House of Tolerance / L’apollonide- Souvenirs de la maison close (2011); drama review

French poster artwork for the drama film House Of Tolerance (L’apollonide- Souvenirs de la maison close).

Parisian Pleasures by Linh

House of Tolerance, also known as House of Pleasures in Europe, is a visually sumptuous feast for the eyes, filling the screen with the lavish interior of the brothel L’apollonide, and the extravagant attire worn by the prostitutes. Behind all this façade of beauty and elegance is the lonely and grim reality for the prostitutes; some who have worked there for many years and feel trapped in a cycle of endless poverty and degradation, have nowhere else to go and stay on to pay off their “debts”.

LOUNGE LADIES: Madeleine (Alice Barnole), Léa (Adèle Haenel) and Julie ( (Jasmine Trinca) laze about in the sitting room in the film House Of Tolerance (L’apollonide- Souvenirs de la maison close). Image: IFC Films, Rialto Distribution.

The French film opens in Paris of 1899, delving into the lives of a group of young women prostitutes whose experiences of love, joy, grief and pain is shared amongst themselves and hidden away from the public. The prostitutes are seen as mere sexualised objects of pleasure and beauty by their male clients, yet the viewer is also treated to life in the brothel from the prostitutes’ perspective. Few films have attempted to show the prostitute’s point of view. Many prostitutes have been depicted as profoundly mysterious women in works of art and literature, because among the many who frequented the Parisian brothels, a small number were usually artists and writers. The film shows the male clientele as varying in ages but mostly coming from a background of great influence, wealth and aristocratic society, and not many were artists as they may not be able to afford the high prices of the L’apollonide.

SENSUAL SIREN: Pauline (Iliana Zabeth) poses for her male client like the models in French paintings in the film House Of Tolerance (L’apollonide- Souvenirs de la maison close). Image: IFC Films, Rialto Distribution.

All the prostitutes have a story, yet some are given greater weight than others. The most disturbing and horrifying is the incident when the demure Madeleine (Alice Barnole) is brutually attacked and disfigured by a regular male client who is a sadistic sociopath. There is the gorgeous and bright Julie (Jasmine Trinca) who discovers she has the sexually transmitted disease syphilis; the sixteen year old Pauline (Iliana Zabeth) is alluring and talented, and is shown being doused with champagne in a bathtub by one client, then dressed up as a geisha girl for another; the feisty Léa (Adèle Haenel) is a skilled mime artist and “doll” impersonator whose exuberance keeps the other girls upbeat. An interesting aspect of the characters is how all the prostitutes look like they stepped out of a painting by Renoir, Monet or Courbet, with the similar physical beauty as seen in the models used at the time.

WOMEN WHO WAIT: The prostitutes wait for clientele at the L'apollonide brothel in Paris in the film House Of Tolerance (L’apollonide- Souvenirs de la maison close). Image: IFC films, Rialto Distribution.

Director Bertrand Bonello (The Pornographer, On War) gives the audience an ‘up close and personal’ insight into how he imagined life was like for prostitutes of upscale Parisian brothels in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Some scenes in the film look like music videos, and is not surprising as Bonello was originally a musician who entered the world of cinema via music. He uses classical music and some contemporary rock music as the film’s narrative moves from late nineteenth century to the twentieth century, signalling the end of an era for the brothel business in Paris.

Cinematographer Josée Deshaies beautifully captures the action inside the bedrooms, along the brothel corridors and as the girls lay about in the sitting room waiting for clients to arrive. There are very few external scenes with most of the film shot inside the confines of the brothel to give the viewer a sense of being “trapped” which reflects that of the prostitutes. The prostitutes have no contact with the outside world, other than through their male clients. There is one memorable outdoor scene in which all the girls have a “day off” to go picnicking, swimming in the lake, and relaxing by the lake gossiping about certain clients. Almost every frame in the film looks like a French painting and the colours range from bright and vibrant to dark or earthy, yet still beautifully filmed.

House Of Tolerance engages the viewer through its visual beauty and the fine performances. As the brothel business crumbles in Paris, the lives of the prostitutes deteriorate. This may be a metaphor signalling change and renewal politically, socially and economically for France in 1900 or for women’s rights in French society.

 

House Of Tolerance (L’apollonide- Souvenirs de la maison close). G-Rated Film Trailer (courtesy of IFC Films):

Director: Bertrand Bonello

Writer: Bertrand Bonello (screenplay)

Cast: Adèle Haenel, Hafsia Herzi, Jasmine Trinca, Céline Salette, Noémie Lvovsky, Alice Barnole, Esther Garrel, Jacques Nolot, Iliana Zabeth, Joanna Grudzinska, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Xavier Beauvois, Laurent Lacotte

Producers: Kristina Larsen, Bertrand Bonello

Original Music Composer: Bertrand Bonello

Cinematographer: Josée Deshaies

Film Editor: Fabrice Rouaud

Production Designer: Alain Guffroy

Costume Designer: Anaïs Romand

Language: French with English subtitles

Running Time: 2 hours