High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Dangerous Beauty is a biographical drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz. It is adapted from the non- fiction book The Honest Courtesan, by Margaret Rosenthal, about the life of Veronica Franco, a courtesan in 16th century Venice. A stage musical version of the film premiered on July 25, 2008 at Northwestern University's Ethel M. Barber Theatre.