Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

It appears I've walked straight into the middle of a series, not knowing beforehand this was a sequel to Stolen Kisses, which I haven't yet seen. A pity, but in the spirit of Antoine Doinel, I shall accept this misfortune nonchalantly! For about two thirds its runtime Bed and Board is very enjoyable, full of charming characters saying humorous and delightful things. Little moments of relationship interplay are handled with the deftest touch by Truffaut, the acting is first class, and the small Parisian courtyard and surrounding apartments come alive. Unfortunately the film takes an all too simple turn, as Antoine cheats on his wife with an Asian woman, and much of the good grace it has earnt to that point dissipates. To close with a shot of Antoine and Christine's life mimicking the older couple they live alongside was clever storytelling, but wrapped in a very cynical moral. A masterpiece would have had something more brilliant to say.

Some time after "Baisers Volés", Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and Christine Darbon (Claude Jade) are married and Antoine works dying flowers, and Christine is pregnant and gives private classes of violin. When Christine is near to have a baby, Antoine decides to find a new job, and he succeeds due to a misunderstanding of his employer. In a business meeting, he meets the Japanese Kyoko (Mademoiselle Hiroko) and they have an affair. When Christine accidentally discovers that Antoine has a lover, they separate. But later they miss each other and realize that they do love each other."Domicile Conjugal" is a delightful and very funny "Scenes from a Marriage" by Truffault. His ambiguous alter-ego Antoine Doinel is responsible for hilarious scenes: the dialog in English with his future boss while looking for a job; charging the mother of a student of violin; the surrealistic dialogs with the guy that borrows money from him; his unusual work of maneuvering model boats. The chemistry of Jean-Pierre Léaud and Claude Jade is also amazing, with many wonderful dialogs and beautiful scenes. I particularly like their kiss in the wine cellar, which repeats "Baisers Volés", but with Christine having the attitude this time; or when he calls her "my little mother, my little sister, my little daughter" in the cab, and she replies that she would like to be his wife; or their dialog when she is wearing glasses on the bed or when he calls her in the restaurant. "Domicile Conjugal" is a simple but lovely movie. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Domicílio Conjugal" ("Conjugal Domicile")Note: On 14 June 2009. I saw this movie again on DVD.

"Bed And Board" is the fourth installment in the great Antoine Doinel (played by a maturing Jean-Pierre Leaud) film series, directed by Francois Truffaut. This film is really almost as perfect as it's predecessor "Stolen Kisses", and (in ways) almost a sort of remake, using the same characters and similar situations. The story begins with a newly weded Antoine, who works as a flower dyer, while his wife teaches musical lessons. Again, Antoine goes through his life trying to find his occupational and romantic nitch. His occupational endeavors consist of becomming the guy who electronically maneuvers model boats at an American corporation. His wife soon is pregnant with his baby boy, and the idealistic domestication becomes shakey, as Antoine begins an affair with a Japanese girl named Kyoko (played by Hiroko Berghauser). What is somewhat interesting, is the French purest attitude (or small town mind set) that seems to take place in the film. The owner of the American corporation is played by American actor Billy Kearns (can be seen playing Freddie Miles in "Purple Noon") and he's the stereotypical baffoon American. Japanese girlfriend Kyoko, is the quiet reserved Asian that thinks of romantic suicidal notions for Antoine and herself. Another outsider (who everyone in the Parisian village is afraid of, until he's found out to be a comedian/ impersonator and NOT a strangler) is treated with contempt until it has been established through media/ television performance spoken in French. But it seems that Antoine and Christine's happiness is being constantly pulled at, by French outsiders. But I suppose this is what Antoine would like us to think. Still the character who (accidently) lies and cheats his way through life. This is a far more cynical version of love, compared to "Stolen Kisses", yet all the more relevent in it's depiction of growing love pains.The Antoine we see here is more emotionally lonesome than he ever was, yet he's married and has a kid. It still contains some of the greatest romantic moments in cinema history though. The scene where Antoine asks Christine to put her glasses on (one more time) is beautiful. Also the reversal situation of fetching wine from the wine celler, will put smiles on the faces of anyone who'd seen a similar scene as this in "Stolen Kisses". Though Antoine may not be as innocent as he once was in the earlier films, his Antoine is a far more realistic portrayel of men in general. This is truly another wonderful film by Truffaut, that would be as great as "Stolen Kisses" if it had retained some of the innocence. Highly recommended, one of my personal favourites!!! I give this a 13 out of 10!

This is the fourth and penultimate film in Truffaut's semi-autobiographical series about the life of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud). The movie depicts Doinel in the early years of marriage to his childhood sweetheart Christine Darbon (Claude Jade). The picture begins showing Antoine trying to scrape a living selling dyed flowers in the busy Parisian courtyard while his wife teaches violin in the apartment above. If this film was a novel you could rip half the pages out to represent the amount of storyline in the picture. But this does not take away anything from this piece of cinematic magic. Truffauts use of the camera and soundtrack is as usual the making of the film.It is obvious that this film is a one-man creation. How many filmmakers could you say that of today? The balance of characters, incidents and minute side glance at daily living restores your faith that art and craftmanship is making a tender comment on life can make a deep one too. The couple soon become parents and Antoine lands, by pure chance, an unprestigious job in a prestigious American construction company. But Domestic bliss soon tires our hero and he is tempted to the bed of a statuesque Japenese girl. The story is told with Truffauts usual wit and charm and filled with affectionate homages to filmmakers from Jean Renoir to Jaques Tati.