Luis Buñuel - Le Journal d'une femme de chambre aka Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)

This wicked adaptation of the Octave Mirbeau novel is classic Luis Buñuel. Jeanne Moreau is Celestine, a beautiful Parisian domestic who, upon arrival at her new job at an estate in provincial 1930s France, entrenches herself in sexual hypocrisy and scandal with her philandering employer (Buñuel regular Michel Piccoli). Filmed in luxurious black-and-white Franscope, Diary of a Chambermaid is a raw-edged tangle of fetishism and murder—and a scathing look at the burgeoning French fascism of the era.





Le Journal d’une femme de chambre is arguably Luis Buñuel’s most caustic and unfettered assault on those institutions he rallied against throughout his life. The bourgeoisie, the clergy, the military – the self-proclaimed standard bearers of respectability - are beautifully represented with the director’s characteristic wit and venom. The film also makes an unusual and perceptive study of human morality – the situations depicted in the film may be exaggerated and set in another era, but they manage to strike an easy resonance with the spectator.

Although Buñuel spends a lot of time caricaturing the bourgeoise and their entourage, the film is mainly concerned with the morally ambiguous chambermaid, Célestine (played beautifully by Jeanne Moreau) and the vicious fascist servant Joseph. The shifting relationship between Célestine and Joseph is constantly surprising and we never really know what either of the characters is playing at. Neither character can claim moral superiority – Célestine is ultimately shown to be a spineless opportunist and Joseph is clearly a nasty piece of work. However, both have a vestige of humanity which provides enough ambiguity to give their relationship an edge of dangerous unpredictability.

Although it has some splendid comic moments, Le Journal d’une femme de chambre is much darker than most of Buñuel’s other films. The rape of the young girl is not filmed directed but alluded to rather subtlely, and is perhaps the most shocking thing in any of Buñuel’s films. The ending of the film, a sober moment which presages the inevitable rise of fascism in Europe, also sends a shiver down the spine, even if it feels frustratingly disconnected from the rest of the film. (James Travers, filmsdefrance.com)







Diario de una camarera
Célestine, parisina de clase baja, emigra al campo, donde trabaja como sirvienta, en la casa de una familia adinerada. La joven se convertirá en objeto del deseo del marido, dedicado por completo a la caza, y el abuelo, un individuo marcado por sus obsesiones fetichistas.

Buñuel adapta la novela Le journal d'une femme de chambre, de Octave Mirbeau, que ya había conocido en 1946 una adaptación muy distinta, por parte del maestro Jean Renoir. El cineasta se lleva el texto original a su terreno, pues el film resulta una crítica ácida hacia la clase burguesa.





Célestine, tout droit venue de Paris, est la nouvelle femme de chambre d'une famille de bourgeois provinciaux. Après quelques mois, lasse de supporter les mesquineries de sa patronne et les avances grossières des hommes de la maisonnée, elle décide d'adopter les travers de cette société moribonde et vulgaire, usant de ruse et de séduction, afin de se faire respecter dans ce milieu sordide.





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