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Reviews:
Just
because it’s got British Accents…: Dangerous
Beauty
by Christian De Matteo
Solid
Many people tend to assume that if the movie
includes British accents and is set in the past,
that it will automatically be up for an Oscar
because it’s “art house.”
Just like any other film, however, the
script, directing and acting all need to be in place
for it to be great.
To paraphrase Rufus Sewell in the film, “An
English accent an Oscar winner does not make.”
Starring Catherine McCormack (Braveheart),
Rufus Sewell (Dark City, A Knight’s Tale),
and Oliver Platt (The Imposters, The Three
Musketeers), the film tells the story of a young
girl who cannot marry the man of her dreams due to
her lower station in life.
So far, we’ve heard this before.
So her loving mother sends her into a life of
prostitution. Okay,
wait…what?
The film is based on a true story of Veronica
Franco in Venice, Italy and does indeed have an
intriguing plot line and some delish scenery…if
you know what I mean.
And while the film is a very enjoyable watch,
and does deal with some hefty issues, there’s
something missing.
Some last bit of punch and power seems to be
a step behind, leaving scenes where the audience
should be on the edge of their seats, only
intrigued.
Part of the reason is the acting.
All the acting is good, but it needs to be
more than good to reach the level of emotional power
for which the film aims.
Rufus Sewall, whom I like very much, is part
of the problem here. Never does his performance truly emanate the love he claims
for Veronica Franco.
But it is not at all just him, there is a
passion missing from the film in general, the same
passion that is missing from his performance.
One might hazard a guess that this is
partially due to the lacking experience of director
Marshall Herskovitz, who’s previous directing
credits include mostly television faire like “My
So Called Life” and “Once and Again.” This makes sense when you view Dangerous Beauty as an
exceptionally made television film, but not an
exceptionally made studio film.
The
film is fast and spirited, with some very serious
scenes and some very funny scenes, but always
missing is that flame of passion, which raises a
movie like Quills to a superior level and
leaves a film like Dangerous Beauty just a
very good watch.
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