Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)

Celestine, the chambermaid, has new job on the country. The Monteils, who she works for are a group of strange people. The wife is frigid, her husband is always hunting (both animals and ... See full summary »

Director:

Luis Buñuel (as Luis Bunuel)

Writers:

Octave Mirbeau (based on the novel by), Luis Buñuel (adaptation) (as Luis Bunuel)

Stars:

Jeanne Moreau, Georges Géret, Michel Piccoli

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeanne Moreau	...	Céléstine
Georges Géret	...	Joseph
Daniel Ivernel	...	M Mauger
Françoise Lugagne	...	Mme Monteil
Muni	...	Marianne
Jean Ozenne	...	M Rabour
Michel Piccoli	...	M Monteil
Joëlle Bernard	...	(as Joelle Bernard)
Françoise Bertin
Jean-Claude Carrière	...	Le curé
Aline Bertrand	...	La voyageuse
Pierre Collet	...	Le voyageur
Michel Dacquin	...	(as Michel Dacquid)
Madeleine Damien	...	La cuisinière des Monteil
Marc Eyraud	...	Le secrétaire du commissaire

Storyline

Celestine, the chambermaid, has new job on the country. The Monteils, who she works for are a group of strange people. The wife is frigid, her husband is always hunting (both animals and women) and her father is a shoe-fetishist. Joseph, the farm-labourer is a fascist and sexually attracted to Celestine. Celestine settles herself and talks to the neighbour, an ex-officer, who likes damaging his neighbour's things. After the death of the old man, she quits her job, but because of the rape and murder of a child 'Little Claire' she decides to stay, believing that Joseph is the murderer. To get his confession she sleeps with him and promises to marry him. In spite of her engagement she fakes evidence to implicate him in the murder. He is arrested, but is released because the evidence is inconclusive. She marries the ex-officer and takes on a housewife role similar to that of Madame Monteil.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | rape | pedophilia | frigidity | child rape | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

9 March 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Diary of a Chambermaid

Filming Locations:

Mennecy, Essonne, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,432, 15 October 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,754, 17 December 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ciné-Alliance,Filmsonor,Spéva Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Luis Buñuel's only film in the anamorphic widescreen format.

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Goofs

Celestine tries to read a book that M. Rabour has open on his desk as she serves him coffee. The front shot shows the book close to the tray and his left hand on the book keeping his page open. The next shot, from Celestine's side, shows the book further away from the tray and it is being kept open by a a rubber stamp.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Céléstine: Are you from the priory?
Joseph: Yes.
Céléstine: Is it far?
Joseph: You'll see.

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Connections

Featured in Regarding Buñuel (2000)

User Reviews

Finally a Bunuel film I can make sense of! Oh, nevermind.

This is the most straight-forward film I've seen by the surrealist master Bunuel, and despite its cryptic turn in the final moments, is funny, chilling, and a bit nasty. The story follows an urbane chambermaid from Paris who comes to work at the country estate of a repressed bourgeosie family. She weathers passes from every man in sight and deflects them, but for morally ambiguous reasons. Moral ambiguity is rampant, as it is so often in Bunuel's films, and spread liberally amongst all classes. It's subtly a film about selling out, except that nobody seemed to have any principles to begin with. Good fun. Now tell me what the ending was all about.