''Diary of a Chambermaid'' (french: Le journal d'une femme de chambre, it, Il diario di una cameriera) is a 1964

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

–

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

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- ...

directed by

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

-born filmmaker

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

and starring

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. M ...

as a Parisian

chambermaid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

who uses her body and wiles to navigate the perversion, corruption, and violence she encounters at the provincial estate where she goes to work. Though highly satirical and reflective of his typical anti-

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. ...

sentiments, it is one of Buñuel's more realistic films, and generally avoids the outlandish

surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

imagery and far-fetched plot twists found in many of his other works. The film was the first screenwriting collaboration between Buñuel and

Jean-Claude Carrière Jean-Claude Carrière (; 17 September 1931 – 8 February 2021) was a French novelist, screenwriter and actor. He received an Academy Award for best short film for co-writing '' Heureux Anniversaire'' (1963), and was later conferred an Honorary ...

, who extensively reworked the 1900 novel of the same name by

Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...

. Buñuel and Carrière would go on to collaborate on '' Belle de Jour'' (1967), '' The Milky Way (1969)'', ''

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' (french: Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie) is a 1972 surrealist film directed by Luis Buñuel from a screenplay co-written with Jean-Claude Carrière. The narrative concerns a group of bourgeois people ...

'' (1972), ''

The Phantom of Liberty ''The Phantom of Liberty'' (french: Le Fantôme de la liberté) is a 1974 surrealist comedy film by Luis Buñuel, produced by Serge Silberman and starring Adriana Asti, Julien Bertheau and Jean-Claude Brialy. It features a non-linear plot stru ...

'' (1974) and ''

That Obscure Object of Desire ''That Obscure Object of Desire'' (french: Cet obscur objet du désir; es, Ese oscuro objeto del deseo) is a 1977 comedy-drama film directed by Luis Buñuel, based on the 1898 novel '' The Woman and the Puppet'' by Pierre Louÿs. It was Buñuel's ...

'' (1977).

Plot

In France in the early 1930s, Célestine, a stylish and attractive young

from Paris, arrives at a provincial estate and joins a household staff that includes a cook, a timid maid named Marianne, and Joseph, the

groom A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man ...

, who spends his evenings writing nationalisic,

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

leaflets with a friend. Célestine was primarily hired to work for the elderly Monsieur Rabour, who insists on calling her Marie, which is the name he has used for all of his chambermaids, and likes to touch her leg while she reads to him and watch as she walks around wearing certain shoes. She seems happy enough to oblige him, however, and he defends Célestine from his daughter, Madame Monteil, when she breaks a lamp. Madame Monteil runs the household and is very particular about how things are done. She and her husband are not physically intimate due to her

dyspareunia Dyspareunia ( ) is painful sexual intercourse due to medical or psychological causes. The term ''dyspareunia'' covers both female dyspareunia and male dyspareunia, but many discussions that use the term without further specification concern the ...

, a problem with which the local priest has not been helpful, and Monsieur Monteil copes by expending his energy hunting small game in the surrounding woods and pursuing any woman who is nearby, including the former chambermaid, though Célestine playfully manages to keep him at arm's length. Monsieur Monteil is also feuding with a neighbor, the retired Captain Mauger, who throws his garbage onto Rabour's property to get back at Monteil for hypocritically spreading rumors about his relationship with his own housekeeper, Rose. One day, Rabour is found dead in his bed, clutching the pair of boots he had most recently had Célestine wear for him. At around the same time, Joseph comes across Claire, a prepubescent peasant girl who often hangs around the kitchen at the estate, alone in the woods and rapes and kills her. The body is found six days later, shortly before Célestine is to board a train back to Paris, having quit her job. She immediately suspects Joseph is the murderer and, as she had grown close to Clair, decides to get her job back and try to collect evidence to implicate him. Joseph, a fastidious man, notices when Célestine searches his room. He confronts her and, although their interactions have always been confrontational and she openly accuses him of killing Claire, proceeds to declare his love for Célestine, as he has come to feel they are the same inside. Célestine tries to seduce Joseph, but he says they need to wait, since he wants more than a fling. After leaving the office of a judge without seeing him, Célestine runs into Mauger. He tells her that he fired Rose, saying she had stopped doing housework and become controlling after 12 years in his employ and also would get jealous whenever he talked to Célestine. Mauger then proposes, and Célestine tells him that she will think it over. To tempt Joseph, Célestine waits for him in his bed, but he again resists. He says he plans to marry her and buy a café in

