La ciociara

I confess that this film was showing late one night on TCM and initially the idea of a war film was not an appealing prospect at one o'clock in the morning.

That being said,I realized how much we lose by prejudging film, and actors by their more recent performances. As Sophia Loren was popular before my time, I remember her from fluff and spy movies such as "Arabesque" with Gregory Peck. A forgettable film, at most. Not so for "Two Women".

The performance of her innocent daughter Rosetta, is also marked and memorable. Refugees from the bombing of Rome during World War II, Sophia Loren as Cesira, and her daughter are fleeing the city, come across relatives in the country, and encounter a harrowing fate.

The feel of the film is palpable and stark, the scene and the shadows of the men as they come across these two women in the effigy of a church, is ominous and effective. The expressions and body language of Loren are heart-rending and sorrowful, as we see her realize what has become of her daughter, what has become of their world. The scene I will remember most is where she is finally rescued, her daughter begins to sing, recovering from the attack. Cesira (Loren) turns her face outward, toward the window, ravaged and ruined, yet finding some strength to continue on. We see a multitude of emotions cross her face without uttering one word.

Truly a film not to be missed for Sophia Loren's performance alone. 9/10.

Sophia loren, undoubtedly and unarguably has delivered the greatest performance in the history of movie. Her performance as the widowed mother of a teen age girl in this movie that depicted the horrors of the second great war was absolutely heart-felt and perfect. Rarely can one actor or actress possibly rise to such occasion to deliver a performance of such magnitude. It demands pure talent. Full credit to the directing great Mr. De sica for his creation. Should be watched in its original version to get the best of it.

Very bad print (even on DVD), but very good movie. A war film that focuses more on the people who suffer, instead of telling the story of those fighting the battle. It's also a movie about love, relationship, bonding between a woman and her daughter. Sophia Loren's performance is stellar. Belmondo is also very good. Young Eleonora Brown's performance gets better during the film. The last 30 minutes of the movie are poignant. It's heartbreaking to listen to Cesira apologize to Rosetta. Watch it.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on February 19th, 2006.

81/100 (***)

very sad film by vittorio de sica (famed director of "the bicycle thief.") the first two thirds of the film move slowly, but it's still very engrossing. the final third of the film is pure cinematic tragedy. sophia loren won the oscar for best performance for a lead actress in this movie, and i beleive that she dearly deserved it. prior to seeing "two women" i had no idea what a terrific actress she was. her role as the mother desperately trying to shield her daughter from the horrors of the world is one of the finest that i have ever seen. this is a truly heartbreaking and beautiful film.

***SPOILERS*** Set in 1943 war torn Italy the movie "Two Women" is about a mother and daughter leaving Rome for the , what they think, safety of the countryside and going back to their little village in the hills and mountains in the Agro Pontino area just north of Rome.

Sophia Loren in a somewhat non-glamorous role as Cesira a shop owner in the Italian capital who's estranged from her husband and is, at the time that we first meet her, having an affair with local food distributor Giovanni, Ralf Vallone. Taking care of her shy teenage daughter Rosetta, Eleanor Brown, Cesira has had enough of the almost daily and deadly bombing by the USAAF and RAF and leaves the city with her daughter by train for her home town. There's trouble almost as soon as the train leaves the city with it being derailed by an Allied air attack. Leaving the disabled train and on foot both Cesira and Rosetta make it to the village after they survive an air attack by a USAAF fighter that killed a farmer who was walking on the same road with them.

After getting to the village things are more or less peaceful, with the war just an old and bitter memory, with Cesira meeting and falling in love with the local intellectual as well as socialist young collage student Michele,Jean-Paul Belmondo, who even young Rosetta takes a strong liking to. The almost forgotten war slowly catches up with Cesira and Rosetta and the people at the small village as the Allied forces break through the German lines and reach the outskirts of Rome. It soon becomes too dangerous for the village people to stay and they start to leave and go south to the Italian capital city which is now in US/Allied hands. Before this happened a squad of German soldiers entered the town and took Michele with them as a guide through the dangerous hills and valleys of the Argo Pontino.

On their way to Rome the two women, Cesira & Rosetta, stop off at a bombed out church to get some rest and are later set upon by a group of French Colonial Moroccan troops. The Moroccans brutally beat and gang raped them leaving young Rosetta almost mute with fear and shame of what happened to her and her mother. Getting back on their way to the Italian capital Cesira & Rosetta are both picked up by a local truck driver Firindo, Renato Salvatore. Stoping off at a small town outside of Rome that night Rosetta who seemed to have completely lost her mind, since she and her mother were raped, sneaks out of the room that she sharing with Cesira and has an affair with the truck driver. This both sickened and outrages her already distraught mother. The movie ends with Cesira getting the terrible news that her lover Michele was shot and killed by the Germans as we later see both mother and daughter alone in their small room arm in arm crying and consoling each other as the movie slowly fades to black.

Sophia Loren rightfully who got an Academy Award as best actress for 1961 in the role of Cesira was both feisty as well as touching as the long suffering Italian mom. The vicious rape scene in the bombed out church of Cesira and Rosetta was not only graphic and shocking. By having this outrage committed by the liberating allied troops instead of the occupying German soldiers it showed that there's nothing good that comes out of war on either side.