And the movies about them.
Courtesans and those women in similar positions through civilization have always fascinated me. Equally dependent on their sexual charms and quick wit, they represent a conundrum: In being involved in what is essentially gussied up prostitution, they are able to maintain a greater degree of independence and often intelligence than women of a higher class. Typically, films about them tend to be chick flicks, as in films rarely focus solely on the lurid aspects, and more about the sort of struggle they go through in maintaining such a precarious existence. So I'll be composing my own little list of films here to keep track and maybe introduce some films for ya'll. If you can provide your own contributions, by all means!
1. The Sea is Watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohmv--8vRTE
Directed by Kei Kumai, Screenplay by Akira Kurosawa
Set at around 19th Century Japan in the Red Light district. It follows the fictional exploits of a small brother comprised of four women, focusing primarily on Miss Kikuno and O-Shin. It's a chick flick by Kurosawa, despite the direction credit being taken by Kumai. Kurosawa's script was largely unchanged, and he had storyboarded the entire film before his demise. The trailer blows, but it is a lovely, charming film. It's a bit smaller in scope than his samurai films, but it retains the trademark nature parallels.
Sex: Just a little. Bit of rape, bit of prostitution. Little to no nudity.
Bechdel Test: Passed.
2. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_dmPO5R8F4
Directed by Mira Nair, Screenplay by Mira Nair and Helena Kriel
Set in sixteenth century India, this plays more like a fable than anything else. Notable for introducing Indira Varma to audiences, who would later achieve greater fame as Niobe from ROME, and starring Naveen Andrews as the Prince/King. Of course, the focus is really on the Princess Tara and the servant girl Maya (Varma) and as the title states, the Kama Sutra (Or Lessons of Love). It concerns love both sensual and erotic, and features many tasteful but explicit scenes. It's a lush film, the costumes are gorgeous, and it abstains from any Bollywood cheesiness.
Sex: Quite a bit. Homosexual scene between the two male leads, more explicit lesbian scene between Tara and Maya, and plenty of erotic heterosexual scenes.
Bechdel Test: Passed, surprisingly enough
3. Dangerous Beauty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wsixHWEzhk
Directed by Marshall Herskovitz, Screenplay by Jeannine Dominy (Based on the Novel by Margaret Rosenthal)
So far the only Western/European film on the list. Catherine McCormack as the woman Veronica Franco (A real woman, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Franco), one of the Venetian 'cortigiana onesta'. This plays more like your standard film, and I think it's probably the lesser of the three so far. Also Rufus Sewell, and Fred Ward. It's clearly one of those 90's costume dramas. It is small in scope, and fairly...standard, I think is the best way to put it. But as it focuses on the fascinating world of Venice during the Renaissance, it's not completely unworthy of a watch. (When I say 90's costume dramas, I mean to put it in the ranks of The Man in the Iron Mask -which came out the same year- The Three Musketeers...etc. There seemed to be a resurgence of those sort of smallscale period flicks flicks in the late 90s. What brought that on?)
Sex: Tasteful and standard. Granted, this is the one I've viewed the least often, so I can't remember too much.
Bechdel Test: I'm pretty sure this is the first one that fails.
More to come. I'm going to rack my brain and look through some of the Chinese flicks. I'm thinking Raise the Red Lantern by Yimou might be next on my list.
Courtesans and those women in similar positions through civilization have always fascinated me. Equally dependent on their sexual charms and quick wit, they represent a conundrum: In being involved in what is essentially gussied up prostitution, they are able to maintain a greater degree of independence and often intelligence than women of a higher class. Typically, films about them tend to be chick flicks, as in films rarely focus solely on the lurid aspects, and more about the sort of struggle they go through in maintaining such a precarious existence. So I'll be composing my own little list of films here to keep track and maybe introduce some films for ya'll. If you can provide your own contributions, by all means!
1. The Sea is Watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohmv--8vRTE
Directed by Kei Kumai, Screenplay by Akira Kurosawa
Set at around 19th Century Japan in the Red Light district. It follows the fictional exploits of a small brother comprised of four women, focusing primarily on Miss Kikuno and O-Shin. It's a chick flick by Kurosawa, despite the direction credit being taken by Kumai. Kurosawa's script was largely unchanged, and he had storyboarded the entire film before his demise. The trailer blows, but it is a lovely, charming film. It's a bit smaller in scope than his samurai films, but it retains the trademark nature parallels.
Sex: Just a little. Bit of rape, bit of prostitution. Little to no nudity.
Bechdel Test: Passed.
2. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_dmPO5R8F4
Directed by Mira Nair, Screenplay by Mira Nair and Helena Kriel
Set in sixteenth century India, this plays more like a fable than anything else. Notable for introducing Indira Varma to audiences, who would later achieve greater fame as Niobe from ROME, and starring Naveen Andrews as the Prince/King. Of course, the focus is really on the Princess Tara and the servant girl Maya (Varma) and as the title states, the Kama Sutra (Or Lessons of Love). It concerns love both sensual and erotic, and features many tasteful but explicit scenes. It's a lush film, the costumes are gorgeous, and it abstains from any Bollywood cheesiness.
Sex: Quite a bit. Homosexual scene between the two male leads, more explicit lesbian scene between Tara and Maya, and plenty of erotic heterosexual scenes.
Bechdel Test: Passed, surprisingly enough
3. Dangerous Beauty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wsixHWEzhk
Directed by Marshall Herskovitz, Screenplay by Jeannine Dominy (Based on the Novel by Margaret Rosenthal)
So far the only Western/European film on the list. Catherine McCormack as the woman Veronica Franco (A real woman, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Franco), one of the Venetian 'cortigiana onesta'. This plays more like your standard film, and I think it's probably the lesser of the three so far. Also Rufus Sewell, and Fred Ward. It's clearly one of those 90's costume dramas. It is small in scope, and fairly...standard, I think is the best way to put it. But as it focuses on the fascinating world of Venice during the Renaissance, it's not completely unworthy of a watch. (When I say 90's costume dramas, I mean to put it in the ranks of The Man in the Iron Mask -which came out the same year- The Three Musketeers...etc. There seemed to be a resurgence of those sort of smallscale period flicks flicks in the late 90s. What brought that on?)
Sex: Tasteful and standard. Granted, this is the one I've viewed the least often, so I can't remember too much.
Bechdel Test: I'm pretty sure this is the first one that fails.
More to come. I'm going to rack my brain and look through some of the Chinese flicks. I'm thinking Raise the Red Lantern by Yimou might be next on my list.
