Le Journal D'Une Femme De Chambre (The Diary Of A Chambermaid)

1964, highly regarded black and white piece of work by the great artist, the monolith of a cinematic figure that is Luis Bunuel.
We didn't go head over heels for this film, but did appreciate it.
Firstly, Bunuel's style. The montage is very straightforward, linear. As, indeed, is the direction. Bunuel is not afraid to have identifactory tropes, and often we follow the (female) lead in moving takes for long periods of time. The framinf is largely done through camera movement rather than cuts. This means there is a lot of smooth pans, cool long takes that simply reframe the events.
Indeed, this film is very simple. We will talk about the relation of Bunuel to Bresson later, but this film also surely is reminiscent of 'La Regle Du Jeu', Renoir's masterpiece. Perhaps with not quite the same flamboyance Bunuel takes us from room to room, scene to scene, focussing on upstairs as well as downstairs. Again, there is a slightly underacted deadpan nature. Depth is also used to great effect, Bunuel most keen to have characters walk and the camera to zoom forward and backward rather than side to side, giving us notions of depth and a real 3-D world.
Thematically, there is also a sense of the hypocrisy we find in Renoir, in the violence that is blatant to all but the aristocrats. This is a film that is in some ways impenetrable due to its simpicity, a tough trope to pull off. An interesting, rather than a stunning, introduction to Bunuel.