The Mother and the Whore
Encyclopedia
The Mother and the Whore is a 1973 French film directed by Jean Eustache
. Examing the relationship between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece.
) is an unemployed young man involved with both a live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafont
) and the Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun
). He had picked up Veronika at a café after an unsuccessful reconciliation with a former love, Gilberte (Isabelle Weingarten). With Veronika, he begins a desultory affair. Although Marie affirms her indifference to Alexandre's affairs, she quickly changes her mind when she sees how close he becomes to Veronika. This leads to a growing estrangement between her and Alexandre. The film focuses less on plot or narrative than on the confused and ambivalent life style of these three young people in post-May '68 Paris
and having won the Grand Prix of the Jury
and the FIPRESCI prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
. The film created a scandal at the Cannes Film Festival as many critics saw the film as immoral and obscene or in the words of the broadsheet Le Figaro
"an insult to the nation". Its reputation grew in later years. In 1982 the literary magazine Les Nouvelles Littéraires celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film by publishing a series of articles on the film.
. Examing the relationship between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece.
) is an unemployed young man involved with both a live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafont
) and the Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun
). He had picked up Veronika at a café after an unsuccessful reconciliation with a former love, Gilberte (Isabelle Weingarten). With Veronika, he begins a desultory affair. Although Marie affirms her indifference to Alexandre's affairs, she quickly changes her mind when she sees how close he becomes to Veronika. This leads to a growing estrangement between her and Alexandre. The film focuses less on plot or narrative than on the confused and ambivalent life style of these three young people in post-May '68 Paris
and having won the Grand Prix of the Jury
and the FIPRESCI prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
. The film created a scandal at the Cannes Film Festival as many critics saw the film as immoral and obscene or in the words of the broadsheet Le Figaro
"an insult to the nation". Its reputation grew in later years. In 1982 the literary magazine Les Nouvelles Littéraires celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film by publishing a series of articles on the film.
. Examing the relationship between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece.
) is an unemployed young man involved with both a live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafont
) and the Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun
). He had picked up Veronika at a café after an unsuccessful reconciliation with a former love, Gilberte (Isabelle Weingarten). With Veronika, he begins a desultory affair. Although Marie affirms her indifference to Alexandre's affairs, she quickly changes her mind when she sees how close he becomes to Veronika. This leads to a growing estrangement between her and Alexandre. The film focuses less on plot or narrative than on the confused and ambivalent life style of these three young people in post-May '68 Paris
and having won the Grand Prix of the Jury
and the FIPRESCI prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
. The film created a scandal at the Cannes Film Festival as many critics saw the film as immoral and obscene or in the words of the broadsheet Le Figaro
"an insult to the nation". Its reputation grew in later years. In 1982 the literary magazine Les Nouvelles Littéraires celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film by publishing a series of articles on the film.
Jean Eustache
Jean Eustache was a French filmmaker. During his short career, he completed numerous shorts, in addition to a pair of highly regarded features, of which the first, The Mother and the Whore, is considered a key work of post-Nouvelle Vague French cinema.In his obituary for Eustache, the influential...
. Examing the relationship between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece.
Plot
The film focuses on three twenty-somethings in an unconventional love triangle in Paris during the summer of 1972. Alexandre (Jean-Pierre LéaudJean-Pierre Léaud
-Early years:Born in Paris, Léaud made his major debut as an actor at the age of 14 as Antoine Doinel, a semi-autobiographical character based on the life events of French film director François Truffaut, in The 400 Blows....
) is an unemployed young man involved with both a live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafont
Bernadette Lafont
Bernadette Lafont is a French actress and the mother of Pauline Lafont .Bernadette Lafont won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L'Effrontée...
) and the Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun
Françoise Lebrun
Françoise Lebrun is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in The Mother and the Whore . She also worked for, amongst others, Paul Vecchiali, Marguerite Duras and Lucas Belvaux, and is the subject of the documentary Françoise Lebrun, les...
