My first Bunuel, and though it may not be representative of his surrealist reputation, I still enjoyed it. In fact it's pretty straight forward, but its provocative, scandalous, and all-around malevolent atmosphere give it a juicy appeal. Jeanne Moreau never ceases to impress me. The widescreen photography is lovely, with some of the most beautiful French countryside I've seen on film.

One of Bunuel's most clinical examinations of social class and sexual politics from the viewpoint of a weary but sharp-eyed chambermaid, perfectly realized by actress Jeane Moreau. The time is the 1930's, the ruling class is decadent and fascism is on the rise, and Bunuel highlights the absurdity of both and explores the connections between the two.

This is Buñuel at his least surreal. This is also Buñuel at his most scandalous and irreverent.

"Le journal d'une femme de chambre" is an enjoyable farce with some social commentary thrown in, as it is so often the case with Buñuel. Although there were plenty of interesting peculiar touches, a generally compelling story and overall strong acting, all enhanced by unexpectedly handsome cinematography, to keep me entertained, I thought this was a merely a minor, forgettable effort. Despite an abundance of admirable elements, this was pretty unremarkable as a whole.

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

Bunuel at his most lacking. Mind you, it is Luis Bunuel. He makes even lacking seem great.

Technically, one of the best Bunuels I've seen. The cinematography is striking, the acting spot on, everything is just right. But as far as content goes, not especially interesting. Doesn't really seem to add much to the Bunuel oeuvre. Class differences, anti-fascist statements, foot fetishism... he's covered this ground before. The characters, particularly the titular role, lack significant depth. The film has some good humor to it, but ultimately not much to offer.

I really like the way Bunuel subtly spreads the story on more characters by the second half, while redefining core characters.