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 Audience Member ???????????? ????:?????????? ????? ???? ?? ???????? ?? ???????????, ?? ????????????, ?? ?????????? ? ??? ??????????:????? ??????????, ???? ??????? ???????? ??????? ??????????.???-?? ??????????-?????????? ??? ??? ???????, ?? ???, ??? ??? ??????? ??????????????? ??? ???? ???-?? ???? ???????? ?????? ????? ????????:??? ????? ???? ? ????? ??????????? ???????????????, ?? ?? ????????.????? ??????????? ????????????? ????? ??? ?? ??????:????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????????? 80-90 ???????:?? ?????? ????????????, ?? ?? ???? ????? ?????: Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member A classic? Honestly, I can't stand the garrulous dialogues. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member It's been a little while since I so thoroughly loved a movie. The 3 and a half hour runtime will undoubtedly turn off some viewers but I urge anyone who doesn't mind length to find yourself a copy of this film. The three leads are all mesmerizing and for a film thats simply a dialogue filled pseudo love triangle it is remarkably quick paced. I could write a lot about this movie but I will simply say it receives my highest recommendation. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Mother and the Whore

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