). He had picked up Veronika at a café after an unsuccessful reconciliation with a former love, Gilberte (Isabelle Weingarten). With Veronika, he begins a desultory affair. Although Marie affirms her indifference to Alexandre's affairs, she quickly changes her mind when she sees how close he becomes to Veronika. This leads to a growing estrangement between her and Alexandre. The film focuses less on plot or narrative than on the confused and ambivalent life style of these three young people in post-May '68 Paris
Cast
- Bernadette LafontBernadette LafontBernadette Lafont is a French actress and the mother of Pauline Lafont .Bernadette Lafont won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L'Effrontée...
as Marie - Jean-Pierre LéaudJean-Pierre Léaud-Early years:Born in Paris, Léaud made his major debut as an actor at the age of 14 as Antoine Doinel, a semi-autobiographical character based on the life events of French film director François Truffaut, in The 400 Blows....
as Alexandre - Françoise LebrunFrançoise LebrunFrançoise Lebrun is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in The Mother and the Whore . She also worked for, amongst others, Paul Vecchiali, Marguerite Duras and Lucas Belvaux, and is the subject of the documentary Françoise Lebrun, les...
as Veronika - Isabelle Weingarten as Gilberte
- Jacques Renard as Alexandre's Friend
- Jean-Noël Picq as Offenbach's lover
- Jean-Paul Belmondo as Jesus' brother
Reception
The Mother and the Whore is considered as Eustache's masterpiece, having been called the best film of the 1970s by Cahiers du cinémaCahiers du cinéma
Cahiers du Cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca. It developed from the earlier magazine Revue du Cinéma involving members of two Paris film clubs — Objectif 49 and...
and having won the Grand Prix of the Jury
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
and the FIPRESCI prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
1973 Cannes Film Festival
The 26th Cannes Film Festival was held on May 10–25, 1973. At this festival two new non-competitive sections were added: 'Étude et documents' and 'Perspectives du Cinéma Français' ....
. The film created a scandal at the Cannes Film Festival as many critics saw the film as immoral and obscene or in the words of the broadsheet Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
"an insult to the nation". Its reputation grew in later years. In 1982 the literary magazine Les Nouvelles Littéraires celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film by publishing a series of articles on the film.
External links
The Mother and the Whore is a 1973 French film directed by Jean EustacheJean Eustache
Jean Eustache was a French filmmaker. During his short career, he completed numerous shorts, in addition to a pair of highly regarded features, of which the first, The Mother and the Whore, is considered a key work of post-Nouvelle Vague French cinema.In his obituary for Eustache, the influential...
. Examing the relationship between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece.
Plot
The film focuses on three twenty-somethings in an unconventional love triangle in Paris during the summer of 1972. Alexandre (Jean-Pierre LéaudJean-Pierre Léaud
-Early years:Born in Paris, Léaud made his major debut as an actor at the age of 14 as Antoine Doinel, a semi-autobiographical character based on the life events of French film director François Truffaut, in The 400 Blows....
) is an unemployed young man involved with both a live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafont
Bernadette Lafont
Bernadette Lafont is a French actress and the mother of Pauline Lafont .Bernadette Lafont won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L'Effrontée...
) and the Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun
Françoise Lebrun
Françoise Lebrun is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in The Mother and the Whore . She also worked for, amongst others, Paul Vecchiali, Marguerite Duras and Lucas Belvaux, and is the subject of the documentary Françoise Lebrun, les...
). He had picked up Veronika at a café after an unsuccessful reconciliation with a former love, Gilberte (Isabelle Weingarten). With Veronika, he begins a desultory affair. Although Marie affirms her indifference to Alexandre's affairs, she quickly changes her mind when she sees how close he becomes to Veronika. This leads to a growing estrangement between her and Alexandre. The film focuses less on plot or narrative than on the confused and ambivalent life style of these three young people in post-May '68 Paris
Cast
- Bernadette LafontBernadette LafontBernadette Lafont is a French actress and the mother of Pauline Lafont .Bernadette Lafont won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L'Effrontée...
as Marie - Jean-Pierre LéaudJean-Pierre Léaud-Early years:Born in Paris, Léaud made his major debut as an actor at the age of 14 as Antoine Doinel, a semi-autobiographical character based on the life events of French film director François Truffaut, in The 400 Blows....
as Alexandre - Françoise LebrunFrançoise LebrunFrançoise Lebrun is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in The Mother and the Whore . She also worked for, amongst others, Paul Vecchiali, Marguerite Duras and Lucas Belvaux, and is the subject of the documentary Françoise Lebrun, les...
as Veronika - Isabelle Weingarten as Gilberte
- Jacques Renard as Alexandre's Friend
- Jean-Noël Picq as Offenbach's lover
- Jean-Paul Belmondo as Jesus' brother
Reception
The Mother and the Whore is considered as Eustache's masterpiece, having been called the best film of the 1970s by Cahiers du cinémaCahiers du cinéma
Cahiers du Cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca. It developed from the earlier magazine Revue du Cinéma involving members of two Paris film clubs — Objectif 49 and...
and having won the Grand Prix of the Jury
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
and the FIPRESCI prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
1973 Cannes Film Festival
The 26th Cannes Film Festival was held on May 10–25, 1973. At this festival two new non-competitive sections were added: 'Étude et documents' and 'Perspectives du Cinéma Français' ....
