In Chéri, which opens in South African cinemas on Friday, Michelle Pfeiffer plays a courtesan, a concept not totally alien to the big screens.
The word originally meant female courtier and during the Renaissance period it took on the meaning of a well-educated and independent woman of er … free morals.
Eventually a trained artisan who could sing, dance and have an intelligent conversation about a variety topics at a drop of a hat, the word also carries with it overtones of court-mistress.
While the word today is more often than not a euphemism for high class prostitute, the old school concept can make for interesting screen characters.
In Joss Wedon's short-lived Firefly (2002) TV series, Inara Serra (Morena Baccarin) is a 26th century Companion. Part of the social elite, companions are licensed and choose their own clients. Inara's burgeoning relationship with the captain of the Serenity, Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), contributed much of the TV series' sharp banter, but there was something more to the character which we never got to explore.
While singing the Elephant Love Medley, Satine (Nicole Kidman) tells Christian (Ewan McGregor) "the only way of loving me baby is to pay a lovely fee" in Moulin Rouge! (2001). The film's plot is based on three operettas, including La Traviata, based on Alexander Dumas' Camille, in which a courtesan learns that love can be true and idealistic.
Another literary courtesan who made it to the big screen several times is Gigi (based on French writer Colette's 1944 novella). Audrey Hepburn played the character on stage in 1951 but it was the Lerner and Loewe 1958 musical, directed by Vincent Minelli which won the Academy Award for best picture, plus eight other Oscars.
On the surface the film Gigi now seems rather un-pc but closer interrogation reveals some groundbreaking feminist thinking at play with its commentary on the limited social and economic opportunities for women outside of marriage at the turn of the century France.
Another interesting character was Veronica Franco (Catherine McCormack) in Dangerous Beauty (1998). Veronica initially takes on the role of Venetian courtesan with reluctance but eventually relishes the power she comes to wield. The scene involving the banana and the astonished Venetian wives is absolutely precious.
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