The Chambermaid on the Titanic
| The Chambermaid on the Titanic | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Bigas Luna |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on |
La Femme de chambre du Titanic by Didier Decoin |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Alberto Iglesias |
| Cinematography | Patrick Blossier |
| Edited by | Kenout Peltier |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Company |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | France Spain Italy |
| Language | French, Spanish, Italian |
The Chambermaid on the Titanic (Spanish: La camarera del Titanic, French: La Femme de chambre du Titanic, Italian: L'immagine del desiderio) is a 1997 French-Italian-Spanish drama film directed by Bigas Luna, starring Oliver Martinez, Romane Bohringer and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon. It is based on the novel La Femme de chambre du Titanic by Didier Decoin. The film is known variously by its French title, La Femme de chambre du Titanic, and also by the shortened English title The Chambermaid, which was adopted in late August 1998 to avoid the impression that it was trying to cash in on the success of James Cameron's popular film, Titanic, which was released the year before The Chambermaid on the Titanic made its US debut.
In 1912, the protagonist, Horty, leads an uneventful life as a foundry worker in the Lorraine region of northern France with his wife, Zoe, "the most beautiful woman in town." The owner of the foundry where Horty works, Simeon, lusts after Zoe. When Horty wins a company athletic contest, Simeon's prize is a ticket to Southampton to see the sailing of the Titanic.
The night before the Titanic departs, Horty meets a beautiful young woman named Marie, who explains that she is a chambermaid aboard the Titanic. Marie has nowhere to sleep because all of the local hotels are full, and Horty agrees to share his room. Their encounter is seemingly chaste, with Marie sleeping in the bed while Horty spends the night in the armchair. However, in the middle of the night Marie tries to seduce him. Whether or not she succeeds is ambiguous, and she is gone when Horty awakes. Attending the departure of the Titanic, Horty spots a photographer taking a picture of Marie, and asks the photographer for the photo.
Upon returning home, Horty finds that he has been promoted, but this good news is dampened by rumors of an affair between his wife, Zoe, and the foundry owner, Simeon. A bitter and jealous Horty visits a local bar to drown his sorrows. Drunk, he tells friends and co-workers about the lovely chambermaid he met in Southampton, earning him free drinks and tips. Following the sinking of the Titanic, Horty's tales become increasingly erotic, and the viewer is never sure what is truth and what is fantasy.
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Wikipedia