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Febr ...

for them to run together, indicating he suspects an upcoming revolution will be good for business. She swears on a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (La ...

that she will marry him so he will sleep with her, and, as he climbs into bed, she tells him to admit he killed Claire, but he just tells her to shut up. Joseph and Célestine announce their engagement, and Monsieur Monteil shifts his attentions from Célestine to Marianne. Célestine removes the metal toe plate from one of Joseph's shoes. While Joseph and his friend are making plans to attend a right-wing political rally, two police officers arrive and arrest the pair, having found the toe plate at the scene of Claire's murder. As he is being led away, Joseph tells Célestine he was not wearing those shoes the day Claire was killed. Thinking she has avenged Claire, Célestine decides to marry Mauger. He waits on her and alters his will to leave her everything, but she treats him coolly. When she asks about Joseph, Mauger says he is to be released without a trial, given the lack of evidence against him. In Cherbourg, Joseph cheers on a parade of nationalistic men as they march past his café, which his attractive younger wife has helped to fill with soldiers.

Cast

as Célestine *

Georges Géret Georges Géret (18 October 1924 – 7 April 1996) was a French film actor. He appeared in over 80 films between 1954 and 1992. He was born in Lyon, France. Selected filmography * '' The Unfrocked One'' (1954) - Un militaire à l'Oflag et � ...

as Joseph, Rabour's

Daniel Ivernel Daniel Ivernel (3 June 1920 – 11 November 1999) was a French film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1947 and 1981. Filmography References External links * 1920 births 1999 deaths French male film actors People from Versai ...

as Captain Mauger, Rabour's neighbor *

Françoise Lugagne Françoise Lugagne (1914–1991) was a French stage, film and television actress. She was married to the Belgian actor Raymond Rouleau and appeared alongside him in the 1945 fashion house drama ''Paris Frills ''Paris Frills'' (french: Falbalas) i ...

as Madame Monteil, Rabour's daughter * Muni as Marianne, Rabour's maid *Jean Ozenne as Monsieur Rabour *

Michel Piccoli Jacques Daniel Michel Piccoli (27 December 1925 – 12 May 2020) was a French actor, producer and film director with a career spanning 70 years. He was lauded as one of the greatest French character actors of his generation who played a wide vari ...

as Monsieur Monteil, Rabour's son-in-law * Joëlle Bernard as Joseph's wife *

Françoise Bertin Françoise Bertin (23 September 1925 – 26 October 2014) was a French actress. She appeared in over 125 films since 1961. Among these were five films directed by Alain Resnais: ''Last Year at Marienbad'', '' Muriel'', '' The War Is Over'', '' ...

as a gossip *Aline Bertrand as a traveler who hears about Claire's death * Pierre Collet as a traveler who hears about Claire's death *Michel Dacquin (credited as Michel Dacquid) as a wedding guest *Madeleine Damien as Rabour's cook *

Marc Eyraud Marc Eyraud (1 March 1924 – 15 February 2005) was a French film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1956 and 1995. Partial filmography * '' Plucking the Daisy'' (1956) - Un photographe (uncredited) * ''The Man in the Raincoat'' (1957 ...

as the judge's secretary *Jean Franval as the gossiping postman *

Gilberte Géniat Gilberte Géniat (February 17, 1916 – June 28, 1986) was a French film actress.Chiesi p.122 Selected filmography * ''Hélène'' (1936) * ''The Citadel of Silence'' (1937) - Catherine * '' Mademoiselle ma mère'' (1937) - Louise, la bonne * ''L ...

