The Chambermaid of the Titanic

Colour, 35mm
France, Spain, 1996, 101 min
Section: Tribute to Bigas Luna

About the director

France 1912. Horty, a young foundry employee wins a raffle at work whose main prize is a chance to see the Titanic set sail. He is lodged at the Grand Hotel in Southampton, and is visited that night by Marie, who announces that she is employed as a chambermaid on the famous ship. They spend a wild night together and Horty returns to France the following morning. In the meantime, his neighbours are spreading a rumour round his hometown to the effect that his wife has slept with the director of the foundry. Horty, beside himself with jealousy, goes to a bar and starts describing every sordid detail of his affair with chambermaid Marie. His narration is a such a success that he soon becomes a regular night-time attraction for a wider and wider audience. Horty becomes a hero overnight. But once, while he’s luxuriously detailing those moments of bliss at Marie’s side, she appears in the crowd. . . .