‘Madame Claude’ movie review: Wearisome retelling of the French icon’s rise and fall from grace

The biopic falls flat on its face, lacking the gravitas or attention to details necessary in painting a realistic cinematic portrait of this iconic woman

Madame Claude’s notoriety as a brothel keeper for the Parisian elite was at its peak from the swinging 1960s to the mid-70s. The “Lady pimp of the nation” had among her star-studded clientele list, the likes of John F. Kennedy, Marlon Brando and the Shah of Iran. And yet, Sylvie Verheyde’s latest Netflix biopic on her decides to systematically peel away the layers of farcical glamour engulfing her life and persona, to reveal a personality that is in constant conflict with itself. . “I realised very early that most men treat us like whores. I decided to be the queen of the whores. To use our bodies as arms and as armour, to never suffer again..,” says an opening voiceover sequence by Fernande Grudet (Madame Claude’s real name). Soon, the viewers are introduced to her world of shady undertakings, where intelligence on the sexual proclivities of French ministers can be exchanged for immunity against law enforcement and the loyalty of known criminals can be bought for envelopes stuffed with crisp banknotes.