Press Release Criterion Press Release: The Mother and the Whore (1973) (4k UHD Combo) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

​

After the French New Wave, the sexual revolution, and the upheavals of May 1968 came the near religiously revered magnum opus by Jean Eustache. In his long-unavailable body of work, ranging from documentaries about his native village to closely autobiographical narrative films, Eustache pioneered a forthright and fearless brand of realism. The pinnacle of this innovative style, The Mother and the Whore follows Alexandre (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a Parisian pseudo-intellectual who lives with his tempestuous girlfriend, Marie (Bernadette Lafont), even as he begins a dalliance with the sexually liberated Veronika (Françoise Lebrun), leading the three into an emotionally turbulent love triangle. Through daringly sustained long takes and confessional dialogue, Eustache captures a generation navigating the disillusionment of the 1970s, and in the process achieves an intimacy so deep it cuts.

FILM INFO​

• France
• 1973
• 218 minutes
• Black & White
• 1.37:1
• French
• Spine #1245
  
  

  4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES​

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • New interview with actor Françoise Lebrun
  • New conversation with filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin and writer Rachel Kushner
  • Program on the film’s restoration
  • Segment from the French television series Pour le cinéma featuring Lebrun, director Jean Eustache, and actors Bernadette Lafont and Jean-Pierre Léaud
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Lucy Sante and an introduction to the film by Eustache
    
    New cover by Eric Skillman
    
    January 14, 2025

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7B8MV1/ref=tmm_frk_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.lh4toJAZ4mabLarKalIAWEOdcLT6Iz4g1WpUTRehIOdS4Je_qgkrZahF10R6-bY29BLRL0EI-j3l6nlJ4F0p6rLKxa9tYPL3kKCIshiEiAQq9xPvaH9PFL6RAg7UFVyt-lt26G83uOxHqrSDcMFU2F50eDiNh33vT8-ryWf8PUBpZUQMXqM8bAxVzLlB6R2q.GoJemfJZ__arkQ7gURS2866iUsf1ujWxxHQWQfL2Z1Q&qid=1729269586&sr=8-2

 

[bujaki]

At last!
A seminal film. I've only seen a VHS of this, so I'm looking forward to a better viewing experience.

 

[titch]

You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think. (Dorothy Parker)

 

[lark144]

You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think. (Dorothy Parker)

Guess you've never seen the film. The greatest expression of post-'68 fallout, Leaud's one transcendent performance, all the dialogues were written out which combine Racinian alexndrines (everything rhymes) with lewd untranslatable French puns, images that burn into the unconscious...I could go on, but I'm late for a date.

 

[JoshZ]

"And the Mother the Whore"? What a stupid layout for the title art.

 

[lark144]

"And the Mother the Whore"? What a stupid layout for the title art.

As usual these days with Criterion releases, it's a cover that draws attention to the designer, instead of the film. But what a film! Cahiers, back in the day, in their Maoist phase weren't too keen on this film, but I am.