Two Women
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''Two Women'' ( , rough literal translation "The Woman from Ciociaria") is a 1960 war
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film directed by
Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the fil ...
from a screenplay he co-wrote with Cesare Zavattini, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by
Alberto Moravia Alberto Pincherle (; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990), known by his pseudonym Alberto Moravia ( , ), was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia i ...
. The film stars
Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...
, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Eleonora Brown and Raf Vallone. It tells the story of a woman trying to protect her young daughter from the horrors of war. The story is fictional but based on actual events of 1944 in Rome and rural
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
, during the '' Marocchinate''. Loren's performance received critical acclaim, earning her an
Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...
, among other accolades.


Plot

Cesira (Loren) is a widowed shopkeeper, raising her devoutly religious twelve-year-old daughter, Rosetta (Brown), in Rome during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Following the bombing of Rome, mother and daughter flee to Cesira's native Ciociaria, a rural, mountainous province of central Italy. The night before they go, Cesira has sex with Giovanni (Vallone), a married coal dealer in her neighbourhood, who agrees to look after her store in her absence. After they arrive at Ciociaria, Cesira attracts the attention of Michele (Belmondo), a young local intellectual with
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
sympathies. Rosetta sees Michele as a father figure and develops a strong bond with him. Michele is later taken prisoner by German soldiers, who force him to act as a guide through the mountainous terrain. After the Allies capture Rome, in June 1944, Cesira and Rosetta decide to head back to that city. On the way, the two are gang-raped inside a church by a group of '' Moroccan Goumiers'' – soldiers attached to the invading Allied Armies in Italy. Rosetta is traumatized by the unwilling loss of her virginity, becoming detached and distant from her mother and no longer an innocent child. When the two manage to find shelter at a neighbouring village, Rosetta disappears during the night, sending Cesira into a panic. She thinks Rosetta has gone to look for Michele, but later finds out that Michele was killed by the Germans. Rosetta returns, having been out with an older boy, who has given her silk stockings, despite her youth. Cesira is outraged and upset, slapping and spanking Rosetta for her behavior, but Rosetta remains unresponsive, emotionally distant. When Cesira informs Rosetta of Michele's death, Rosetta begins to cry like the little girl she had been prior to the rape. The film ends with Cesira comforting the child.


Cast


Production

The film was based on a 1957 novel by
Alberto Moravia Alberto Pincherle (; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990), known by his pseudonym Alberto Moravia ( , ), was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia i ...
, ''La ciociara'' (''The Woman From Ciociaria''). It was inspired by Moravia's experiences during World War II. Carlo Ponti bought the film rights along with Marcello Girosi for a reported US$100,000. Sophia Loren was always meant to star and there was some talk that the film might be financed by Paramount, with whom Loren had made a number of movies.
Anna Magnani Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Academy Award-winning Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of ...
was going to play the lead and Loren was going to be her daughter.
George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...
was going to direct as part of a two-picture deal with Ponti, the other one being '' Heller in Pink Tights'' (1960). The film was going to be shot as part of a six-picture deal between Ponti and Paramount. Cukor and Paramount dropped out. Vittorio De Sica became attached as director. Magnani pulled out, supposedly because she did not want to play Loren's mother, leading to Loren taking Magnani's role, even though the former was only 25 at the time. However, De Sica says it was his decision for Loren to play Magnani's role and cast a younger performer as the daughter In a 2017 interview, Brown stated that Loren protected her from some of the underlying implications of the rape scene in the film, and also stated that director De Sica brought her to tears for the climactic final scene of hearing that Belmondo's character has died, by saying that a telegram had arrived saying that Brown's parents had died in an accident. Magnani said she was going to do it, , said Loren. Loren later said her performance was inspired by her memories of her mother during the war. She also said she was greatly helped by her experience acting in '' Desire Under the Elms'' (1958). Ponti raised money from France and Italy. French investment was conditional upon a French star being used, which led to the casting of Jean-Paul Belmondo, who had leapt to international fame in ''Breathless'' (1960). Belmondo's voice was dubbed into Italian by Achille Millo.


Release

Joseph E. Levine (
Embassy Pictures Embassy Pictures Corporation (also and later known as Avco Embassy Pictures as well as Embassy Films Associates) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was active from 1942 to 1986. Embassy was responsible ...
) agreed to buy US release rights after watching only nine minutes of the film. , Levine later said. He showed the film in every city that a member of the academy jury lived and promoted it assiduously. , said Levine. The film was among the 30 most popular films at the French box office that year. In 1962, it grossed $3 million rentals in North America.


Accolades

The film was submitted two days late to be eligible as the 1960 Italian entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.


Remakes

''La Ciociara'' was remade for television in 1988. It was adapted by Diana Gould, Lidia Ravera,
Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy, and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...
, and Bernardino Zapponi. It was directed by Risi, and starred Loren, Robert Loggia, Leonardo Ferrantini, Dario Ghirardi, and Sydney Penny. The opera ''La Ciociara'' written by Luca Rossi, with music composed by Marco Tutino, received its premiere at San Francisco Opera, and a European premiere at Teatro Lirico, Cagliari."Cagliari, prima europea de La Ciociara Compositore Tutino, ''una storia di cui si parla poco''" at ansa.it/sardegna
Retrieved 13 December 2017.


References


External links

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Review of film
at ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
Film page
at Le Film Guide {{Authority control 1960 films 1960 drama films 1960s French films 1960s German-language films 1960s Italian films 1960s Italian-language films 1960s multilingual films 1960s war drama films Films about rape Films based on Italian novels Films based on works by Alberto Moravia Films directed by Vittorio De Sica Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance Films produced by Carlo Ponti Films scored by Armando Trovajoli Films set in Lazio Films set in Rome Films with screenplays by Cesare Zavattini French black-and-white films French multilingual films French war drama films French World War II films German-language French films German-language Italian films Italian black-and-white films Italian Campaign of World War II films Italian multilingual films Italian neorealist films Italian war drama films Italian World War II films Italian-language French films Italian-language war drama films Sexual violence in Europe during World War II