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About halfway through both Jean Renoir’s and Luis Buñuel’s interpretations of Octave Mirbeau’s 1900 class satire, A Diary of A Chambermaid, there’s a scene where Joseph – the sociopathic valet – proclaims his obsession with Célestine. “We may be different on the surface, but we’re the same underneath,” Joseph slithers out as he grabs her.

For Buñuel, it’s the emergence of a pattern of wanton perversion, a moment that showcases the director’s personal fondness for abrasion, while also blurring his intentions with Célestine. For Renoir, it’s the Hollywood introduction of a sinister villain, a possessive sadist who covets Celestine for her perceived impurity. But in Benoît Jacquot’s psychologically sublimated adaptation, the scene never comes.

Joseph (Vincent Lindon) isn’t the hunter, he’s the prey, and as much as Célestine talks about being tangled in his lurid magnetism, she’s fully in control of both of their fates.

Benoît Jacquot: 'For me, there is something very specific with Vincent Lindon' Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze Having just completed À Jamais, based on Don DeLillo's The Body Artist, starring Mathieu Amalric and Jeanne Balibar with costumes by Raf Simons (Dior And I), Benoît Jacquot joined me in New York for a conversation on his penetrating Diary Of A Chambermaid (Journal d'Une Femme De Chambre), co-written with Hélène Zimmer and starring Léa Seydoux.

Vincent Lindon heads a formidable supporting cast that includes Clotilde Mollet, Hervé Pierre, Yvette Petit, Dominique Reymond, Mélodie Valemberg, Patrick d'Assumçao, Joséphine Derenne, Rosette and Vincent Lacoste. Costume designer Anaïs Romand, also known for Farewell My Queen, Léos Carax's Holy Motors and Guillaume Nicloux's The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq, captures the period with precision and grace.

Jacquot's adaptation of Octave Mirbeau's novel, focuses on the myriad ways female bodies were treated as commodities, as...

"To think that a cook, for example, has her masters' lives in her hands." Cohen Media Group has released this official trailer for the upcoming Us opening of Benoît Jacquot's Diary of a Chambermaid, another adaptation of the well-known 1900 novel by Octave Mirbeau. This time, French actress Léa Seydoux plays Célestine, a "resentful young Parisian chambermaid". This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last year and also stars Vincent Lindon, Clotilde Mollet and Hervé Pierre. The description states that the film captures a different feeling this time: "the sense of social stiflement, Célestine’'s humiliating submission to Madame's onerous terms of employment, Joseph's virulent anti-Semitism." If you're intrigued, take a look. Here's the official Us trailer for Benoît Jacquot's Diary of a Chambermaid, from YouTube (via Tfs): Léa Sedoux follows in the footsteps of Paulette Goddard & Jeanne Moreau as Célestine, a resentful young Parisian chambermaid who finds...

Crafting one of the most eclectic careers in recent memory, following James Bond, Léa Seydoux will be seen in the latest films from Yorgos Lanthimos and Xavier Dolan this year. One of her other features, Diary of a Chambermaid, which premiered last year at the Berlin Film Festival, will finally hit U.S. theaters this summer thanks to Cohen Media Group, and today we have a new trailer.

Directed by Benoit Jacquot, following in the footsteps of Renoir and Bunuel, the story follows Seydoux as a servant who doesn’t exactly fit into her surroundings. Check out the trailer below for the film also starring Vincent Lindon, Clotilde Mollet, Hervé Pierre, Mélodie Valemberg, Patrick D’Assumçao, Vincent Lacoste, Joséphine Derenne, and Dominique Reymond.

Léa Seydoux follows in the footsteps of Paulette Goddard and Jeanne Moreau as Célestine, a resentful young Parisian chambermaid who finds herself exiled to a position in...

With only a few weeks to go until the Berlin Film Festival unspools, much of the competition lineup still remains a mystery. However, today has added some clarity with several titles unveiled. Among them, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s latest effort. The director, who is under house arrest and a 20-year filmmaking ban, nevertheless manages to get a movie out every couple of years. His last, Closed Curtain, stirred up controversy in Iran when it won the screenwriting prize in Berlin in 2013. This latest film, Taxi, stars the director, although other details were not immediately available.

Also in the mix is the world premiere, out of competition, of Bill Condon’s Mr. Holmes, starring Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada and Hattie Morahan. McKellen plays the titular detective as he nears the end of his days and revisits an unsolved case which forced him into retirement.

Werner Herzog...

Queen of the Desert, starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Pattinson, added to Berlinale competition line-up; Mr. Holmes, starring Ian McKellen as an aged Sherlock, to play out of competition.

The 65th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 5-15) has added a further eight titles to its Competition programme, ahead of the complete line-up next week.

The films, which originate from across Europe, Asia, the Us and the Middle East, include the world premiere of Queen of the Desert, Werner Herzog’s biopic based on the life of British explorer Gertrude Bell.

Nicole Kidman plays the 19th century explorer, known as the female Lawrence of Arabia, and her co-stars include James Franco, Damian Lewis and Robert Pattinson (as Te Lawrence).

Berlinale 2015: new Competition films

Body

Poland

By Malgorzata Szumowska (Stranger, Elles, In the Name of)

With Janusz Gajos, Maja Ostaszewska, Justyna Suwala

World premiere

Cha và con và (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories)

Vietnam / France / Germany...

