Very little is known about the famous Greek hetaera whose only rival is Pericles' Aspasia. She was the wealthiest woman in Athens of her day and the model for a Praxiteles Venus and probably his lover. She was put on trial for sacrilege, nearly convicted and executed but, due to the eloquence of her defending orator and the display of her beauty, was acquitted. Most, if not all, of the surviving history written years after her life are almost entirely apocryphal and legendary. "Phryne, Courtesan of the East" recounts the tale, piecing it together in a coherent and interesting fashion with her trial being the focal point at the end. Not your average peplum film and quite a tribute to the woman who succeeded in capturing the imagination of men of her day and still does so centuries later.
Review of Frine, cortigiana d'Oriente
