# Maison close (2010)

> In 1871 Paris, a young woman forced into a luxury brothel called Paradise fights for survival alongside the women who run and work there.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/35372

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Jacques Ouaniche
- Network: Canal+
- Cast: Anne Charrier, Clémence Bretécher, Juana Pereira da Silva, Valérie Karsenti, Jemima West, Deborah Grall, Blandine Bellavoir, Catherine Hosmalin
- TMDB rating: 6.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1521186/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: sensual, melancholic, harrowing, tense

## Synopsis

Maison close (2010-2013) is a French period drama series created by Jacques Ouaniche for Canal+. Set in 1871 Paris, the story follows Rose (Jemima West), a very young woman who arrives in the city searching for her mother and is trapped into working at the luxury brothel Paradise. Around her, Véra (Anne Charrier), a 35-year-old prostitute who sees her career ending, stakes everything on the Baron Du Plessis, her wealthy client and the only man able to clear her debt. Hortense Gaillac (Valérie Karsenti), the house owner, must protect her women while resisting pressure from a suburban thug demanding money. Valentine (Clémence Bretécher) and Bertha (Deborah Grall) round out the household. The engine of the series is survival under debt bondage, with each episode built from negotiations over clients, favours, and the fragile loyalties inside the house. Shot with rich period costume and candlelit interiors, the show carries a sensual, melancholic and sometimes harrowing tone. It runs two seasons across sixteen hour-long episodes and was canceled before its story was complete. Fans of Boardwalk Empire and The Knick will find resonance in its portrait of power, sex and money in a historical setting.

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