Review of Bed and Board (1970) by Eric B — 12 Jan 2010
I also recently saw "Stolen Kisses" (the preceding entry in Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series), and "Bed & Board" does not match that film's charms.
Like "Stolen Kisses," "Bed & Board" doesn't have much plot in the traditional sense, and instead just comes off like a quick eavesdrop into what's new with Antoine. Now he's married to Christine (Claude Jude, the same gamine cutie from "Stolen Kisses"), and the couple outputs a son in a highly casual, undramatic way. However, tensions arise when Antoine has a fling with a kimono'ed Japanese woman who barely speaks English. The story doesn't go much further than this, though it dabbles with subplots for some more minor characters, such as a surly neighbor, another sexually aggressive one and a pitiful friend who continually borrows money. But intentionally, none of these fragments pay off in a satisfying way.
Trainspotters might watch for a brief "special effect" involving a blossoming flower which seems notably outside Truffaut's usual directing style.
This review of Bed and Board (1970) was written by Eric B on 12 Jan 2010.
Bed and Board has generally received very positive reviews.
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