Product Details

• Actors: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Daniel Ceccaldi, Daniel Boulanger, Jacques Rispal, Claude Jade
• Directors: François Truffaut
• Producers: Bed and Board ( Domicile conjugal ), Bed and Board, Domicile conjugal
• Format: Import, PAL, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Umbrella Entertainment
• Run Time: 94 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BMUJ26
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,606 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Australia released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: In the fourth installment of François Truffaut's Antoine Doniel series, this romantic comedy shows how Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud) went from being a mischievous boy to an adorably charming young man of 26. Domicile Conjugal begins with Antoine settling down with Christine (Claude Jade), his girlfriend from the previous film, Baisers volés. He finds himself accepted and loved by his wife and her family, so the young couple move in to an apartment building together. They live in a lively neighborhood of interesting characters, such as the old man who never leaves and the opera singer who fights with his wife. Antoine finds work as a florist painting roses, while Christine makes a living by teaching violin lessons. After he gets involved in an accidental fire at the florist's, he gets a new job with an American corporation where he steers radio-controlled boats around a pond all day. A big change occurs when Christine becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby boy, while Antoine grows increasingly distant. Eventually, he becomes infatuated with a Japanese girl, Kyoko (Hiroko Berghauer), resulting in some shifts in lifestyle. The fifth and final Antoine Doniel film L'Amour en fuite was released in 1979, picking up the story with Antoine after he reaches his thirties.
...Bed and Board ( Domicile conjugal )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful, November 11, 2009

By 

Arnold Cusmariu - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bed & Board: Domicile Conjugal (DVD)

Asked whether this film would be the last of the Doinel cycle, Truffaut answered (with Claude Jade standing next to him) quote, "with this film, he [Doinel] reached adulthood and there's no reason to go on." Of course, this is completely wrong. He did make another one, "Love on the Run," proving how difficult it is to predict the future course of a creative process. As for the other comment, it was probably meant tongue in cheek: Doinel does indeed "reach adulthood" agewise here but that's not the same thing at all as maturity, which is the point of the film, made with Truffaut's flawless Mozartean touch and clever cinematic style.

Having seen all five, what struck me is that, except for "400 Blows," the stories are as much about Doinel as about the women in his life, played by Marie-France Pisier, Claude Jade, and Dorothee, showing what a charmed life the fellow led and how lucky he was to have crossed paths with so many beautiful women, an autobiographical point because it's well known that Doinel=Truffaut. We come away from this film realizing that encounters with Beauty are not appreciated for what they really are, a favor from the gods. No sooner that his wife, the sweet, delightful, and adorable Christine (Jade), has a baby that Doinel decides to cheat on her with a Japanese woman! Truffaut doesn't properly resolve this matter until later, in "Love on the Run."

A word about the title. "Domicile Conjugal" is a rather literal title in French that does not mean "Bed & Board" or anywhere near that. And yet "Bed & Board" is entirely appropriate given how casually Doinel treats house and home with the lovely Christine and their baby. Bravo to whoever thought of the English title.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Light Romance but Nicely Done, May 17, 2008

By 

Randy Keehn (Williston, ND United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bed & Board: Domicile Conjugal (DVD)

I read a recent article in "The New Yorker" about the relationship between Godard and Truffaut. It was an interesting account of how their common interest in the cinema led to collaberation and mutual support. However, around 1968, they went their seperate ways. Without rewriting the article here, I was impressed how Godard expressed his dissatisfaction with Truffaut's movies. I forget the exact words he used to describe Truffaut's movies but it was along the lines of simplistic and/or apolitical...something to that effect. I mention this because a couple of days after finishing the article, I had a chance to watch "Bed and Board" and I, too, was surprized by the simplistic love story that unfolds in the movie. It has a lot of nice touches to it and I found it easy to watch. Afterwards I thought of it as a sort of "Barefoot in the Park" with a better script, better acting, and better direction. While I have a somewhat more reserved opinion of Francois Truffaut than others, I must admit "Bed and Board" was an excellent production. However, if it had been directed by some unknown or lesser known person, I wonder if I'd even give it enough thought to write a review. I'm glad I watched "Bed and Board" but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to recommend it to anyone else; including you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bed and Board, July 3, 2007

By 

John Farr - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bed & Board: Domicile Conjugal (DVD)

The fourth installment of Truffaut's Antoine Doinel cycle, which began with "The 400 Blows" (featuring Léaud as a child), this bittersweet romantic comedy is full of smartly observed details that will ring true to anyone who's ever cohabited with a cherished mate. Léaud is charming as always, and Jade's a dreamy vision. Hiroko Berghauer also enchants as the object of Doinel's potentially housebreaking infatuation. Watch for famed French comic-director Jacques Tati in a brilliant cameo as M. Hulot. A simple, artful take on the growing pains felt in love and marriage.