Diary of a Chambermaid (rewatch)
Posted by martinteller on July 29, 2008
One thing I’ve found with Bunuel’s films so far is that they all get better on a second viewing (even when they were brilliant the first time, like The Exterminating Angel). I was rather unkind to this film 4 years ago, but now it doesn’t seem bad at all. As Michael Atkinson says in his essay, there’s nothing wrong with it. And yet it still lacks a lot of spark, and one expects something more daring, more unusual from Bunuel… especially during this period, which produced so many outstanding works. Except for a scattered few moments (the old foot fetishist, the butterfly getting blown to smithereens) there’s not much to make you go, “THERE’S the Bunuel we love”. Good as a movie on its own merits, but a bit weak considering its creator. Rating: 7
