in the mind.
Veronica: Who taught you?
Mother Franco: Your grandmother
Mother Franco: In order to choose your lovers wisely you need to understand men. No matter their shape or size, position or wealth - they all dream of the temptress. The irresistable, unaproachable Venus who quickly turns pliable maiden when they've had a hard day.
Veronica: Curb your surprise, Signor Venier, it's vaguely insulting.
Marco: Signor Venier, don't be absurd!
Veronica: I'm not being absurd, I'm simply treating you with the same indifference you've treated me.
Marco: You confuse indifference with honesty.
Veronica: And you confuse honesty with venality.
Marco: You think me venal?
Veronica: You are a venal cur.
Veronica: Venice. Mother. Virgin, Queen, and Goddess. To be all five at once is no mean trick. If women's lust lost eden are addressed to be hearth, heart, and home to every prick.
Mafio: Sweet lagoon, that brings us lovely life.
Veronica: Rank with greed and trade's devouring strife.
Mafio: Her wisdom, her wisdom shines bright as envious day.
Veronica: Her wives, like booty, are locked away.
Mother Franco: So?
Veronica: You didn't tell me everything.
Mother Franco: How could I? They won't all be Ramburti's
Veronica: Who's next?
Ramburti: You shall make me weep if you do not give me leave to see you again.
Veronica: Thursday?
Ramburti: Every Thursday?
Veronica: I shall count the hours in between.
Marco: Scrape any lower you'll have shoes for earings.
Veronica: Why, Marco Venier, I do believe you're jealous.
Marco: One can only be jealous of what one cannot have.
Veronica: And you cannot have me.
Marco: There's not a woman in Venice I can't have.
Veronica: And there's not a man in Venice I can't have.
Marco: We're so alike, you and I. We both know love is inconvenient if not impossible, so why not enjoy what little we're allowed...together.
Veronica: [Leans closer] I'm all booked up.
[Marco buys her a peacock and expects her gratitude]
Veronica: A peacock does not an inheritance make.
Mafio: Must be interesting being in a room full of men, most of which you've seen with their pants down.
Veronica: Puts it all in some kind of perspective.
Mafio: I was wondering, I would enjoy it if perhaps we would exhange verse again...some night....Veronica.
Veronica: We can't afford one another, Mafio. We're both courtiers singing for our supper.
Marco: What was Cousin Mafio on about?
Veronica: The pleasures of poetry.
Marco: You know I do regret the hurt that I caused you....with all of my heart.
Veronica: Your heart is higher up.
Uncle Venier: [to Marco] If I didn't know you better I'd say you had the feigned indifference of a man in love. Go on son, tell the truth and shame the devil.
Mafio: How much do you cost these days, Veronica?
Veronica: If your prick is as limp as your verse, no price could possibly purchase time enough.
Veronica: Have you the guts to try again, blade to blade and pen to pen?
Mafio: Madonna Veronica, verdually unique whore. May sing, and rhyme, and more. But still, as best a slut with every horny mut. You pride yourself on art, and letters, and fucking best your manly betters.
Veronica: I save the goodly wives of Venice from their husbands' lustful menace.
Mafio: So you confess you love to rut and your beauties gladly strut.
Veronica: I confess I fuck divinely those you love and well a-pine me.
Mafio: [mocking] I confess I fuck divinely those who richly wine and dine me.
Veronica: I confess I find more ecstacy in passion than in prayer. Such passion is prayer.
There, ok. Quoting done for the day. I made new vids, I'll post them up later. Tata for now!
A young and adventurous young woman falls in love with a man she can't marry because of her station and is far too free spirited for nunnery. So she takes the only route that would keep her sane.
I feel like quoting. So, here. Have fun. I'll avoid spoilers - I'll only tell what is already obvious in terms of history and my explaination. And what I find immensely entertaining, of course.
[Marco Venier is serenading her outside to join him on the canal]
Mother Franco: And where do you think you're going?
Veronica: ...Nowhere.
Mother Franco: That nowhere has a nice tenor.
Marco: God made sin so we might know his mercy.
Marco: My marriage must be a marriage of state.
Veronica: My people are true citizens 700 years back.
Marco: A coat of arms does not an inheritance make.
Veronica: I speak of love, you talk of money.
Marco: I speak of my duty.
