Journal d'une femme de chambre, Le (1964)

Director:

Luis Buñuel

Writers:

Luis Buñuel (writer)
Jean-Claude Carrière (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

9 March 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Celestine, the chambermaid has new job on the country. The Monteils, who she works for are a group of strange people...

Plot Keywords:

Geese | Normandy France | Woman | Sexual | Grim

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jeanne Moreau	...	Céléstine
Georges Géret	...	Joseph
Daniel Ivernel	...	Captain Mauger
Françoise Lugagne	...	Madame Monteil
Muni	...	Marianne
Jean Ozenne	...	Monsieur Rabour
Michel Piccoli	...	Monsieur Monteil
Joëlle Bernard
Françoise Bertin
Aline Bertrand
Pierre Collet
Michel Dacquid
Madeleine Damien
Marc Eyraud	...	Le secrétaire du commissaire
Jean Franval
Gilberte Géniat	...	Rose
Gabriel Gobin
Bernard Musson	...	The sacristan
Jeanne Pérez
Marcel Rouzé
Dominique Sauvage	...	Claire
Andrée Tainsy
Geymond Vital
Jean-Claude Carrière	...	The Priest
Claude Jaeger	...	The judge
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marcel Le Floch
Dominique Zardi	...	Police Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Luis Buñuel

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Luis Buñuel		writer
Jean-Claude Carrière		writer
Octave Mirbeau		novel

Produced by
Michel Safra	....	producer
Serge Silberman	....	producer
Paulette Goddard	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Burgess Meredith	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Roger Fellous

Film Editing by
Luis Buñuel
Louisette Hautecoeur

Production Design by
Georges Wakhévitch

Costume Design by
Georges Wakhévitch

Makeup Department
Simone Knapp	....	hair stylist
Maguy Vernadet	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Henri Baum	....	production manager
Jacqueline Dudilleux	....	assistant production manager
Ulrich Picard	....	production manager (as U. Picard)
André Retbi	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Juan Luis Buñuel	....	assistant director
Pierre Lary	....	assistant director

Art Department
René Calviera	....	assistant art director
Charles Merangel	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Robert Cambourakis	....	sound assistant
Antoine Petitjean	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Agathe Beaumont	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Louis Castelli	....	still photographer
Adolphe Charlet	....	camera operator
René Schneider	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jacqueline Moreau	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Arlette Lalande	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Robert Demollière	....	administrator
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	script supervisor (as Suzanne Duremberg)
Odette Laeupplée	....	production secretary
Maurice Otte	....	production accountant
Jean Van Praag	....	administrator

Production Companies

• Ciné-Alliance
• Dear Film Produzione
• Filmsonor
• Spéva Films

Distributors

• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• International Classics (USA) (subtitled)
• Rialto Pictures (2000) (USA) (re-release) (subtitled)
• Royal Films (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Diario di una cameriera, Il (Italy)
Diary of a Chambermaid (USA)
The Diary of a Chambermaid (UK)

Runtime:

101 min | Argentina:97 min | France:97 min | Brazil:94 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:12 (DVD rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2001) | UK:15 (video rating) (1993) | UK:AA (original rating) (1981) | West Germany:12 (w)

Filming Locations:

Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France

Company:

Ciné-Alliance

Trivia:

The demonstrating fascists shout "Vive Chiappe", a homage to the chief of the Parisian police who prohibited showing director Luis Buñuel's earlier film Âge d'or, L' (1930) after fascists destroyed the cinema where it was being shown.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chappaqua (1966)

Fight of Classes, Hypocrisy, Fascism, Clerical and Murder

In the 30's, the witty, literate and quite sophisticated chambermaid Céléstine (Jeanne Moreau) comes from Paris to work for the dysfunctional Monteil family in the country, more specifically for the fetishist on shoes and maniac for cleaning Monsieur Rabour (Jean Ozenne). His daughter and mistress of the house Madame Monteil (Françoise Lugagne) is a frigid and arrogant woman, and her husband, Monsieur Monteil (Michel Piccoli), is a hunter and also a wolf with their maids. Their fascist and rude worker Joseph (Georges Géret) feels a sexual attraction for Céléstine, but she repels him. Their neighbor, Captain Mauger (Daniel Ivernel), has a problem with the Monteils and dumps his garbage in their yard, but Céléstine talks to him and is motive of gossips. When Monsieur Rabour unexpectedly dies, Céléstine quits her job but while in the train station, she finds that the girl Claire was found raped and murdered by the police. Céléstine returns to her job convinced that Joseph killed the little girl and trying to find evidences against him.

"Le Journal d'une Femme de Chambre" is a delightful movie of undefined genre – drama, black comedy, adventure? – where Luis Buñuel again exposes fight of classes, hypocrisy of both the bourgeois and the working class, a historical moment in France with the fascism growing, the ridiculous role of the clerical and an unsolved murder case. The story is centered in Céléstine, but the motives why a woman with her profile accepts a job in a rural area is never clear. The identity of the rapist and killer of Claire is also not disclosed, there is only a strong insinuation that Joseph killed the girl. The story is very ironic, like for example when Monsieur Monteil is informed that Céléstine and Joseph will marry and requires the sexual favors from Marianne; or the weird fetishism of Monsieur Rabour; or the priest asking for a new roof for the church to Madame Monteil; or the conclusion with Captain Mauger changing his will and serving the mistress and smart Céléstine on their bed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Diário de uma Camareira" ("The Diary of a Chambermaid")