The film makes an unusual and perceptive study of human morality the situations depicted in the film may be exaggerated and set in another era, but Luis Bruñel manages to strike an easy resonance with us-the viewers.
Although the film spends a lot of time showing the bourgeois and their entourage, the film is mainly concerned with the morally ambiguous chambermaid, Célestine (played by Jeanne Moreau) and the strange servant Joseph. The shifting relationship between Célestine and Joseph is constantly surprising and we never really know what either of the characters is playing at. Neither character can claim moral superiority Célestine is ultimately shown to be a spineless opportunist and Joseph a possible murderer.
The ending of the film, a sober moment which presages the inevitable rise of fascism in Europe, also sends a shiver down the spine, even if it feels frustratingly disconnected from the rest of the film.
Although the film spends a lot of time showing the bourgeois and their entourage, the film is mainly concerned with the morally ambiguous chambermaid, Célestine (played by Jeanne Moreau) and the strange servant Joseph. The shifting relationship between Célestine and Joseph is constantly surprising and we never really know what either of the characters is playing at. Neither character can claim moral superiority Célestine is ultimately shown to be a spineless opportunist and Joseph a possible murderer.
The ending of the film, a sober moment which presages the inevitable rise of fascism in Europe, also sends a shiver down the spine, even if it feels frustratingly disconnected from the rest of the film.