Dangerous Beauty

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).