La ciociara (1960)

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Alberto Moravia (novel)
Cesare Zavattini (adaptation)

Release Date:

9 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Suddenly...Love Becomes Lust...Innocence becomes shame...As two women are trapped by violent passion and unforgettable terror!

Plot:

Cesira and her 13-year-old daughter, Rosetta, flee from the allied bombs in Rome during the second world war...

Plot Keywords:

Church | Soldier | Mother Daughter Relationship | Reference To Michelangelo | Allied Forces

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Cesira
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Michele Di Libero (as Jean Paul Belmondo)
Eleonora Brown	...	Rosetta
Carlo Ninchi	...	Filippo, il padre di Michele
Andrea Checchi	...	Un fascista
Pupella Maggio	...	Una contadina
Emma Baron	...	Maria
Bruna Cealti	...	Una sfollata
Antonella Della Porta	...	La madre impazzita
Mario Frera
Franco Balducci	...	Il tedesco nel pagliaio
Luciana Cortellesi
Curt Lowens
Tony Calio		(as Tony Caliò)
Remo Galavotti

Also Known As:

Two Women (UK) (USA)
Paysanne aux pieds nus (France)
The Woman from Ciociara (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Itri, Latina, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

Trivia:

The Movieland Wax Museum (Buena Park, California) chose a scene from this movie for its depiction of their Sophia Loren wax figurine, specifically, the post-rape scene, where she holds her daughter (i.e., "Now she's worse than dead!")

Quotes:

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Breach (2007)

Another great performance by Sophia Loren

Very bad print (even on DVD), but very good movie. A war film that focuses more on the people who suffer, instead of telling the story of those fighting the battle. It's also a movie about love, relationship, bonding between a woman and her daughter. Sophia Loren's performance is stellar. Belmondo is also very good. Young Eleonora Brown's performance gets better during the film. The last 30 minutes of the movie are poignant. It's heartbreaking to listen to Cesira apologize to Rosetta. Watch it.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on February 19th, 2006.

81/100 (***)