The Canal Street Madam 2010
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Mridu Chandra
Directed by Cameron Yates
DVD, color, 78 min.
College - General Adult
Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, American Studies, Criminal Justice, Ethics, Urban Studies
Date Entered: 12/19/2011
Reviewed by Gisele Tanasse, University of California Berkeley"I'm proud to be a whore! Whores are your neighbors! Whores are your friends!" exclaims the Canal Street Madam, Jeanette Maier, in defense of her profession of 26 years. Confident, outspoken and a smart business woman, Maier opens up her life to the cameras at a particularly challenging time, as she attempts to make ends meet following the closure of her brothel after an FBI raid. Though broke and reminiscent of better days, Maier is a particularly entertaining spitfire with a magnetic personality: it is not hard to understand why clients are drawn to spending time with her. Below the surface, however, lies a heartbreaking, scarred personal history filled with tragedy (the early death of her father), trauma (sexual assault by her uncle), betrayal (a cheating husband who abandoned her with two children) and a very long string of injustices at the hands of government and law enforcement.
Maier's complaint against the government centers first on the difficulty of starting a "straight" career once a person has a criminal record: both fields she once actively tried to pursue, nursing and real estate, were off limits because of her first prostitution-related felony conviction at the age of 19. Her current grievance against the prosecutors in her case focuses on the unfair disclosure of the names of all the working girls at the brothel, while the identities of her wealthy and powerful New Orleans clients, including local lawyers, doctors and politicians, remain a guarded secret.
The Canal Street Madam is highly recommended as it offers a unique and valuable insight into a world normally obscured by fear and shame. Maier's story not only makes a case for the decriminalization of brothels, but, also highlights the tremendous difficulties facing even the most resourceful of single mothers in the United States, making the film an excellent addition to gender and women's studies courses. Above and beyond its potential curricular use, the film is quite simply fun to watch. It also serves as a snapshot of New Orleans both immediately before and after Hurricane Katrina.