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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Il Diario di una cameriera" or "Diary of a Chambermaid" or "The Diary of a Chambermaid')

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/bunuel.htm
France / Italy 1964

 

This wicked adaptation of the Octave Mirbeau novel is classic Luis Buñuel. Jeanne Moreau is Celestine, a beautiful Parisian domestic who, upon arrival at her new job at an estate in provincial 1930s France, entrenches herself in sexual hypocrisy and scandal with her philandering employer (Buñuel regular Michel Piccoli). Filmed in luxurious black-and-white Franscope, Diary of a Chambermaid is a raw-edged tangle of fetishism and murder—and a scathing look at the burgeoning French fascism of the era.

***

Considered surrealist Luis Buñuel most linear film, Diary of a Chambermaid is an excellent introduction to this director's dark satirical world of social criticism. Loosely based on Mirbeau's Journal D'Une Femme de Chambre, Buñuel uses the beautiful French countryside as a backdrop to ruthlessly display his favorite subjects: Catholicism, the bourgeoisie, nationalism, and moral decay. Jeanne Moreau is Celestine, a chambermaid from Paris who takes a job at a picturesque country estate. When the body of the staff's daughter is discovered raped and murdered, Celesine does whatever is necessary to uncover the girl's killer. She quickly learns that her new employees, though apparent pillars of nouveau aristocracy, are as morally corrupt as the girls murderer. Though extremely linear for Buñuel, Diary of a Chambermaid does not lack for profound, symbolic imagery and cryptic revelations.

Excerpt from Rob Bracco at Amazon located HERE

  Posters

 

Theatrical Release: March 4trh, 1964

Reviews                                                                                    More Reviews                                                                     DVD Reviews


Comparison:

Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Studio Canal (DE) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Arvid for the Warner (Bunuel Box 1) Screen Caps!

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers

 

 

   

Distribution

Criterion

Region 1 - NTSC

Warner
Region 2 - PAL
Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Luis Buñuel’s films on Criterion DVD
Runtime 1:37:57 1:33:42 (4% PAL speedup) 1:37:21.791
Video

2.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.46 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

2.29:1  Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.7 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 40,706,140,978 bytes

Feature: 25,508,333,568 bytes

Video Bitrate: 30.79 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Criterion (Criterion Collection)

 

Bitrate:

 

Warner (Bunuel Box 1)

 

Bitrate:

 

Blu-ray

Audio French (Dolby Digital 2.0)

French (Dolby Digital 2.0)

DTS-HD Master Audio French 937 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 937 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)

DUB:

DTS-HD Master Audio German 1315 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1315 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)

Subtitles English, None English (burnt in) English, German, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

Aspect Ratio:
2.33:1

Edition Details:

• Video interview with screenwriter and longtime Buñuel collaborator Jean-Claude Carrière (18:57)
• Transcript of a late 1970s interview with director Luis Bunuel
• Original theatrical trailer, narrated by Jeanne Moreau (3:35)

• 12 page liner notes booklet with essays etc.
 

DVD Release Date:
June 5th, 2001
Keep Case
Chapters: 32

Release Information:
Studio: Warner

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.29:1

Edition Details:
Comes in Boxset with Belle De Jour and The Milky Way
 

DVD Release Date:
Digipack

Chapters 20

Release Information:
Studio:
Studio Canal

 

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 40,706,140,978 bytes

Feature: 25,508,333,568 bytes

Video Bitrate: 30.79 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• An Angel in the Marshes (27:06)
• Interview with Jean-Claude Carriere (24:51)
• Q+A with Jean-Claude Carriere (51:52)


Blu-ray Release Date:
May 3rd, 2018
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 12

 

 

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Studio Canal Blu-ray (May 2019): Studio Canal in Europe have transferred Luis Buñuel's Diary of a Chambermaid to Blu-ray. The feature is housed on a dual-layered disc with a high bitrate. The image quality is excellent and a notable bump beyond the SDs. The 2.35:1 frame shows more information as compared to the PAL DVD but still less than the Criterion (European print?). It isn't glossy, shows more grain and detail advances via the 1080P resolution. You can judge the screen captures below, for yourself.

On their Blu-ray, Studio Canal use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (24-bit) in the original French language with an optional German DUB. Buñuel's film has no musical score but dialogue is reasonably crisp and always audible. Studio Canal offer optional English or German subtitles (see sample below) on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Studio Canal Blu-ray includes a 27-minute video essay entitled An Angel in the Marshes by Luc Lagier showing short scenes from Diary of a Chambermaid discussing the director and identifying some of Buñuel's common theme of social disparity aka the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie attitudes. It is in French with optional subtitles. I thought it was very revealing. There is also a 25-minute Jean-Claude Carrière interview in English. Lastly is Luis Bunuel: Aesthetics of the Irrational Diary of a Chambermaid: Jean-Claude Carriere Q +A - in conversation with Jonathan Romney at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London on November 25th 2015. 

Diary of a Chambermaid is a brilliant Buñuel film filled with deviance, sexual bents and wit. I was very pleased to see this on Blu-ray where the presentation was far more film-like. I also liked the video essay and extras. For fans of the director - this amounts to a must-own.

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVDs: The Warner appears to be zoomed in and hence cropped. It doesn't have the same level of sharpness or contrast that the Criterion does (or extras), but the big bonus of this Warner PAL Boxset is the stellar Belle De Jour and hence unseen on DVD Bunuel's The Milky Way. Its a shame about the burned-in subtitles on the Warner but we still consider the Warner a valued purchase, but the Criterion is the definitive "Diary of a Chambermaid" DVD (as if we ever doubted).

 - Gary Tooze

NOTE:

Some people have said they had problems with edge enhancement on this DVD, but even where that might be the case, I think this is still was one of the best looking monochrome scope films in the DVD format to date.  Of course, Roger Fellous' cinematography is amazing and a beautiful use of the scope frame at that.  The Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono is not bad either and when you add its extras, this is one of Criterion's best DVD releases to date.  Jeanne Moreau is great in one of her best roles.

Nicholas Sheffo from FulvueDrive-In.com


DVD Menus

(Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)


 

 

 

Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample - Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM


 

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM


 

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM


 

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM


 

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM


 

1) Criterion (Criterion Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Warner (Bunuel Box 1) - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

More Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray Captures

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Report Card:

 

Image:

 Blu-ray

Sound:

 Blu-ray

Extras:  Blu-ray

 

Box Covers

 

 

   

Distribution

Criterion

Region 1 - NTSC

Warner
Region 2 - PAL
Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gary Tooze

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