Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam (1995)

A documentary crew from the BBC arrives in L.A. intent on interviewing Heidi Fleiss, a year after her arrest for running a brothel but before her trial. Several months elapse before the ... See full summary »

Director:

Nick Broomfield

Stars:

Nick Broomfield, Nina Xining Zuo, Madam Alex

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nick Broomfield	...	Narrator
Nina Xining Zuo	...	Innocent actress
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Madam Alex	...	Self
Corinne Bohrer	...	Actor
Mike Brambles	...	Self
Cookie	...	Self (voice)
Elisa Fleiss	...	Self
Heidi Fleiss	...	Self
Jason Fleiss	...	Self
Jesse Fleiss	...	Self
Kim Fleiss	...	Self
Paul Fleiss	...	Self
Shannon Fleiss	...	Self
Gabby	...	Self
Daryl Gates	...	Self (Los Angeles Chief of Police)

Storyline

A documentary crew from the BBC arrives in L.A. intent on interviewing Heidi Fleiss, a year after her arrest for running a brothel but before her trial. Several months elapse before the interview, so the crew searches for anyone who'll talk about the young woman. Two people have a lot to say to the camera: a retired madam named Alex for whom Fleiss once worked and Fleiss's one-time boyfriend, Ivan Nagy, who introduced her to Alex. Alex and Nagy don't like each other, so the crew shuttles between them with "she said" and "he said." When they finally interview Fleiss, they spend their time reciting what Alex and Nagy have had to say and asking her reaction.

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Plot Keywords:

narration | prostitution | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Madam Alex: Why do you want to pester me? Do you think you want to come back and rob me some more? Is that why you're calling me? You want to rob me still, you greedy Jew pig? Why don't you go blow the shofar? It's Passover, asshole.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Lost in Space/The Spanish Prisoner/Mercury Rising/Kurt & Courtney/Character (1998)

User Reviews

A flawed, but fascinating example of investigative reporting.

I've never "loved" anything that Nick Broomfield has done, but I certainly love him as a documentarian. He has a unique, and very obtrusive style of filmmaking that forces the viewer to follow his line of thinking. This, as one might surmise has advantages and disadvantages, and indeed the flaws in this otherwise fascinating documentary are mostly from his style.

On the other hand, it's a fitting style to use as he does his investigative reporting trying to get the inside scoop on the whole Heidi Fleiss affair, and just what exactly was going on between the cast of characters involved.

I haven't seen such a collection of manipulative, shady characters in one place in a very long time. It's particularly fun watching a former Madam and a former (or are they still together?) lover of Fleiss exchange insults and spin intricate lies about each other and their roles in her life.

Part of what allows this to come out is Broomfield's follow-up style. He interviews one person, then another, then often goes back to a previous interviewee to get their reaction to what someone else said. It's an inevitable, but still ingenious structure that helps to involve the viewer.

At the same time, there does come a point when all this lying becomes tiresome. But just when you think you've had enough, Broomfield finally scores an interview with Fleiss herself, which rather than clearing things up, only adds to the confusion. It's a wonderful scene, and true to form, things don't end there, as Broomfield once again returns to certain people to try and put the pieces together.

OVERALL SCORE: B

Details

Official Sites:

Nick Broomfield

Country:

UK Germany USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1996 (USA)

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,321, 11 February 1996

Gross USA:

$34,402

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,402

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Cinemax Reel Life

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3