Power, Desire, and the Price of Secrets
Madame Claude (2021) is one of the few films to seamlessly intertwine sensuality, politics, and power. In this French biographical drama, directed by Sylvie Verheyde, we enter the glittering yet shadowy world of Fernande Grudet — Madame Claude — who presided over the elite prostitution ring of Paris for the entirety of the 1960s and 70s.
This is not merely a sex and scandal story, however. Madame Claude, at its core, is about control, survival, and most importantly, the price of ambition in a world of men. The power a person has in the world is deeply emotional and psychological, and the film, through its haunting performances, captures the loss and power with devastating effect.
The project’s ambition behind the camera was as bold as its subject was in front of the lens. The trilogy of history, feminism, and eroticism is deftly told without crossing over to the other and at the center is Karole Rocher, who masterfully embodies the complex dualities of a Madame Claude.
The Queen of Paris: Inside the Story
The Queen of Paris opens in the late 1960s, depicting a Paris a few decades removed from the ‘city of light’ as a city of revolution, of pleasure, and of burgeoning capitalism. The viewers learn of Madame Claude, the ‘elite’ prostititions who catered to the… Her clients pay for her ‘girls’ and for the ‘power’ that comes with the secrets she cultivates from her girls seduces. Claude cultivated a ‘quiet’ and ‘hidden’ empire… Her clients pay for her ‘girls’ and for the ‘power’ that comes with the secrets she cultivates from her girls.
When the political ‘order’ of the world changes Claude’s ‘empire’ also crumbles. The collapse of Claude’s ‘empire’ is the ‘violence’ of a woman who in the ‘violence’ Claude is rationalized in the ‘violence’ of a woman possessed with the power to publicly…
Karole Rocher: The Woman Behind the Mask
Karole Rocher has one of the greatest triumphs of the movie playing Madame Claude. She is known for her emotionally grounded roles, where she handles the Claude character’s contradictions — commanding authority, sharp intelligence, and concealed loneliness.
In the interviews, Rocher explained that her approach to the role was not a story of sex work but of power. “Claude was not selling sex — she was selling control,” she explained. Rocher analyzed the real Madame Claude’s interviews, books, and studied her mannerisms.
What makes her portrayal so remarkable is her restraint. Rocher does not depend on overt sexuality — she exudes power through a look, a drag on a cigarette, or a silence. Her Claude is a queen but is imprisoned by her power and control.
Rocher has spoken of her struggle for authenticity in French cinema. She has spoken of how early in her career she was typecast. It is only through roles like these that she is able to explore characters with greater emotional depth.
Garance Marillier’s Rising Fire
The Other Woman
Garance Marillier stars as Sidonie, a young woman becoming enchanted by Claude’s world. Sidonie is Claude’s apprentice as well as a reflection of her. She is drawn by ambition and curiosity, particularly by the glamour of Claude’s world. Claude’s emotional manipulation, however, becomes a source of painful tension and conflict in the story.
Marillier, who gained international recognition after her performance in Raw (2016), once again showcases her talent in portraying emotional depth. Reportedly, she spent several weeks working behind the camera with Rocher and director Sylvie Verheyde on the psychological aspects of the connection between the two women — a blend of mentorship, rivalry, and maternal tension.
The complex relationship between Sidonie and Claude is what makes Madame Claude particularly engaging. Here is a woman who commands and controls others, yet is also, paradoxically, controlled by her own shadow.
Behind the Scenes
The design team attended to the details of the production in order to recreate the world of Madame Claude. The design team captured the essence of 1960s Paris, from jazz echoing in smoky nightclubs to dimly lit bars and lavish apartments.
Sylvie Verheyde balances her precision with emotional intelligence. She is not interested in constructing an erotic spectacle but in telling the story of a woman using the tools of her oppression to navigate the corridors of patriarchy. The film remains grounded and mature as a result of this balance.
Under the direction of Nicolas Gaurin, the film’s photography embraced a soft and muted palette and a remembered light imbued with a soft focus and melancholy; the sense of loneliness that hauntingly accompanies the sequences of opulence and success surrounding Claude underscores the emptiness of her success.
Verheyde’s unique style of collaboration is apparent in her relational approach with the improvisations she allowed in the emotionally charged scenes, especially in the face-to-face scenes between Claude and Sidonie. This spirited approach enables the film to find its internal pulse and a natural unforced theatricality in the emotional scenes.
The Reality Behind the Fiction
As the film indicates, the Madame Claude of the film, Fernande Grudet, was indeed a very mysterious person. She operated an exclusive escort service to the elite, including presidents, princes, and film stars. However, her empire crumbled in the 1970s due to tax evasion and a shift in moral politics.
Even with her legal issues on the first floor, Claude embodied the power and wile of a woman living and working in a violent, male-dominated environment. “There are two things people will always pay for: food and sex — and I wasn’t talented enough to open a restaurant,” was one of her notable quotes.
The film captures this wit and tragedy beautifully. It doesn’t idolize her but shows the consequences of her ambition. The last scenes, where Claude’s confidence fades into isolation, echo the real woman’s downfall, reminding viewers that even the most powerful empires can crumble under their own weight.
At its core, Madame Claude is not about sex — it’s about survival. It’s about a woman who built a fortress of influence but lost herself inside it. Through Rocher’s performance and Verheyde’s vision, the film becomes a study of how the two oppositional forces of power can liberate and destroy a person.
What makes it haunting is how relevant it feels today. The story resonates with modern conversations about agency, gender, and the fine line between empowerment and exploitation.
Even while shooting the film, creative difficulties were evident off-screen. Verheyde had to balance the tones to avoid being exploitative or overly sympathetic, rewriting several scenes during shooting to keep Claude’s humanity visible while still revealing her flaws.
A Quiet, Enduring Legacy
While Madame Claude didn’t intend to be a mainstream success, it found an audience on streaming services, particularly Netflix, where it garnered attention for its aesthetic appeal, as well as its feminist perspective. Critics appreciated its unwillingness to sensationalize the subject matter and to show restraint, choosing contemplation over showmanship.
This 2021 version Madame Claude film, more than two decades after the original, returns her story to a generation willing to scrutinize power and understand the emotional toll of ambition.
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