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The Romantic Tale Of Two Star Crossed Lovers

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This film focuses on the romantic tale of two star-crossed lovers who become tangled in a dangerous dilemma, of course, all while singing catchy show tunes. However, underlying most of the romantic overtures and happenings is something fundamental: the desire for sex. In the film, this need can be easily explored and satisfied through prostitution. By exploring both sides of the prostitution dynamic (the prostitute and the client), the motivations for engaging in this business will emerge as unique and different for each side. To help prime the later discussion of the individual influences, it would be useful to understand the history from which prostitution emerges and the manner in which the nature of the work is portrayed in the film. Prostitution is defined as “the act or practice of engaging in sexual activity for money or its equivalent” (as cited in Salmon, 2008). This practice goes back thousands of years and was present in many cultures, however, it was around the Middle Ages when the Church’s attitude shifted towards perceiving the act as “evil” (Salmon, 2008). Though it was seen as an “evil,” it was kept around because of its perceived utility towards helping young unmarried men and was subsequently housed in brothels (Salmon, 2008). This is the environment we find the characters of the film, a 1900 Paris brothel located in the district of Montmartre. The notion that prostitution is regarded as a social ill in this environment is supported by the warning

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