In the spring repertoire of the "Scalvija" cinema center, there is a portrait of the French generation of the 8s in the film "La maman et la putain" by director Jean Eustache. in 1973 The winner of the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival will be screened on April 21 and 28.
The main character is Alexander, a dilettante with neither money nor work, whose life revolves around three women: he still loves Gilberte, lives with Marie, and wants to seduce the third, Veronika. There is not much action in the film, it is full of monologues and dialogues about love and sex, art, life. Through them, the everyday life of the film's characters unfolds, imbued with boredom and meaninglessness. Alexander does not shy away from mocking the feminist movement or the events of 1968.
The work of J. Eustache (1938-1981) can be called a portrait of the French generation of the 8s: far from the improvisations of Godard, Rohmer or the optimism of Truffaut, the film realistically reflects the France of 1973, when the country was hit by an economic crisis, sexual topics were still taboo, and disappointment grew in the collective consciousness after realizing that society had not changed after 1968.
The roles in the film were created by a group of famous actors. Alexander was played by actor Jean Pierre Leaud in the film. The film is based on the relationship between director Jean Eustache and Francoise Lebrun, a student who had never acted in a film before. Based on the latter, the role of Gilberte was created and she is played by actress Isabelle Weingarten. Lebrun herself plays a Polish nurse named Veronika in the film. According to the director, if Leaud and Lebrun had not agreed to film, he would not have made the film.
“It's the only movie I hate. Through it, I face my current self every time," said the director.
Borrowing money, Eustache wrote a 300-page script in three months and created a 3,5-hour tape. After watching the film, it may appear that during the June-July 1972 filming, the actors were given a lot of freedom, they were allowed to improvise, but in fact, all the film's dialogues were written, and the actors had to learn them by heart. JP Leaud spent three months on it.
The film "Mother and the Whore" became the most successful film in the short career of this director and is considered the last work of the French New Wave. However, it was not universally accepted at first. During the premiere in Cannes - actress Ingrid Bergman headed the jury of the festival that year - a scandal broke out due to the film's provocative dialogues. The director was accused of immorality and the film was called "an insult to the nation" (Le Figaro).
To this day, the film's fan club is very wide, including a number of filmmakers: from Wim Wenders to Michael Haneke, from Jane Campion to Claire Denis, from Jim Jarmusch to Jacques Audiard.
in 2022 the restored tape "Mama and Whore" will be shown in "Skalvija" two Sundays in a row - on April 21. and on the 28th The film will be presented by film critic Izolda Keidošiūtė and program manager of Skalvijas film center Eglė Maceinaitė.
