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Great Film overall

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

A gripping, weighty film, with an Italian women (Sophia Loren) and her 12-year-old daughter (Eleonora Brown) fleeing Rome towards the end of WWII. Director Vittorio De Sica is incredibly balanced in what was a highly charged subject: he shows Italians who had supported the fascists and Italians who were wealthy while the peasants around them starved, but most of all, he shows Italians simply trying to survive the end of the war. We see soldiers from England, Germany, America, Russia, and Morocco at various points in the film, with the woman and her child holed up with extended family in the hills, and then later trying to make their way back to Rome. It's fascinating to see this part of the war from the Italian perspective. What happens to the mother and her child in a bombed out church (perhaps a symbolic setting) is horrifying, but while the film has these dark elements, and people living under conditions of privation at a time when those around them were being killed randomly, it doesn't crush you with its darkness. I think that comes from the incredible strength in Loren's performance, which is wonderful. She is worthy of having won an Oscar for her performance, even with other nominees that year including Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffany's) and Natalie Wood (Splendor in the Grass). Jean-Paul Belmondo is also excellent as an intellectual professor who seems to see the greater truth in the events that had befallen Italy, and who is often at odds with the peasants around him. De Sica is undoubtedly speaking directly to viewers when he has this character say that an alternate strategy on the part of the Allies would have led to fewer civilian deaths in the cities. He's not making excuses for his country, he's simply showing the very real tragedy of war. He does this throughout the movie with all the right touches, and shows the human spirit enduring despite it all. Great film.

A moving and visually stunning film, Two Women is a story about the heartache and trials of war by director Vittorio De Sica. As with his other movies, this director deals with vulnerable human beings, to expose the injustice of a harsh world; in this case, a widow, performed by Sophia Loren, and her daughter, Eleanora Brown. These are the two women. The widow is an independent and determined shop-keeper and a loving mother. In the midst of war, she flees the bombing of Rome to return to the country. At first, she is revived by the change from city to country life, but soon realizes that no place can escape the ravages of war. While in the country, she becomes close to a scholarly young man (Jean Paul Belmondo) who reads the Bible and is respected by the people in his village for his sincerity and idealism. The black/white film emphasizes the characters and the movie is appreciated as a classic without any superficiality. We see village life disrupted by soldiers invading homes and planes disturbing the peaceful setting. This has a corrosive effect on the lives of the people, not to mention the lives lost or ruined. We get a sense of this in a pivotal scene involving the two women. Vittorio De Sica spent his career acting as well as directing. But he is one of the most accomplished of directors and made his mark as a champion of those afflicted by poverty and rejection.

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.

Before I tell about the movie, I must point out that the videotape I viewed was ALSO the most horrible quality print I have ever viewed--another reviewer also said pretty much the same about this. The "Hollywood Classics" brand should be ashamed to release such an ugly print and it desperately needs to be cleaned and restored. I know other companies have also released the film and I assume theirs MUST be better quality than this! AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! Now, on to the movie. This is an exceptionally well-acted and written story about a mother and her young daughter as they try to avoid the horrors of the closing months of WW2 in Italy. They must avoid the Allied bombs as well as the fleeing Fascist pigs who have destroyed the country.Starvation is always a concern, along with stray bombs. However, the movie concludes with their both being raped by some savage Moroccan troops (I had no idea they were involved in WW2--I learned something here). I mention this rape because it is important to the story but must be considered by parents who let their kids see the movie. I would allow my 15 year-old to see it, but it is just too much for my 10 year-old to deal with right now.Although the movie is depressing it is not overly so despite the subject matter. It is well executed and deserved the fame and recognition the movie received. DeSica (director) and Sophia Loren received many kudos for this project. A great film that hopefully will encourage you to seek out more DeSica films (I strongly recommend UMBERTO D. and especially THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US).