as Rose, Mauger's housekeeper *

Gabriel Gobin Gabriel Gobin (12 May 1903 – 9 February 1998) was a Belgian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1947 and 1990. He was born in Hacquegnies, Belgium and died in Brie-Comte-Robert, France. Selected filmography * ''Quai de ...

as the senior policeman who arrests Joseph *

Bernard Musson Bernard Musson (1925–2010) was a French actor. Selected filmography * '' It Happened in Paris'' (1952) * '' The Slave'' (1953) * '' On Trial'' (1954) * ''Flesh and the Woman'' (1954) * '' Bonjour sourire'' (1956) * ''Les Truands'' (1956) * ' ...

as the

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decreta ...

, Joseph's friend *

Jeanne Pérez Jeanne Pérez (28 September 1894 – 11 May 1975) was a French film actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1930 and 1975. Filmography References External links * 1894 births 1975 deaths French film actresses People from Caste ...

(credited as Jeanne Péres) as a gossip *Marcel Rouzé as the

station master The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now largely historical ...

*Dominique Sauvage as "little" Claire *

Andrée Tainsy Andrée Micheline Ghislaine Tainsy (26 April 1911 – 19 December 2004) was a Belgian actress. She worked with several notable actors like Philippe Noiret, Jean Louis Trintignant, Charlotte Rampling and famous directors like Claude Chabrol, C ...

(credited as Andrée Taincy) as a gossip *

Geymond Vital Geymond Vital (24 January 1897 – 6 December 1987) was a French film, stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often refe ...

as the senior policeman at the train station *

as the priest * Claude Jaeger as the judge * Dominique Zardi as the junior policeman (uncredited)

Production

The film was originally intended as a vehicle for the Mexican actress

Silvia Pinal Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (born 12 September 1931) is a Mexican actress. She began her career in the theater, venturing into cinema in 1949. Her film work and popularity in her native country led her to work in Europe (Spain and Italy). Pinal achiev ...

, who had starred in Buñuel's earlier films ''

Viridiana ''Viridiana'' () is a 1961 Spanish-Mexican film directed by Luis Buñuel and produced by Gustavo Alatriste. It is loosely based on the 1895 novel ''Halma'' by Benito Pérez Galdós. The film was the co-winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1961 Canne ...

'' (1961) and '' The Exterminating Angel'' (1962). Pinal learned French and was willing to work for free, but the French producers of ''Diary of a Chambermaid'' cast

instead. Shooting on the film began on 21 October 1963.TC
Misc notes
/ref> The final scene, in which marching rightists shout "Vive Chiappe", references the Paris police chief who stopped Buñuel's 1930 film '' L'Âge d'Or'' from being exhibited after the theater in which it was being shown was destroyed by

Fascists Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

.TC
"Diary of a Chambermaid
/ref>

Release

In 1964, the film was screened at 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 h ...

and the

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, i ...

. It was first released on home video in the U.S. on 22 March 1989, and was re-released in theaters in the U.S. in 2000, beginning with the screening of a new 35-mm print at the

Film Forum Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater at 209 West Houston Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. It began in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a $19,000 annual budget. Kare ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on 13 October.

References

External links

* * *
''Diary of a Chambermaid''
an essay by Michael Atkinson at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cine ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diary Of A Chambermaid (1964 Film) 1960s French-language films 1964 films 1964 drama films Films based on French novels Films directed by Luis Buñuel Films produced by Serge Silberman Films set in country houses Films set in the 1930s Films shot in France Films with screenplays by Jean-Claude Carrière French black-and-white films French drama films French political satire films French remakes of American films French satirical films Italian black-and-white films Italian drama films Italian political satire films Italian satirical films Le Journal d'une femme de chambre Maids in films Octave Mirbeau 1960s Italian films 1960s French films