Sebastian Schipper, Werner Herzog, Benoit Jacquot and Further Titles Added to the Selection

Another eight films have been selected for the Competition Programme of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

The productions are from the following countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong/China, Iran, the People’s Republic of China, Poland, the USA, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Body

Poland

By Malgorzata Szumowska (Stranger, Elles, In the Name of)

With Janusz Gajos, Maja Ostaszewska, Justyna Suwala

World premiere

Cha và con và (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories)

Vietnam / France / Germany / Netherlands

By Di Phan Dang (Bi, Don’t Be Afraid)

With Do Thi Hai Yen, Le Cong Hoang, Truong The Vinh

World premiere

Journal d’une femme de chambre (Diary of a Chambermaid)

France / Belgium

By Benoit Jacquot (Farewell, My Queen; Three Hearts)

With Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Clotilde Mollet, Hervé Pierre, Vincent Lacoste

World premiere

Mr. Holmes

United Kingdom

By Bill Condon (The Fifth Estate)

With...

Journal d’une femme de chambre

Director: Benoit Jacquot // Writers: Benoit Jacquot, Helene Zimmer

French auteur Benoit Jacquot tends to get overlooked, though his recent international success with Berlin premiered Farewell, My Queen (2012) seems to have boosted his status, even though he’s been making excellent films since the 1970s and used to serve as Assistant Director to Margeurite Duras (India Song; Nathalie Granger). He’s worked several times with Isabelle Huppert (The School of Flesh; Keep It Quiet; False Servant; Villa Amalia) and Isild Le Besco (A Tout de Suite; Deep in the Woods), and generally tends to favor female perspectives. His latest, 3 Hearts, competed in Venice and starred Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Chiara Mastroianni. We’re thrilled to see he’s following in the footsteps of Jean Renoir and Luis Bunuel with an update of Octave Mirabeau’s Diary of a Chambermaid, reuniting him with the exciting Lea Seydoux,...

Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 admit-two anytime movie passes up for grabs to the new festival-winning comedy/drama “The Intouchables” starring François Cluzet and Omar Sy!

The Tokyo International Film Festival-winning film “The Intouchables,” which is based on a true story and opened in Chicago last week, also stars Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet, Alba Gaïa Kraghede Bellugi, Cyril Mendy, Christian Ameri, Grégoire Oestermann, Joséphine de Meaux, Dominique Daguier, François Caron, Thomas Solivéres, Dorothée Brière and Marie-Laure Descoureaux from writers and directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano.

To win your free passes to “The Intouchables” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, get interactive with our unique Hookup technology directly below. That’s it! These anytime passes are valid at the showing of your choice – during the film’s theatrical run – at either Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago or...

Watch 2 new clips from Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano's The Intouchables, starring Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy The Intouchables tells the true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences. Helmed and scripted by Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano, The Intouchables also stars Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet and Alba Gaïa Bellugi...

Watch 2 new clips from Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano's The Intouchables, starring Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy The Intouchables tells the true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences. Helmed and scripted by Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano, The Intouchables also stars Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet and Alba Gaïa Bellugi...

Official poster and new images for The Intouchables, starring Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy. Weinstein Co's The Intouchables tells the true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences. Cast of the comedy/dram release which opens May 25th, also includes Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet and Alba Gaïa Bellugi. Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano direct as well as write the film produced by Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky, Laurent Zeitoun, and Yann Zenou. See all the images under the new onesheet!

Official poster and new images for The Intouchables, starring Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy. Weinstein Co's The Intouchables tells the true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences. Cast of the comedy/dram release which opens May 25th, also includes Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet and Alba Gaïa Bellugi. Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano direct as well as write the film produced by Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky, Laurent Zeitoun, and Yann Zenou. See all the images under the new onesheet!

Official poster and new images for The Intouchables, starring Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy. Weinstein Co's The Intouchables tells the true story of a wealthy, physically disabled risk taker, the picture of established French nobility, who lost his wife in an accident and whose world is turned upside down when he hires a young, good-humored, black Muslim ex-con as his caretaker. Their bond proves the power and omniscience that love and friendship can hold over all social and economic differences. Cast of the comedy/dram release which opens May 25th, also includes Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet and Alba Gaïa Bellugi. Oliver Nakache and Eric Toledano direct as well as write the film produced by Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky, Laurent Zeitoun, and Yann Zenou. See all the images under the new onesheet!

Rank the week of July 19th’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Limitless

(DVD & Blu-ray | PG13 | 201)

Flickchart Ranking: #1890

Times Ranked: 3217

Win Percentage: 51%

Top-20 Rankings: 12

Directed By: Neil Burger

Starring: Bradley Cooper • Robert De Niro • Abbie Cornish • Anna Friel • Andrew Howard

Genres: Psychological Sci-Fi • Psychological Thriller • Science Fiction • Thriller

Rank This Movie

Take Me Home Tonight

(DVD & Blu-ray | R | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #5722

Times Ranked: 1234

Win Percentage: 49%

Top-20 Rankings: 2

Directed By: Michael Dowse

Starring: Topher Grace • Anna Faris • Dan Fogler • Teresa Palmer • Chris Pratt

Genres: Comedy • Comedy Drama • Coming-of-Age • Drama • Period Film • Romance • Romantic Comedy • Romantic Drama

Rank This Movie

The Reef

(DVD & Blu-ray | Nr | 2010)

Flickchart Ranking: #10667

Times Ranked: 152

Win Percentage: 47%

Top-20 Rankings: 2

Directed By: Andrew Traucki

Starring: Adrienne Pickering • Gyton Grantley • Zoe Naylor • Damian Walshe-Howling • Kieran Darcy-Smith

Genres: Horror • Natural Horror • Thriller

Rank This Movie

Tekken

(DVD & Blu-ray | Nr | 2010)

Flickchart Ranking: #9314

Times Ranked: 332

Win...