In WWII Italy, a widow and her lonely daughter seek distance between themselves and the horrors of war.In WWII Italy, a widow and her lonely daughter seek distance between themselves and the horrors of war.In WWII Italy, a widow and her lonely daughter seek distance between themselves and the horrors of war.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 11 wins & 3 nominations total
Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Michele Di Libero
- (as Jean Paul Belmondo)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSophia Loren claims that Director Vittorio De Sica, so caught up in the story, regularly cried on the set when filming particularly emotional scenes.
- GoofsNear the beginning, Cesira and Rosetta choose to walk rather than wait aboard their stranded train. However, they set off in the opposite direction to the train's destination.
- Quotes
[subtitled version]
English Soldier: There are lots of good things in Italy.
Michele Di Libero: You don't know Italy.
English Soldier: Oh, we know Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo.
Michele Di Libero: They are dead.
- ConnectionsEdited into Al Centro del cinema (2015)
Featured review
Sophia Loren, aside from being one of the most sumptuously sexy women I have ever seen, proves herself here to be a tremendous actress. She has a melodramatic Italian flair that impassions her lovably aggressive character, a widowed shopkeeper in Rome during the Allied bombing in WWII, who flees with her beloved daughter to her impoverish mountainous native region. Throughout the story, she proves to be a strong woman, seasoned by pain and not having lost the fire and fight in her.
Like many European films of its time, Two Women is all about the characters and the current on which they flow through the film, a realistic capsule of a time and place. Vittorio De Sica, who made the beautifully small-scale film The Bicycle Thief, which is about a relationship between father and son, forms a companion piece with Two Women, which is about a relationship between mother and daughter. He addresses strikingly the unbearable love between a parent and their child.
Truly one of the greatest Italian films, this is an absorbing, emotional, modest journey with wonderful music; coarse, down-to-earth cinematography from the wonderful old days of gritty film prints and old school hands-on editing; incredible acting not only from Loren but from the young actress playing her daughter, who drastically transforms; and also from Jean- Paul Belmondo, who convincingly plays completely against type; and a beautifully emotional final shot. For those who feel detached from older foreign films, especially neo-realist, I have yet to see an Italian neo-realist film any more alive than this one!
Like many European films of its time, Two Women is all about the characters and the current on which they flow through the film, a realistic capsule of a time and place. Vittorio De Sica, who made the beautifully small-scale film The Bicycle Thief, which is about a relationship between father and son, forms a companion piece with Two Women, which is about a relationship between mother and daughter. He addresses strikingly the unbearable love between a parent and their child.
Truly one of the greatest Italian films, this is an absorbing, emotional, modest journey with wonderful music; coarse, down-to-earth cinematography from the wonderful old days of gritty film prints and old school hands-on editing; incredible acting not only from Loren but from the young actress playing her daughter, who drastically transforms; and also from Jean- Paul Belmondo, who convincingly plays completely against type; and a beautifully emotional final shot. For those who feel detached from older foreign films, especially neo-realist, I have yet to see an Italian neo-realist film any more alive than this one!
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- ...und dennoch leben sie
- Filming locations
- Chiesa San Francesco d'Assisi, Fondi, Lazio, Italy(interiors: rape scene in the church)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $14,062
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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