. The film created a scandal at the Cannes Film Festival as many critics saw the film as immoral and obscene or in the words of the broadsheet Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
"an insult to the nation". Its reputation grew in later years. In 1982 the literary magazine Les Nouvelles Littéraires celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film by publishing a series of articles on the film.
External links
The Mother and the Whore is a 1973 French film directed by Jean EustacheJean Eustache
Jean Eustache was a French filmmaker. During his short career, he completed numerous shorts, in addition to a pair of highly regarded features, of which the first, The Mother and the Whore, is considered a key work of post-Nouvelle Vague French cinema.In his obituary for Eustache, the influential...
. Examing the relationship between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece.
Plot
The film focuses on three twenty-somethings in an unconventional love triangle in Paris during the summer of 1972. Alexandre (Jean-Pierre LéaudJean-Pierre Léaud
-Early years:Born in Paris, Léaud made his major debut as an actor at the age of 14 as Antoine Doinel, a semi-autobiographical character based on the life events of French film director François Truffaut, in The 400 Blows....
) is an unemployed young man involved with both a live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafont
Bernadette Lafont
Bernadette Lafont is a French actress and the mother of Pauline Lafont .Bernadette Lafont won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L'Effrontée...
) and the Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun
Françoise Lebrun
Françoise Lebrun is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in The Mother and the Whore . She also worked for, amongst others, Paul Vecchiali, Marguerite Duras and Lucas Belvaux, and is the subject of the documentary Françoise Lebrun, les...
). He had picked up Veronika at a café after an unsuccessful reconciliation with a former love, Gilberte (Isabelle Weingarten). With Veronika, he begins a desultory affair. Although Marie affirms her indifference to Alexandre's affairs, she quickly changes her mind when she sees how close he becomes to Veronika. This leads to a growing estrangement between her and Alexandre. The film focuses less on plot or narrative than on the confused and ambivalent life style of these three young people in post-May '68 Paris
Cast
- Bernadette LafontBernadette LafontBernadette Lafont is a French actress and the mother of Pauline Lafont .Bernadette Lafont won the César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for L'Effrontée...
as Marie - Jean-Pierre LéaudJean-Pierre Léaud-Early years:Born in Paris, Léaud made his major debut as an actor at the age of 14 as Antoine Doinel, a semi-autobiographical character based on the life events of French film director François Truffaut, in The 400 Blows....
as Alexandre - Françoise LebrunFrançoise LebrunFrançoise Lebrun is a French actress. She has appeared in many movies, and is especially known for her role as Veronika in The Mother and the Whore . She also worked for, amongst others, Paul Vecchiali, Marguerite Duras and Lucas Belvaux, and is the subject of the documentary Françoise Lebrun, les...
as Veronika - Isabelle Weingarten as Gilberte
- Jacques Renard as Alexandre's Friend
- Jean-Noël Picq as Offenbach's lover
- Jean-Paul Belmondo as Jesus' brother
Reception
The Mother and the Whore is considered as Eustache's masterpiece, having been called the best film of the 1970s by Cahiers du cinémaCahiers du cinéma
Cahiers du Cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca. It developed from the earlier magazine Revue du Cinéma involving members of two Paris film clubs — Objectif 49 and...
and having won the Grand Prix of the Jury
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
and the FIPRESCI prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival
1973 Cannes Film Festival
The 26th Cannes Film Festival was held on May 10–25, 1973. At this festival two new non-competitive sections were added: 'Étude et documents' and 'Perspectives du Cinéma Français' ....
. The film created a scandal at the Cannes Film Festival as many critics saw the film as immoral and obscene or in the words of the broadsheet Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
"an insult to the nation". Its reputation grew in later years. In 1982 the literary magazine Les Nouvelles Littéraires celebrated the tenth anniversary of the film by publishing a series of articles on the film.