Virgin Territory
Encyclopedia
Virgin Territory is a 2007 romantic comedy film
based upon Giovanni Boccaccio
's Decameron. It has also been known under the working titles The Decameron, Angels and Virgins, Guilty Pleasures and Chasing Temptation. The film's Italian title Decameron Pie pays tribute to both the title of the original source inspiration and to U.S. comedy film American Pie. The film was released in France on December 12, 2007 under the title Medieval Pie, and was released directly-to-DVD in the U.S. in August 2008.
during the Black Death
. As in the Decameron, ten young Florentines
take refuge from the plague. But instead of telling stories, they have lusty adventures, bawdy exchanges, romance and swordplay. There are randy nuns, Saracen
pirates, and a sexy cow.
The Florentines are set to go to a villa that belonged to Pampinea's father to attend her wedding with Count Dzerzhinsky (cf. Felix Dzerzhinsky). Pampinea escapes to a convent to get away from everything that is going on and retain her chastity. At the convent she meets with Lorenzo who thinks Pampinea to be the most beautiful but is unaware that she is there. Pampinea kisses Lorenzo blindfolded and he falls in love with her. Pampinea sets out to the villa where she is to get married to Gerbino after he tricked her into believing that it was her father's wish to marry him. The priest marries them but then comes Count Dzerzhinsky to stop the wedding because he is the one who is supposed to marry Pampinea. Believing that Pampinea is Elissa he fights Gerbino and knocks his sword out of his hand. Then Lorenzo convinces the Count to let him fight Gerbino by the well. (Earlier Gerbino had been shown to be afraid of heights when Pampinea was leaning over the well.) While Lorenzo and Gerbino are sword fighting, Gerbino falls into the well and dies. Pampinea ends up with Lorenzo after he finds out that it was she who gave him the kiss and they live happily ever after. (The priest was not a real one to begin with.) The Count is with Elissa in the end as well.
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
based upon Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
's Decameron. It has also been known under the working titles The Decameron, Angels and Virgins, Guilty Pleasures and Chasing Temptation. The film's Italian title Decameron Pie pays tribute to both the title of the original source inspiration and to U.S. comedy film American Pie. The film was released in France on December 12, 2007 under the title Medieval Pie, and was released directly-to-DVD in the U.S. in August 2008.
Plot
The film is set in TuscanyTuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
during the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
. As in the Decameron, ten young Florentines
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
take refuge from the plague. But instead of telling stories, they have lusty adventures, bawdy exchanges, romance and swordplay. There are randy nuns, Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
pirates, and a sexy cow.
The Florentines are set to go to a villa that belonged to Pampinea's father to attend her wedding with Count Dzerzhinsky (cf. Felix Dzerzhinsky). Pampinea escapes to a convent to get away from everything that is going on and retain her chastity. At the convent she meets with Lorenzo who thinks Pampinea to be the most beautiful but is unaware that she is there. Pampinea kisses Lorenzo blindfolded and he falls in love with her. Pampinea sets out to the villa where she is to get married to Gerbino after he tricked her into believing that it was her father's wish to marry him. The priest marries them but then comes Count Dzerzhinsky to stop the wedding because he is the one who is supposed to marry Pampinea. Believing that Pampinea is Elissa he fights Gerbino and knocks his sword out of his hand. Then Lorenzo convinces the Count to let him fight Gerbino by the well. (Earlier Gerbino had been shown to be afraid of heights when Pampinea was leaning over the well.) While Lorenzo and Gerbino are sword fighting, Gerbino falls into the well and dies. Pampinea ends up with Lorenzo after he finds out that it was she who gave him the kiss and they live happily ever after. (The priest was not a real one to begin with.) The Count is with Elissa in the end as well.
Cast
- Hayden ChristensenHayden ChristensenHayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
- Lorenzo de Lamberti - Mischa BartonMischa BartonMischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
- Pampinea - Tim RothTim RothSimon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
- Gerbino Dela Ratta - Ryan Cartwright - Ghino
- Rosalind HalsteadRosalind HalsteadRosalind Halstead is a British actress, model and dancer.Halstead trained for five years at the Central School of Ballet, and danced at Sadler's Wells Theatre...
- Filomena - Kate GroombridgeKate GroombridgeKate Groombridge is an English fashion model and actress.Born in a small village in Kent, she was advised to submit photos to modelling agencies by a family friend, and she was modelling professionally when she was just 14...
- Elissa - Christopher EganChris EganChristopher Andrew "Chris" Egan is an Australian actor probably best known for playing Nick Smith in the Australian soap opera Home and Away for three years...
- Dioneo - Nigel PlanerNigel PlanerNigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
- Uncle Bruno - Matthew RhysMatthew RhysMatthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
- Count Dzerzhinsky - Rupert FriendRupert FriendRupert Friend is an English film actor, who is best known for his roles as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice, Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Prince Albert in the 2009 film The Young Victoria.-Career:He made his debut in the film The...
- Alessandro Felice - Silvia CollocaSilvia CollocaSilvia Colloca is an Italian actress.Colloca was born in Milan to Loredana and Mario Colloca. Her first major film role was in Van Helsing, in which she played Verona, one of Dracula's brides. In September 2004, she married the Australian actor who played Dracula in that film, Richard Roxburgh...
- Sister Lisabetta - Anna GalienaAnna GalienaAnna Galiena is an Italian actress, best known to English-speaking audiences for her appearances in Le Mari de la coiffeuse, Jamón, jamón and Being Human.-Movie career:...
- The Abbess - Elisabetta CanalisElisabetta Canalis-Career:Canalis had minor roles in the films Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo and Virgin Territory. She was also a velina in the television show Striscia la notizia. In 2007, she hosted the annual music festival, Festivalbar. In 2009, she co-hosted the Italian version of Total Request Live. In 2010,...
- Nun - Craig ParkinsonCraig ParkinsonCraig Parkinson is a British actor known for playing the twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the 2010 ITV drama Whitechapel.Parkinson first came to notice with his portrayal of English music mogul Tony Wilson in director Anton Corbijn's film Control .His film and television appearances include People...
- Tindaro