"La Ciociara (Two Women)" (1960)

Two women transformed by war and death. this is an incredibly powerful film. it reminds me of Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" in 1957. the affects of war as opposed to the war itself. This is a brutally honest film like "Paths of Glory". there is no glorifying, synthesizing, embelishing of any sort. they give it to you as it is which i love. the performances were enthralling; especially that of Sophia Loren who went through quite the transformation herself for her role as Cesira. she wants to protect her daughter and herself in the midst of war. she is beautiful, but not glamorous; like Penelope Cruz in "Volver". she is modestly wealthy for those times which makes it easier for all around her. she is headstrong and holds no trepidation in what she says or feels. this is what won her the Oscar. Her vivid portrayal of a mother having to deal with a time in which men could not even deal with. She makes choices and desicions all without the help of a man. Loren shows us that independence is important.

Rome is being heavily terrorized by the Germans during WWII. this is Lorens' and her daughter, Rosettas', played by Eleonora Brown, home. Loren decides to leave to go to her hometown in the hills of Ciociaria. she sees old friends and meets other refugees whose towns have been destroyed or deserted. We see the effects of the war throught the desperation of the refugees. Prices of food "could have bought a house last year" as Loren describes it. there are constant sirens and gun shots. German soldiers come through demanding food and water; it is really not a good time. one of the refugees is quite a radical named Michele. he hates Mussolini and despises the Germans. he is smart, holy (for the most part) but dangerous but Loren finds something in him that is rather appealing; so does her daughter. this reminded me of Dougls Sirk's "Imitation of Life" in 1959. he falls in love with Loren as well. he is taken by German soldiers to lead them through the mountains.

Sophs Loren is mezmorizing. she is so powerful and certain in her performance. also the young Eleonora Brown who was, according to IMDb, tweleve years old at the time, was incredibly mature and deserved a nomination. there were scenes towards the end of the film where we could see most change and loss of innocence which happens drastically. Brown is in love with Michele (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and is thinking about marriage. war changes her; she sees a man riding a bicycle shot dead right in front of her. at the end both are women. Loren was already a women but the title refers to the end. Brown was just a carefree little girl at the beginning, and then turns around at the end. I love the films truthful and righteous brutal approach to the subject but also throwing some Italian humor into it. the film flowed well and the ending was beautifully done.

Academy Awards, USA
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
1962	Won	Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Sophia Loren Sophia Loren was not present at the awards ceremony. Greer Garson accepted the award on her behalf.