Veronica: And what of your heart?
Marco: This isn't about my heart, it's about politics.
Veronica: How romantic.
Marco: Marriage isn't romantic, that's why god invented poetry.
Veronica: To sweeten men's lying lips!
Mother Franco: You can still have Marco...but not in wedlock. There's an alternative to marriage. You'll become a courtesan...like your mother used to be.
Mother Franco: The emperor Pericles relied more for policy on his mistress than he ever did on his lieutenants. Courtesans, my dear, are the most educated women in the world.
Mother Franco: Any chamber maid can flop down, take off her shirt and men will come. But true power comes from something much deeper than beauty. Cleopatra knew that. She could seduce a man at twenty paces without revealing an inch of flesh.
Veronica: How?
Mother Franco: With her mind. Desire begins in the mind.
Veronica: Who taught you?
Mother Franco: Your grandmother
Mother Franco: In order to choose your lovers wisely you need to understand men. No matter their shape or size, position or wealth - they all dream of the temptress. The irresistable, unaproachable Venus who quickly turns pliable maiden when they've had a hard day.
Veronica: Curb your surprise, Signor Venier, it's vaguely insulting.
Marco: Signor Venier, don't be absurd!
Veronica: I'm not being absurd, I'm simply treating you with the same indifference you've treated me.
Marco: You confuse indifference with honesty.
Veronica: And you confuse honesty with venality.
Marco: You think me venal?
Veronica: You are a venal cur.
Veronica: Venice. Mother. Virgin, Queen, and Goddess. To be all five at once is no mean trick. If women's lust lost eden are addressed to be hearth, heart, and home to every prick.
Mafio: Sweet lagoon, that brings us lovely life.
Veronica: Rank with greed and trade's devouring strife.
Mafio: Her wisdom, her wisdom shines bright as envious day.
Veronica: Her wives, like booty, are locked away.
Mother Franco: So?
Veronica: You didn't tell me everything.
Mother Franco: How could I? They won't all be Ramburti's
Veronica: Who's next?
Ramburti: You shall make me weep if you do not give me leave to see you again.
Veronica: Thursday?
Ramburti: Every Thursday?
Veronica: I shall count the hours in between.
Marco: Scrape any lower you'll have shoes for earings.
Veronica: Why, Marco Venier, I do believe you're jealous.
Marco: One can only be jealous of what one cannot have.
Veronica: And you cannot have me.
Marco: There's not a woman in Venice I can't have.
Veronica: And there's not a man in Venice I can't have.
Marco: We're so alike, you and I. We both know love is inconvenient if not impossible, so why not enjoy what little we're allowed...together.
Veronica: [Leans closer] I'm all booked up.
[Marco buys her a peacock and expects her gratitude]
Veronica: A peacock does not an inheritance make.
Mafio: Must be interesting being in a room full of men, most of which you've seen with their pants down.
Veronica: Puts it all in some kind of perspective.
Mafio: I was wondering, I would enjoy it if perhaps we would exhange verse again...some night....Veronica.
Veronica: We can't afford one another, Mafio. We're both courtiers singing for our supper.
Marco: What was Cousin Mafio on about?
Veronica: The pleasures of poetry.
Marco: You know I do regret the hurt that I caused you....with all of my heart.
Veronica: Your heart is higher up.
Uncle Venier: [to Marco] If I didn't know you better I'd say you had the feigned indifference of a man in love. Go on son, tell the truth and shame the devil.
Mafio: How much do you cost these days, Veronica?
Veronica: If your prick is as limp as your verse, no price could possibly purchase time enough.
Veronica: Have you the guts to try again, blade to blade and pen to pen?
Mafio: Madonna Veronica, verdually unique whore. May sing, and rhyme, and more. But still, as best a slut with every horny mut. You pride yourself on art, and letters, and fucking best your manly betters.
Veronica: I save the goodly wives of Venice from their husbands' lustful menace.
Mafio: So you confess you love to rut and your beauties gladly strut.
Veronica: I confess I fuck divinely those you love and well a-pine me.
Mafio: [mocking] I confess I fuck divinely those who richly wine and dine me.
Veronica: I confess I find more ecstacy in passion than in prayer. Such passion is prayer.
There, ok. Quoting done for the day. I made new vids, I'll post them up later. Tata for now!