Dangerous Beauty (1998), also released as A Destiny Of Her Own or The Honest Courtesan, is a fun and frothy romance about Veronica Franco, a poet and sex worker in 16th century Venice. Yes, we talked about the banana scene, but we also discussed the history of sex and religion in Venice, the Inquisition, and how far the film industry has come (and still has to go) in representing diversity in the past. It was a delight to have Professor Catherine Fletcher on to talk about this film with me, and put it in its proper context.

Find Catherine on Twitter @cath_fletcher 

Historical Friction is a podcast about storytelling, pop culture, the past, and why we reenact it.

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