History Film / TwoWomen

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film based on [[Literature/TwoWomen a novel of the same name]] by Alberto Moravia.

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* PlayingGertrude: In-tandem with UnderageCasting. In the original novel, Cesira is middle-aged (the role was originally offered to 51-year old Anna Magnani) and Rosetta is a teenager. At the time of filming, Creator/SophiaLoren was 25 and Eleonora Brown was 11, though they [[YoungerThanTheyLook both look older.]]

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film based on a novel of the same name by Alberto Moravia.

It is directed by Creator/VittorioDeSica, stars Creator/SophiaLoren and Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo.

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film directed by Creator/VittorioDeSica, starring Creator/SophiaLoren and Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo.

* MamaWolf: Cesira is determined to protect her daughter, and stares down the Italian fascist militiaman who starts creeping on Rosetta--but she can't save Rosetta from the Moroccan soldiers.

* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: One might watch the scene where Cesira and Rosetta are gang-raped by Moroccan colonial troops of the Free French Forces, and find an unpleasant racial tinge to the scene, but the rape and pillage conducted by these troops in the aftermath of the battle of Monte Cassino became notorious enough to get its own name. It's called the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marocchinate Marocchinate]]".

* DownerEnding: Cesira and Rosetta are gang-raped. Rosetta afterwards is deeply damaged, accepting nylons in return for sexual favors given to much older men. Then they get word that Michele was killed by the Germans. The only note of hope is the cathartic embrace between a weeping Rosetta and Cesira as the camera zooms out.

* AmericaWonWorldWarII: Played straight, as an American column rolls through the village, to the delight of all the locals. Then subverted when Cesira and Rosetta have a tragic encounter with some Moroccan colonial troops fighting with the Allies.

* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: One might watch the scene where Cesira and Rosetta are gang-raped by French Moroccan colonial troops, and find an unpleasant racial tinge to the scene, but the rape and pillage conducted by French Moroccan troops in the aftermath of the battle of Monte Cassino became notorious enough to get its own name. It's called the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marocchinate Marocchinate]]".

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film directed by Creator/VittorioDeSica, starring Creator/SophiaLoren.

Loren is Cesira, a widow and mother to a pubescent girl, Rosetta, in 1943 Italy, as the Allies are slowly [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII fighting their way up the peninsula]]. After an Allied bombing raid on Rome, Cesira takes her daughter out of the city and to her hometown in the Italian hills. They are safe from bombing but the privations of war hit the countryside as well, as food grows short and the front lines slowly approach. Cesira draws attention from the village's local intellectual, Michele, a serious young man with socialist sympathies. A romance has just started to bloom when the fortunes of war intervene.

''Two Women'' established Sophia Loren, already world famous as a sex symbol, as a serious actress as well. It won her an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Actress, and she remains to this day the only woman to win an acting Oscar for a performance not in English (unless you count Janet Gaynor winning the first Best Actress Oscar for work in silent film, or Creator/MarleeMatlin winning for ''Children Of A Lesser God'' in American Sign Language, or Holly Hunter winning for being mute in ''Film/ThePiano'').

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film directed by Creator/VittorioDeSica, starring Creator/SophiaLoren. Loren is Cesira, a widow and mother to a pubescent girl, Rosetta, in 1943 Italy, as the Allies are slowly [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII fighting their way up the peninsula]]. After an Allied bombing raid on Rome, Cesira takes her daughter out of the city and to her hometown in the Italian hills. They are safe from bombing but the privations of war hit the countryside as well, as food grows short and the front lines slowly approach. Cesira draws attention from the village's local intellectual, Michele, a serious young man with socialist sympathies. A romance has just started to bloom when the fortunes of war intervene.

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film directed by Vittorio De Sica, starring Creator/SophiaLoren. Loren is Cesira, a widow and mother to a pubescent girl, Rosetta, in 1943 Italy, as the Allies are slowly [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII fighting their way up the peninsula]]. After an Allied bombing raid on Rome, Cesira takes her daughter out of the city and to her hometown in the Italian hills. They are safe from bombing but the privations of war hit the countryside as well, as food grows short and the front lines slowly approach. Cesira draws attention from the village's local intellectual, Michele, a serious young man with socialist sympathies. A romance has just started to bloom when the fortunes of war intervene.

* AmericaWinsTheWar: Played straight, as an American column rolls through the village, to the delight of all the locals. Then subverted when Cesira and Rosetta have a tragic encounter with some Moroccan colonial troops fighting with the Allies.

''Two Women'' established Sophia Loren, already world famous as a sex symbol, as a serious actress as well. It won her an AcademyAward for Best Actress, and she remains to this day the only woman to win an acting Oscar for a performance not in English (unless you count Janet Gaynor winning the first Best Actress Oscar for work in silent film, or Creator/MarleeMatlin winning for ''Children Of A Lesser God'' in American Sign Language, or Holly Hunter winning for being mute in ''Film/ThePiano'').

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film directed by Creator/VittorioDeSica, starring Creator/SophiaLoren. Loren is Cesira, a widow and mother to a pubescent girl, Rosetta, in 1943 Italy, as the Allies are slowly [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII fighting their way up the peninsula]]. After an Allied bombing raid on Rome, Cesira takes her daughter out of the city and to her hometown in the Italian hills. They are safe from bombing but the privations of war hit the countryside as well, as food grows short and the front lines slowly approach. Cesira draws attention from the village's local intellectual, Michele, a serious young man with socialist sympathies. A romance has just started to bloom when the fortunes of war intervene.

''Two Women'' established Sophia Loren, already world famous as a sex symbol, as a serious actress as well. It won her an AcademyAward for Best Actress, and she remains to this day the only woman to win an acting Oscar for a performance not in English (unless you count Janet Gaynor winning the first Best Actress Oscar for work in silent film, or Creator/MarleeMatlin winning for ''Film/ChildrenOfALesserGod'' in American Sign Language, or Creator/HollyHunter winning for being mute in ''Film/ThePiano'').

* DefiledForever / FateWorseThanDeath: How Cesira herself characterizes her daughter's rape, as she screams out to a passing American jeep.

* HeroicBSOD / ThousandYardStare: Rosetta disassociates for a while after she is gang-raped.

''Two Women'' established Sophia Loren, already world famous as a sex symbol, as a serious actress as well. It won her an AcademyAward for Best Actress, and she remains to this day the only woman to win an acting Oscar for a performance not in English (unless you count Janet Gaynor winning the first Best Actress Oscar for work in silent film, or MarleeMatlin winning for ''Film/ChildrenOfALesserGod'' in American Sign Language, or Creator/HollyHunter winning for being mute in ''Film/ThePiano'').

''Two Women'' ("La ciociara") is a 1960 Italian film directed by Creator/VittorioDeSica, starring Creator/SophiaLoren. Loren is Cesira, a widow and mother to a pubescent girl, Rosetta, in 1943 Italy. After an Allied bombing raid on Rome, Cesira takes her daughter out of the city and to her hometown in the Italian hills. They are safe from bombing but the privations of war hit the countryside as well, as food grows short and the front lines slowly approach. Cesira draws attention from the village's local intellectual, Michele, a serious young man with socialist sympathies. A romance has just started to bloom when the fortunes of war intervene.