Louis and the Brothel | |
---|---|
Written by | Louis Theroux |
Starring | Louis Theroux |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Louis Theroux |
Running time | 77 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two |
Release | 9 November 2003 |
Louis and the Brothel is a 2003 British documentary by Louis Theroux.
Theroux visits the Wild Horse Adult Resort & Spa, a licensed brothel located near the city of Reno, Nevada, where he investigates how the brothel is run. [1] During his visit Theroux interviews the owners who personally run the resort, the women who work there as prostitutes and their clients.
Theroux would revisit the subjects of the documentary in his book The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures. [2] [3]
The Age described how "the most compelling stories come from the clients themselves." [4] The Herald described the documentary as "a documentary cliche. How many British filmmakers have been titillated by the fact that prostitution is legal in Nevada?" [5]
The Mustang Ranch is a brothel in Storey County, Nevada, about 20 miles (32 km) east of Reno. It is currently located at 1011 Wild Horse Canyon Drive, Sparks, Nevada, 89434.
Nevada is the only U.S. state where prostitution is legally permitted in some form. Prostitution is legal in 10 of Nevada's 17 counties, although only six allow it in every municipality. Six counties have at least one active brothel, which mainly operate in isolated, rural areas. The state's most populated counties, Clark and Washoe, are among those that do not permit prostitution. It is also illegal in Nevada's capital, Carson City, an independent city.
Louis Sebastian Theroux is a British-American documentarian, journalist, broadcaster, and author. He has received three British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award.
Heidi Lynne Fleiss is an American former procurer. She ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles and is often referred to as the "Hollywood Madam". Fleiss has also worked as a columnist and was a television personality regularly featured in the 1990s in American media.
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile was an English media personality and DJ. Savile was well known in the United Kingdom for his eccentric image, charitable work, and hosting the BBC shows Top of the Pops, a pop music programme, and the popular children's programme, Jim'll Fix It. After his death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse made against him were investigated, leading the police to conclude that he had been a predatory sex offender and possibly one of Britain's most prolific. There had been allegations during his lifetime, but they were dismissed and accusers were ignored or disbelieved.
The Moonlite BunnyRanch is a legal, licensed brothel in Mound House, Nevada, United States, 6 miles (10 km) east of Carson City. First opened in 1955, it came to national attention under Dennis Hof, who owned the brothel from 1992 until his death in 2018.
Prussian Blue was an American pop music duo which was composed of Lynx Vaughan Gaede and Lamb Lennon Gaede, fraternal twins who were born on June 30, 1992, in Bakersfield, California. The duo was formed in early 2003 by their mother April Gaede, a member of the neo-Nazi organization National Alliance. Their music was described as racist and white supremacist, promoting neo-Nazi rhetoric such as Holocaust denial.
Dennis Leroy Hof was an American businessman and politician. He owned seven legal brothels in Nevada, most notably the Moonlite BunnyRanch. Hof was also a Republican candidate in 2018 for the Nevada Assembly, to which he was posthumously elected less than one month after his death.
The Wild Horse Adult Resort and Spa is an adult entertainment complex about 14 miles (23 km) east of Reno, Nevada, that has been home to two separate legal, licensed brothels: the Wild Horse Ranch and the Mustang Ranch. It opened in 2002 with the Wild Horse Ranch, the Mustang Ranch was added in 2005, and the Wild Horse Ranch closed in 2011. The brothel was the subject of the 2003 BBC TV documentary film Louis and the Brothel.
Sheri's Ranch is a legal brothel in Pahrump, Nevada. Unlike other brothels in the state, it styles itself as a resort, with upscale rooms and furnishings, sports bar, tennis courts, a spa and outdoor swimming pool.
The Most Hated Family in America is a 2007 BBC documentary film written and presented by Louis Theroux about the family at the core of the Westboro Baptist Church. The organization was led by Fred Phelps and located in Topeka, Kansas. Westboro Baptist Church members believe that the United States government is immoral due to its tolerance of homosexuality; in addition, they protest at funerals of U.S. military killed in action with signs that display text such as "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers". With a BBC film crew, Theroux travelled to Kansas to spend time with members of the church and interview its leadership. Theroux interviews church leadership including Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper.
Cathouse: The Series is an HBO television series that documents the professional lives of the workers at the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel in Nevada. The 11 episodes of the first season were originally broadcast in 2005; 6 episodes of the second season aired two years later in 2007. The series was the direct successor of the HBO documentaries Cathouse (2002) and Cathouse 2: Back in the Saddle (2003), which also focused on the Bunny Ranch. On New Year's Day 2008 at 12:05 am, HBO aired a special episode of the series titled "Cathouse the Musical." Also in 2008, two standalone episodes aired - "Cathouse: Come to the Party" and "Best of Cathouse."
Louis and the Nazis is a British documentary that was televised on 21 December 2003. It was directed by Stuart Cabb and written by Louis Theroux. The documentary ran for 80 minutes.
Louis, Martin & Michael is a British documentary that was televised on 16 November 2003.
In these first special programmes (2003), Louis Theroux returned to American themes, working at feature-length, this time with a more serious tone than in his earlier Weird Weekends work. For example, Louis and the Brothel takes a sympathetic look at the sex workers working at a legal brothel in Nevada whereas Under the Knife takes a more critical look at the world of plastic surgery. Other programmes cover a wide variety of topics including law and disorder and Nazis.
America's Medicated Kids is a British documentary that was televised on 18 April 2010. The Louis Theroux documentary ran for 60 minutes. The documentary follows Theroux as he travels to one of America's leading children's psychiatric treatment centres, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and investigates the effects of putting children diagnosed with mental health disorders on prescription medication and the impact that medicating the child has on the family group.
African Hunting Holiday is a 2008 British documentary by Louis Theroux.
Law and Disorder in Lagos is a 2010 British documentary film by Louis Theroux.
My Scientology Movie is a 2015 British documentary film about Scientology directed by John Dower, and written by and starring Louis Theroux. The film takes an unconventional approach to the subject matter, featuring young actors "auditioning" for parts playing high-profile Scientologists in scenes recreating accounts from ex-members about incidents involving senior church management. The Church of Scientology responded by putting the filmmakers under surveillance and denouncing the film.