''Surreal Estate'' (french: Sérail) is a 1976 French

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by Argentine filmmaker Eduardo de Gregorio, who is best known for his screenwriting work with

Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette (; 1 March 1928 – 29 January 2016) was a French film director and film critic most commonly associated with the French New Wave and the film magazine '' Cahiers du Cinéma''. He made twenty-nine films, including '' L'amour f ...

Plot

''Surreal Estate'' tells the story of Eric Sange (

Corin Redgrave Corin William Redgrave (16 July 19396 April 2010) was an English actor and left-wing socialist activist. Early life Redgrave was born on 16 July 1939 in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kem ...

), an English novelist who, seeking to buy a house in France as an investment, discovers a run-down mansion inhabited by three strange women: Ariane (Rivette regular

Bulle Ogier Bulle Ogier (born Marie-France Thielland; 9 August 1939) is a French actress and screenwriter. She adopted the professional surname Ogier, which was her mother's maiden name. Her first appearance on screen was in ''Voilà l'Ordre'', a short film ...

), Agathe (

Marie-France Pisier Marie-France Pisier (10 May 194424 April 2011) was a French actress, screenwriter, and director. She appeared in numerous films of the French New Wave and twice earned the national César Award for Best Supporting Actress. Early life Pisier was ...

), and their ostensible housekeeper, Céleste (

Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...

). Together, these women draw Eric into a gothic mystery that his own novelistic experience tells him is hackneyed, but which he nonetheless finds irresistible.Khan, Imra
"Surreal Estate: Exploring the Haunted Grounds of Sérail"
''PopMatters'', 20 January 2015. Retrieved on 20 November 2016.

Cast

as Ariane *

as Agathe *

as Eric Sange *

as Céleste * Marylin Jones as the waitress * Pierre Baudry as the bar owner

Reception

Imran Khan of PopMatters says of the film: "Very much a film of its time, it helped to corner a market in French cinema that had seen a tiny flourish of fantasy-themed dramas first initiated by Jacques Rivette’s ''

Céline and Julie Go Boating ''Céline and Julie Go Boating'' (french: Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies Over Paris) is a 1974 French film directed by Jacques Rivette. The film stars Dominique Labourier as Julie and Juliet Berto as Céline. It won the Special ...

'' (1974), a film that dispensed with logic and chronology for a shattered perspective on cinematic narrative."

References

External links

* French mystery films 1970s French films {{1970s-France-film-stub