Bed and Board (film)
Bed and Board (French: Domicile conjugal) is a 1970 French comedy-drama film directed by François Truffaut, and starring Jean-Pierre Léaud and Claude Jade. It is the fourth in Truffaut's series of five films about Antoine Doinel, and directly follows Stolen Kisses, depicting the married life of Antoine (Léaud) and Christine (Jade). Love on the Run finished the story in 1979.
| Bed and Board | |
|---|---|
 original film poster | |
| Directed by | François Truffaut |
| Screenplay by | François Truffaut Claude de Givray Bernard Revon |
| Based on | Characters by François Truffaut Marcel Moussy |
| Produced by | François Truffaut Marcel Berbert |
| Starring | Jean-Pierre Léaud Claude Jade Hiroko Berghauer Daniel Ceccaldi Claire Duhamel |
| Cinematography | Nestor Almendros |
| Edited by | Agnés Guillemot |
| Music by | Antoine Duhamel |
Production companies | Les Films du Carrosse Valoria Films Fida Cinematografica |
| Distributed by | Valoria Films (France) Fida Cinematografica (Italy) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Countries | France Italy |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 1,010,797 admissions (France)[1] |
Plot
Antoine and Christine have gotten married and are living in a pleasant apartment that her parents have found for them. In it she gives violin lessons, while he works in the courtyard dyeing carnations for flower shops. When his experiments with colouring agents go horribly wrong, he has to find other work. An American company hires him to demonstrate model boats to potential customers in a mock-up harbour. Christine has a baby boy, which she calls Ghislain but he registers as Alphonse. At work he meets a Japanese girl, who invites him for a meal in her apartment. An affair starts, which Christine becomes aware of when she finds little hidden love letters. Antoine is banished from the bedroom and eventually moves out to a hotel, while Christine makes a life for herself and the baby. Antoine, bored and restless in a pointless existence, keeps telephoning her and at the end she is probably ready to take him back.
Cast
- Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel
- Claude Jade as Christine Doinel
- Daniel Ceccaldi as Lucien Darbon
- Claire Duhamel as Madame Darbon
- Hiroko Berghauer as Kyoko
- Daniel Boulanger as Tenor
- Silvana Blasi as Tenor's wife
- Pierre Fabri as the office Romeo
- Barbara Laage as Monique, secretary
- Billy Kearns as M. Max
- Claude Véga as the Strangler
- Jacques Jouanneau as Césarin
- Danièle Girard as Ginette, a waitress
- Jacques Robiolles as Sponger
- Yvon Lec as the Traffic Warden
- Marie Irakane as Mrs Martin, a concierge
- Ernest Menzer as the little man
- Jacques Rispal as Old Solitary
- Philippe Léotard as a Drunkard
- Pierre Maguelon as Cérasin's friend
- Guy Pierrault as an SOS employee
- Marcel Mercier as a person in the courtyard
- Joseph Merieau as a person in the courtyard
- Christian de Tiliere as a Senator
- Nobuko Mati as Kyoko's friend
- Iska Khan as Kyoko's father
- Marie Dedieu as Marie, a prostitute
- Jacques Cottin as Monsieur Hulot (uncredited)[2]
Release
Critical reception
John Simon wrote that Bed and Board "gives no offense, and no enlightenment".[3]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | NBR Awards | Top Foreign Language Films | Bed and Board | Won |
References
- Box Office information for Francois Truffaut films at Box Office Story
- Allen, Don. Finally Truffaut. New York: Beaufort Books. 1985. ISBN 978-0-8253-0335-7. pp. 231-232.
- Simon, John (1983). John Simon: Something to Declare Twelve Years Of Films From Abroad. Clarkson N. Potter Inc. p. 34.
External links
- Bed and Board at IMDb
- Bed and Board at AllMovie
- Bed and Board at the TCM Movie Database
- Bed and Board at Rotten Tomatoes
- Bed and Board an essay by Noah Baumbach at the Criterion Collection