The Mas de Chastelas has served as a set for numerous film and television productions.
1967: "La Collectionneuse", directed by Eric Rohmer, starring Haydée Politoff, Patrick Bauchau and Daniel Pommereulle.
The fourth installment of his Moral Tales series, "La Collectionneuse" won the Silver Bear at the 1967 Berlin International Film Festival.
The film takes place in a villa in Provence – the Mas, in fact. Most of the scenes were shot in Room 16 (and its terrace) and in the park (the scene under the tree). La Collectionneuse is quintessential Rohmer, with its use of voiceover and allowing the actors to create most of the dialogue.
“I found the definition of Haydée – it means collector. Haydée, if you mindlessly sleep around, you’re the lowest life form on earth – an appalling ingénue. But if you collect, in an orderly, obstinate manner – if there is a conspiracy – that changes everything.”
1980: Je vous aime (I Love You All), by Claude Berri, starring Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Serge Gainsbourg, Alain Souchon and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Music by Serge Gainsbourg.
The Mas is the backdrop to the love story between Depardieu and Deneuve, on a sizzling poolside patio, after a meal at the hotel’s restaurant.
In love, Alice only likes beginnings.
1996-2008: Sous le soleil, French television series created by Olivier Brémond and Pascal Breton, produced by MARATHON Production. Fourteen seasons of the show have been shot in Saint-Tropez and surrounding areas.
Several outdoor scenes were shot at the hotel pool. The series was released abroad as “Saint-Tropez”.
Starring Tonya Kinzinger (as Jessica), Bénédicte Delmas (as Laure) and Adeline Blondieau (as Caroline).
(Decidedly, references to Serge Gainsbourg abound at the Mas and in Saint-Tropez: the name of the series is similar to “Sous le soleil exactement”, title of the famous duet he sang with Jane Birkin, the fourth song on the Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg album released in 1969 (also known as Je t'aime...moi non plus).
