Set in a lavish 19th Century Parisian bordello, the provocative and popular French erotic drama Maison Close invites American audiences into a sumptuous, stylized world where desire and power reign. Following the suppression of la Commune, a short-lived workers’ revolutionary movement in the 1870s, a cast of gorgeous women trapped by circumstances reside in “Paradise,” a top-rate “closed house” reserved for aristocratic or bourgeois clientele and known for its strange and refined practices during a time of legalized prostitution. Hortense (Valérie Karsenti) is the ruthless and manipulative madame who runs her business with an iron fist; Véra (Anne Charrier) is the stunning star courtesan in her 30s nearing the end of her career; and country ingénue Rose (Jemima West, Mortal Bones: The City of Instruments), arrives in search of her mother, only to be blackmailed into becoming a prostitute. By turns both erotic and political, this uncompromising, finely crafted television series is the perfect mix of style and substance, a richly compelling period drama with unmistakably modern flair that reimagines age-old themes–and the world’s oldest profession–in bold new ways.
“A racy new French thriller.” —The Observer
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 56 minutes
Paris, 1871. Vera, the star attraction of the The Paradise luxury brothel, is about to finally leave the institution to become the live-in mistress of the Baron Du Plessis. However, The ...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 53 minutes
Forced into service at The Paradise, Rose manages to escape before being tracked down by the police. After one of the girls is assaulted, Véra organizes a strike in protest, causing a st...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 52 minutes
Hortense’s detestable brother Pierre, recently arrived in France, quickly resolves the strike organized by the ladies of The Paradise. But the calm in the storm is only temporary. Now ba...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 53 minutes
Hortense must defend against the machinations of Pierre, who wants to leverage the Paradise for his own gains. A police investigation is launched in response to Véra’s claims and two gir...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 50 minutes
Pierre continues to use The Paradise to serve his own purposes, inviting many wealthy clients on his own accord. Hortense is furious and attempts to spite him by keeping the ladies locke...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 53 minutes
Angéle’s fiancée, Brise Caboche, is desperate to obtain her freedom and blackmails Hortense, who has no choice but to ask her brother for money. However, he is not immediately willing to...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 57 minutes
Hortense wants to terminate Angéle’s pregnancy, but the other women band together to allow her to keep the baby. Believing her mother to have died at The Paradise, Rose seduces Pierre in...
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri • Drama • With Jemima West, Anne Charrier, Valérie Karsenti • 2010 • 50 minutes
Pierre will stop at nothing to save himself and begins to entertain the most outrageous customer requests. Hortense mounts a strong opposition, aided by Véra and Rose. Along the way, Ros...
