Overview
A chambermaid navigates a twisted household, where secrets lurk beneath the surface.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- provocative
- disturbing
- arthouse cinema night
- classic french film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a sharply provocative literary adaptation with strong performances and social satire, though some find it less powerful than Buñuel's earlier work and Jean Renoir's version.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Célestine observes the Monteil household from her position as chambermaid, revealing its sexual, fetishistic, and political corruption.
Célestine uses a promised marriage and sexual access to pursue Joseph while navigating male desire and household power.
Célestine fabricates evidence against Joseph after suspecting him of Little Claire's rape and murder, producing an ethically unstable investigation.
The Monteils' household combines social status with the husband's predation, the wife's frigidity, the father's fetishism, and Joseph's fascism.
Films like Diary of a Chambermaid, and why
The Rules of the Game
shared literary adaptation, class critique, sexual repression, and unsettling social satire
Diary of a Chambermaid
shared chambermaid perspective, domestic decadence, erotic tension, and darkly comic social observation
Belle de Jour
shared buñuelian surrealism, bourgeois hypocrisy, erotic provocation, and corrosive satire
The Servant
shared period setting, class hierarchy, moral ambiguity, and a sexually charged female-centered drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Luis Buñuel
- Release Date
- 1964-03-04
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (244)
Cast
- Jeanne Moreau
- Georges Géret
- Michel Piccoli
- Françoise Lugagne
- Jean Ozenne
- Daniel Ivernel
- Bernard Musson
- Gilberte Géniat
- Jean-Claude Carrière
- Muni
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- France Channel Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Diary of a Chambermaid about?
- A chambermaid navigates a predatory household and a morally tainted murder investigation in Buñuel's caustic portrait of class and sexual power.
- What is Diary of a Chambermaid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Diary of a Chambermaid as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Diary of a Chambermaid violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Diary of a Chambermaid as mild.
- What did critics think of Diary of a Chambermaid?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a sharply provocative literary adaptation with strong performances and social satire, though some find it less powerful than Buñuel's earlier work and Jean Renoir's version.
- Which films are like Diary of a Chambermaid?
- Films with a similar feel include The Rules of the Game, Diary of a Chambermaid, Belle de Jour, and The Servant.
- How long is Diary of a Chambermaid?
- Diary of a Chambermaid runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Diary of a Chambermaid?
- In United States, Diary of a Chambermaid streams on France Channel Amazon Channel.
