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Diary of a Chambermaid

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Diary of a Chambermaid

Released Mar 4, 1964

1h 37m

Drama

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88%

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24 Reviews

82%

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2,500+ Ratings

Celestine (Jeanne Moreau) has a new job as a chambermaid for the quirky M. Monteil (Michel Piccoli), his wife and her father. When the father dies, Celestine decides to quit her job and leave, but when a young girl is raped and murdered, Celestine believes that the Monteils' groundskeeper, Joseph (Georges Geret), is guilty, and stays on in order to prove it. She uses her sexuality and the promise of marriage to get Joseph to confess -- but things do not go as planned.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

Less fantastical than much of Luis Bunuel's work, this 1964 adaptation of Octave Mirbeau's novel demonstrates that realism and surrealism aren't the polar opposites some might think.

Nov 9, 2018

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Eugene Archer

New York Times

Sadly, the intervening decades seem to have weakened Mr. Bunuel's powers. His new adaptation of Octave Mirbeau's Diary of a Chambermaid suffers in comparison with the strange but memorable version Jean Renoir did with Paulette Goddard in 1946.

Rated: 2/5

May 9, 2005

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Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

The Diary of a Chambermaid was a crucial turning point in Luis Buuel's career because it would officially usher in the French period of the director's later years.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 8, 2003

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

The film is most fascinating thanks to Moreau and her supporting cast, never overplaying the satire and striking just the right chords to show us a society on the verge of choices that will lead to a kind of madness...

Rated: B

Mar 25, 2025

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Shelley Burton

Los Angeles Free Press

Impressive in the film is the graceful, mature manner in which the characters subtly reveal the dramatics of the story.

Feb 4, 2020

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...just when it seems to settle in as a black comedy, the movie turns grisly.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 20, 2017

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Alain E

Sixty years later, this quirky movie remains very watchable. Superb black and white cinematography. The script satirizes conventional wisdom and social norms but admits in the end that revolution is impossible.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/10/25

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Massoud H

This is hands down one of the best films ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/22

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william d

A well acted but only semi-interesting story that fails to deliver at the end.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

It does have some interesting things to say about the relationship between extreme political identity, class, and violence. That said, I think Buñuel addresses these ideas much better in his more surreal and overtly satirical movies.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

I agree that this wasn't one of his best, still though it is very Bunuel, with his comment on the bourgeoisie spot on.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Audience Member

Superb. One of the best movies of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Luis Buñuel

Director

Jeanne Moreau

Céléstine

Michel Piccoli

M Monteil

Georges Geret

Joseph

Françoise Lugagne

Mme Monteil

Jean Ozenne

M Rabour

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Synopsis

Celestine (Jeanne Moreau) has a new job as a chambermaid for the quirky M. Monteil (Michel Piccoli), his wife and her father. When the father dies, Celestine decides to quit her job and leave, but when a young girl is raped and murdered, Celestine believes that the Monteils' groundskeeper, Joseph (Georges Geret), is guilty, and stays on in order to prove it. She uses her sexuality and the promise of marriage to get Joseph to confess -- but things do not go as planned.

Director: Luis Buñuel
Producer: Michel Safra, Serge Silberman
Screenwriter: Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière
Production Co: Filmsonor
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 1964, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1964
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.5K
Runtime: 1h 37m

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