Diary Of A Chambermaid (1964) ***1/2

Almost completely devoid of the surrealism present in all of Luis Buñuel's films that I've seen so far, Diary Of A Chambermaid (1964), the first of six screenplays Buñuel co-wrote with Jean-Claude Carrière, is based on Octave Mirbeau's 1900 novel. While a lesser favorite of the Buñuel films that I've seen, it's still a very good drama with comic touches and great performances. Jeanne Moreau is a good Célestine, the titular character, but I can't help but wonder how the film would have differed if Silvia Pinal—Buñuel's original choice (rejected by the French producers)—had been cast.

Luis Buñuel Films Ranked