The Mother and the Whore

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Audience Member Fortunate that there's a great version with good English subs on YouTube. It's almost four hours of the most French thing ever put to film and it's pretty glorious not just in spite of but because of its absurdity. Tres bien. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review William L It has the faces of the French New Wave, and some substance for them to chew on, but I don't think this late entry in the movement deserves to be considered among the best. Radical in its "immoral" exploration of a rapidly changing culture, particularly its treatment of sexuality, La Maman et la Putain is still three and a half hours of a pseudointellectual bum trying to get laid with two different women; it's in black and white, is exceptionally dialogue-heavy, and has an avowed dedication to tedium. Its treatment of romance, full of flowery language and unprompted speeches, discussion of societal ills, and a range of partners feels painfully, almost stereotypically French. For the first hour or so (before the characters begin to have greater weight than a helium balloon), the film feels like a pretentious mess. Gradually, a greater value in its take on this dynamic period in 20th century French culture comes to be revealed, particularly in its sincere treatment of the feminine perspective and the lampooning of Léaud's archetypical Alexandre and Lebrun's extraordinary final tirade (the latter of which singlehandedly elevates the film), but the unnecessarily unwieldy length and lack of surface-level engagement renders it unlikely to lend itself to frequent repeat viewings. More like a "I've checked that box, at least"-type film. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/22/20 Full Review Audience Member I will never forget the night I saw this film. I was that rare evening at the movies that was as transforming as a great night of theater. The film was presented with an intermission, which allowed me to eavesdrop on many conversations, mostly of outrage and disbelief that a movie could be like this. French films at the time were generally considered to be too talky; this was the talkiest I had ever seen. Aggressively, played out in real time and utterly compelling. I have gone back twice over the next 40 years, always frightened that the people I had insisted come with me would think me crazy for loving it, but it has always repaid me in the way that great art is new with every encounter. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review andrey k While I don't sympathize with the characters of the movie and its thematic filling, I do appreciate it as a cross-section of the French society of the late 60's with its confused young men and women who had lost any beacon to lead their lives due to a numerous number of sexual etc. revolutions. Their seemingly philosophical subtext in their conversations is pretty shallow and is solely based on frustration. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Even if Eustache's romantic side takes the lead in the end and reduces a bit its power, this is a vibrant film that pulses with a youthful verve and feels so alive even in its imperfections, and it feels nearly impossible not to fall in love with Léaud's adorably annoying character/persona. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member ???????????? ????:?????????? ????? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ???????????, ?? ????????????, ?? ?????????? ? ??? ??????????:????? ??????????, ???? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??????????.???-?? ??????????-?????????? ??? ??? ???????, ?? ???, ??? ??? ??????? ??????????????? ??? ???? ???-?? ???? ???????? ?????? ????? ????????:??? ????? ???? ? ????? ??????????? ???????????????, ?? ?? ????????.????? ??????????? ????????????? ????? ??? ?? ??????:????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????????? 80-90 ???????:?? ?????? ????????????, ?? ?? ???? ????? ?????: Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Mother and the Whore

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