Diary of a Chambermaid
Kino Lorber
Video: 1080p High-Definition
Audio: French Mono DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English
Buy it from Kino Lorber and DiabolikDVD

by Sam Christian, Staff Writer

The Movie: Good

Diary of a Chambermaid follows Celestine—played by Jeanne Moreau (Elevator to the Gallows)—a chic Parisian who starts her new job in the country working for a wealthy excentric family who seems to struggle keeping good help around for long. Bunuel quickly reveals what the wealthy do behind closed doors. Celestine is subject to the perverse whims of the three owners of the manor along with their handyman Joe (Georges Geret) a far-right sadist who ends up falling for Celestine. Going further would spoil the ending, but the film is a slow burn and worth experiencing the secrets hidden within the walls of the wealthy.

Bunuel is known primarily for making two kinds of films, Surrealist films like Un Chien Andalou and films about class struggles like Los Olvidados—to be fair all his films touch on class in one way or another. Late in his career he combined his surrealist sensibilities with his class-conscious stories and made a run of films skewering the Bourgeoisie. Films like The Exterminating Angel and his masterpiece The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Diary of a Chambermaid falls was released in the earlier section of this part of his career but is a little different than the rest. While sharing themes of Bourgeoise decadence and their self- isolation with his film The Exterminating Angel released two years earlier, Diary of a Chambermaid eases back into a more realistic portrayal of wealth, power, and the seeds of fascism.

This film was released in 1964 at the beginning of Bunuel’s later career. Diary of a Chambermaid is well liked amongst cinephiles; however, the film is quotidian when compared to his later works satirizing the Bourgeoisie. While this film is beautiful to look at and the performances are spot on, Diary of a Chambermaid is ultimately a good movie and would be a top movie for any other director; however, it’s a mid-tier film for Bunuel. I would recommend this movie only after seeing his later released films first.

The Packaging: Average

The packaging has no frills to it. It has a nice cardboard slipcover which encases the average blue Blu-ray case. The coolest feature of the packaging is that there is a reversible cover. Choose from two alternative covers featuring different artwork! Other than that, the packaging is base level.

The Video: Great

Diary of a Chambermaid was restored by Studiocanal in stunning 2K. This restoration is crisp and clear while preserving a nice film grain and that beautiful black and white. The cinematography, while nice to look at, is also quite flat. This makes sense because the point of the film is to be realistic and not dive in the realm of fantasy. There are no deep darks of the black in the scenes, but rather a high grey chiaroscuro. There are some scenes where the frame is ensconced in fog, and it looks dreamy and crisp. The film looks great and the restoration by Studiocanal is well worth the money.

The Audio: Average

The film sounds good, the audio comes out clear and there is no need for surround sound for this style of movie. The sound design of this film is sparce in order to highlight the everydayness of the story, there is also not a sweeping soundtrack that audiences are clamoring to hear. While the film is quiet you can still hear everything perfectly. There isn’t much else to say about the audio, it’s an average sound that works well just through your TV speakers. At the moment this is the highest quality that the film has ever been released in, and while the audio is not a highlight of this release it remains suitable for this film and this release.

Special Features: Average

The features included with this release are all informative. The featurette is a decent video essay on Bunuel and his career leading up to releasing Diary of a Chambermaid. All the supplements are interesting if you want to know a little more about Bunuel, but nothing to write home about.

Audio Commentary by Film Historian Imogen Sara Smith
An Angel in the Marshes: Featurette
Interview with Screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière
Q&A with Jean-Claude Carrière
Theatrical Trailer

In Summary: Grab it on sale

Diary of a Chambermaid is a very good movie that I would recommend anyone interested in class conscious films. This release looks and sounds great. The supplements and the packaging are bare bones while still having good artwork on the covers. This release is great if you want to complete your Bunuel collection or just want to see one of his works you might not have seen yet.

Support MovieJawn Staff

〰️

Support MovieJawn Staff 〰️

Support Sam Christian

With the death of so much print media and meaningful journalism, it is important now more than ever to support the writers and outlets you love.
If you enjoyed this article, show your support by donating to our writer. All proceeds go directly to the writer. Recommended donation is $5.