The Mother and the Whore

Director: Jean Eustache, Jean Eustache

1973 / 217min / DCP

Eustache’s biggest claim to fame—or, in some circles, notoriety—is this mordantly funny, self-flagellating autobiographical epic of rapier-sharp dueling dialogue. Léaud is all dandyish flair as Alexandre, a hangdog layabout who becomes involved in a three-way affair with two women: live-in lover Bernadette Lafont and morose nurse Françoise Lebrun. A blistering yet humane portrait of moral waywardness and sexual discontent in post-May ’68 Paris, Eustache’s cri de couer is a caustically funny and intellectually rich film that generates passionate new partisans whenever it screens. “Jean Eustache is a genius. The Mother and the Whore is The Rules of the Game of our generation.”—Philippe Garrel

Restored and remastered in 4K in 2022 by Les Films du Losange with the support of CNC and the participation of Cinémathèque Suisse and of Chanel. Image restoration by L’Immagine Ritrovata/Éclair Classics, supervised by Jacques Besse and Boris Eustache. Sound restoration by Léon Rousseau-L.E. Diapason.