''The Games of Countess Dolingen'' (french: Les Jeux de la comtesse Dolingen de Gratz) is a 1981 French

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Catherine Binet Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Christ ...

and starring

Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as '' Hester Street'' (for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), ''Dog Day Afternoon'', ''Annie ...

. The film was entered into the main competition at the 38th edition of the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

Plot

Cast

as Louise Haines-Pearson *

Michael Lonsdale Michael Edward Lonsdale-Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes named as Michel Lonsdale, was a French actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is best know ...

as Bertrand Haines-Pearson *

Marina Vlady Marina Vlady (born 10 May 1938) is a French actress. Biography Vlady was born in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine to White Russian immigrant parents. Her father was an opera singer and her mother was a dancer. Her sisters, now all deceased, were the act ...

as the mother of the little girl *

Marilú Marini Marilú Marini (born 15 June 1940) is an Argentine actress. She frequently works with French filmmaker Claire Denis. She received the Diamond Konex Award in 2021 as the most important person in Entertainment in the last decade in Argentina. Sele ...

as Countess Dolingen de Gratz / the maid *

Robert Stephens Sir Robert Graham Stephens (14 July 193112 November 1995) was a leading English actor in the early years of Britain's Royal National Theatre. He was one of the most respected actors of his generation and was at one time regarded as the natur ...

as the professor * Roberto Plate as the traveler / the thief / the stranger * Katia Wastchenko as the little girl *

Emmanuelle Riva Emmanuelle Riva (; 24 February 1927 – 27 January 2017) was a French actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) and '' Amour'' (2012). Riva was nominated for a BAFTA Award for her role in ''Hiroshima mon ...

as a guest

Production

Katia Wastchenko remembers the making of the film as "an enjoyable experience", and describes Binet and the rest of the crew as "very kind". Although she had not read 'Sombre Printemps' and was, at the age of 12, "too young to be curious or interested about Unica Zürn's life", Wastchenko said that Binet "took the time to explain to her the context of the most 'sensual' scenes", and helped her to approach the role by confiding some of her own childhood memories.

References

External links

* * * French fantasy drama films 1980s fantasy drama films 1981 drama films 1981 films 1980s French-language films 1980s French films Films scored by Carlos d'Alessio {{1980s-drama-film-stub