The Mother and the Whore
1973
Not currently streaming on CaSTV
Synopsis
Aimless young Alexandre juggles his relationships with his girlfriend, Marie, and a casual lover named Veronika. Marie becomes increasingly jealous of Alexandre's fling with Veronika and as the trio continues their unsustainable affair, the emotional stakes get higher, leading to conflict and unhappiness.
The Mother and the Whore (1973) is a 3h 39min drama feature film by Jean Eustache. Aimless young Alexandre juggles his relationships with his girlfriend, Marie, and a casual lover named Veronika. Selected for Bolton International Film Festival (2022).
Key facts
Cast
Jean Douchet, Jean Eustache, Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Françoise Lebrun, Jacques Renard, Jean-Noël Picq, Noël Simsolo
Original language
French
First release
May 17, 1973 (France)
Production companies
ÉLITE FILMS, FILMS DU LOSANGE
Awards
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix
Setting
Paris, Le Train Bleu, Les Deux Magots, Laennec Hospital building complex
Filming locations
Paris
Crew
Screenplay
Jean Eustache
Producer
Bob Rafelson
Cinematography
Pierre Lhomme
Editing
Denise de Casabianca, Jean Eustache
Trailer
Stills
Reviews
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Festival History
- Hong Kong International Film Festival 2024 generic - Focus (Jean Eustache)
- Bolton International Film Festival 2022
- São Paulo International Film Festival 2022 generic
- Telluride Film Festival 2015 generic - Guest Directors' Selection (curated by Rachel Kushner)
- Locarno International Film Festival 1974 generic
- Berlin International Film Festival 1973 generic
- Cannes Film Festival 1973 generic
Titles
| Original title | La Maman et la Putain | French |
| Alternate title | The Mother and the Whore |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | France | May 17, 1973 |
| Theatrical | Germany | July 6, 1973 |
| Theatrical | United States | March 25, 1974 |
| Theatrical | France | June 8, 2022 |
| Theatrical | United States | June 23, 2023 |
| Streaming | United States | April 1, 2024 |
| Streaming | Canada | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | Denmark | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | Finland | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | United Kingdom | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | Ireland | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | Iceland | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | Norway | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | Sweden | December 22, 2025 |
| Streaming | United States | December 22, 2025 |
| Theatrical | Germany | July 16, 2026 |
Versions & editions
| Original version (French) | ||
| Home video | Canada | January 14, 2025 |
| Home video | United States | January 14, 2025 |
Full credits
| Director | Jean Eustache |
| Cast | Jean Douchet, Jean Eustache, Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Françoise Lebrun, Jacques Renard (Alexandre's Friend), Jean-Noël Picq (Offenbach's Fan), Noël Simsolo, André Téchiné, Berthe Granval (Marie's Friend), Geneviève Mnich (Veronika's Friend), Isabelle Weingarten, Jessa Darrieux (The friend with the injured hand), Marinka Matuszewski, Jean-Claude Biette (Café Les Deux Magots' Customer (uncredited)), Pierre Cottrell ((uncredited)), Bernard Eisenschitz (Café de Flore's Customer (uncredited)), Caroline Loeb (A young girl reading the newspaper on the terrace (uncredited)), Douchka (The woman with the bandage (uncredited)) |
| Screenplay | Jean Eustache |
| Producer | Bob Rafelson |
| Executive producer | Pierre Cottrell |
| Cinematography | Pierre Lhomme |
| Editing | Denise de Casabianca, Jean Eustache |
| Costumes | Catherine Garnier |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
