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Bed & Board
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by Fox Lorber
Sales Rank: 56144
Price: $14.98
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The fourth film in François Truffaut's quasi-autobiographical Antoine Doinel cycle finds the idealistic child-man (played by Truffaut's alter ego and French new wave icon Jean-Pierre Léaud) married to his sweetheart Christine (Claude Jade) and still plugging away at odd jobs. When his experiments in the florist trade burn his bouquets to a smoky black ruin, he decides that it's time for another trade, and lands a job sending radio-controlled toy boats around a miniature harbor mock-up. It's about that time that he learns of his impending fatherhood, but he throws a monkey wrench into his new happiness when he becomes obsessed with a beautiful young Japanese woman (Hiroku Berghauer). Truffaut enlivens Doinel's courtyard apartment with the bustle and business of neighbors, creating a warm sense of community reminiscent of the works of Jean Renoir. He also pays homage to comic auteur Jacques Tati in meticulously constructed comic bits and a hilarious cameo by Tati's famous character, M. Hulot. However, he tempers the giddy screwball kookiness that characterized the previous film in the cycle, <I>Stolen Kisses</I>, with a less forgiving disposition toward Antoine's passionate irresponsibility and emotional impulsiveness. In one of Truffaut's finest moments ever, he plays out a conversation between the separated but still in love couple with a hard-earned sense of reflective maturity: "I love you," she confesses, "but I don't want to see you." It's a comedy with serious edges as Truffaut decides it's time for Antoine to grow up. <I>--Sean Axmaker</I>
Viewer Reviews
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.
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Bed & Board
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