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.

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.

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.

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...