Domicile conjugal (1970)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (scenario and dialogue) and
Claude de Givray (scenario and dialogue) ...

Release Date:

9 September 1970 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Some time after "Baisers Volés", Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and Christine Darbon (Claude Jade) are married and Antoine works dying flowers...

Plot Keywords:

Violin | Japanese | Flower | Serial Killer | Debt

Cast

Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Antoine Doinel
Claude Jade	...	Christine Darbon Doinel
Hiroko Berghauer	...	Kyoko (as Mademoiselle Hiroko)
Barbara Laage	...	Monique
Danièle Girard	...	Ginette
Daniel Ceccaldi	...	Monsieur Darbon
Claire Duhamel	...	Madame Darbon
Daniel Boulanger	...	Ténor
Silvana Blasi	...	Silvana
Pierre Maguelon	...	Ami de Césarin
Jacques Jouanneau	...	Césarin
Claude Véga	...	L'étrangleur
Jacques Rispal	...	Monsieur Desbois
Jacques Robiolles	...	Cadger
Pierre Fabre	...	Le ricaneur

Also Known As:

Bed & Board (Canada: English title) (USA)
Bed and Board (UK)
Non drammatizziamo... è solo questione di corna! (Italy)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Les Films du Carrosse

Trivia:

When Claude Véga appears, he impersonates Delphine Seyrig and quotes a line from "L'Annee Derniere A Marienbad" ("Last Year At Marienbad"). He also quotes from a line that Delphine Seyrig spoke in the previous Antoine Doinel film, "Baisers Volees" ("Stolen Kisses").

Quotes:

Christine Doinel: Do what you have to do, but let me be. I'm not proud and never have been, so I can tell you: I still love you. But I'd rather not see you anymore.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

A one-man creation

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.