Justine Miceli

Dangerous Beauty -- In the late 1500s, as mistresses to Venice's important men, women lived a regal lifestyle, and were encouraged to read and study at a time when such education was forbidden for most woman.

In Venice in the late 1500s, courtesans were afforded a very special status among women: As mistresses to Venice's most important and wealthy men, they lived a regal lifestyle, and were even encouraged to read and study at a time when such education was forbidden for most woman. Catherine McCormick ("Spy Game," "Shadow of the Vampire") stars as Veronica Franco, a courtesan and poet, who became something of a superstar in her time. Also starring Rufus Sewell ("A Knight's Tale," "Dark City") as the one man she truly loved; Jacqueline Bisset ("The Deep," "Murder on the Orient Express") as her mother, a former courtesan; Moira Kelly (TV's "The West Wing," "The Lion King"); Oliver Platt ("Ready to Rumble," "Three to Tango"); Jeroen Krabbe ("An Ideal Husband," "The Fugitive"); and Joanna Cassidy ("Ghosts of Mars," TV's "Six Feet Under").

Prevented from marrying her nobleman lover (Rufus Sewell) because of her commoner status, real-life historical heroine Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack) is left with two choices: join a convent or become a courtesan. Following in mother's (Jacqueline Bisset) footsteps, she chooses the latter. Set in 16th-century Venice, this biographical drama follows Franco as she rises to power and fearlessly fights off accusations of witchcraft.

In the late 1500s, as mistresses to Venice's important men, women lived a regal lifestyle, and were encouraged to read and study at a time when such education was forbidden for most woman.

In the late 1500s, as mistresses to Venice's important men, women lived a regal lifestyle, and were encouraged to read and study at a time when such education was forbidden for most woman.

In Venice in the late 1500s, courtesans were afforded a very special status among women: As mistresses to Venice's most important and wealthy men, they lived a regal lifestyle, and were even encouraged to read and study at a time when such education was forbidden for most woman. Catherine McCormick stars as Veronica Franco, a courtesan and poet, who became something of a superstar in her time. Also starring Rufus Sewell as the one man she truly loved; Jacqueline Bisset as her mother, a former courtesan; Moira Kelly; Oliver Platt; Jeroen Krabbe; and Joanna Cassidy.