Two Women (1960)

 Vittorio De Sica's "Two Women"


Many will remember Vittorio De Sica's 1960 film "Two Women" as the film that won Sophia Loren her only Academy Award. In fact, it might be considered her "breakthrough performance." In the film, she plays a widowed shopkeeper who must traverse the provinces of central Italy with her daughter during the height of war in 1944.

While there are certain aspects of her performance that one could consider to be acclaim-worthy, I had a difficult time connecting to her character. Obviously, the tragedies and hardships that befall her and her daughter are objectively horrendous. However, the typical emotional pull that De Sica instills in most of his work was not entirely working on me for this one.

To me, I felt that the film was pretty standard for a World War II-set film. Again, the dramatics are as dramatic as one could get. However, due to the abundance of WWII 'trauma' stories, one has to distinguish themselves from the pack. I don't feel as though "Two Women" contains a uniqueness to its emotional complexity.



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