The Mother and the Whore
| The Mother and the Whore | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jean Eustache |
| Written by | Jean Eustache |
| Produced by | Vincent Malle Bob Rafelson |
| Starring | Bernadette Lafont Jean-Pierre Léaud Françoise Lebrun |
| Cinematography | Pierre Lhomme |
| Edited by | Jean Eustache Denise de Casabianca |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | NPF Planfilm |
Release date |
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Running time | 219 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | 700,000 francs |
| Box office | $44,050 |
The Mother and the Whore (French: La maman et la putain) is a 1973 French film directed by Jean Eustache and starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Bernadette Lafont and Françoise Lebrun. An examination of the relationships between three characters in a love triangle, it was Eustache's first feature film and is considered his masterpiece. Eustache wrote the screenplay drawing inspiration from his own relationships, and shot the film from May to July 1972.
The film screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix. With some divided initial critical reaction, it has been championed by later critics and filmmakers.