Mado

Mado is a 1976 French-Italian-German drama directed by Claude Sautet and adapted from a novella by Gilberte Chatton. Simon Léotard is a wealthy property developer who lives with his elderly father and has never wanted to marry Hélène, the woman he still sees from time to time; he also visits Mado, a prostitute. His world collapses when his business partner Julien commits suicide and a huge embezzlement comes to light, leaving Simon bankrupt and deep in debt to Lépidon, a corrupt and ruthless businessman. Refusing Lépidon's offer of a deal, Simon uses Mado to obtain documents proving a fraud committed by Manecca, Lépidon's former associate, to whom Mado remains attached. With this evidence Simon blackmails Barachet, a corrupt former official, into selling him a piece of land for a token price, which allows him to save his business. Soon afterwards, however, Manecca is eliminated by Lépidon's men, leaving Simon to face the emptiness of his victory.