Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Two Women Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 20, 2016

Winner of Best Actress Award at the Cannes Films Festival, Vittorio De Sica's "Two Women" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Cult Films. The supplemental features on the release include the documentary films "Sophia - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" and "Umberto D", as well as trailer for other releases from the distributors' catalog. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Cesira

In Rome, the stunningly beautiful Cesira (Sophia Loren) decides to close her shop and relocate to the countryside together with her daughter Rosetta (Eleonora Brown). It is a difficult move for her, but she is convinced that two will be safer there until the war ends. They pack their most precious belongings and then head to the train station.

When the train breaks down long before it reaches Cesira’s home village, the two women vow to finish their journey on foot. They are nearly killed after a German bomber fires at them while they cross an open field not too far away from their final destination.

For a while, everything goes according to Cesira’s plan. She and Rosetta settle down and even though occasionally foreign soldiers pass through the area they feel safe. They also befriend the handsome teacher Michele (Jean-Paul Belmondo), who sees the world a lot differently than the rest of the villagers. The two women also find themselves attracted to him, but for different reasons.

Eventually, the Allies liberate the southern parts of the country and begin pushing the Germans further north. It is then that Cesira and Rosetta decide to return to Rome and reopen the family store. But on the way back, the women are forced to hide from their liberators, who turn out to be just as vile as the enemies they have been trying to evade.

Vittorio De Sica’s La Ciociara a.k.a. Two Women was the film that transformed Loren into an international star. Prior to it, Loren had appeared in other films that were received well outside of Italy, but Two Women was the first foreign film to earn Oscar Award for Best Actress and its success had a profound impact on her career.

The raging war is easily felt throughout the entire film, but the focus of attention is very much on the manner in which Cesira and Rosetta do their best to continue living as if their lives were never shattered. Cesira in particular fully understands that her role as a loving mother should not be comprised, which is why she often emerges as a strong and unusually optimistic person. Rosetta unconditionally trusts her, but also realizes that there are times when it is necessary that she follows her instincts.

The special bond that exists between the two women is abruptly broken in such brutal fashion that after that it seems impossible that Cesira could do anything as a mother to mend it. And yet, somehow the film finds a way to show that life, as unfair and ugly as it can be at times, is still worth living.

De Sica manages the incredible emotional ups and downs in the only way that actually makes sense -- without any safeguards or filters. While this can make the film quite difficult to watch at times, it is certainly the reason why it also remains so profoundly moving.

The film was adapted by De Sica and the great writer Cesare Zavattini from the brilliant novel by Alberto Moravia, which chronicles a true event. (Moravia’s incredible body of work also inspired such iconic films as The Conformist, Le Mépris, and Time of Indifference).

Two Women Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Vittorio De Sica's Two Women arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Films.

The release is sourced from a new restoration of the film, and while it is the best presentation that I have seen to date, I have to say that the end result is rather underwhelming. Obviously, next to the various poor DVD releases that this film has seen in the United States the Blu-ray release is quite the revelation, but it is easy to see that the film could have looked a lot more impressive in high-definition. For example, while the master that was created appears to be quite excellent, at some point digital corrections were made to rebalance the image and as a result a lot of existing detail was lost. To be perfectly clear, there are traces of various filtering adjustments that have impacted depth and in some cases even clarity (see screencaptures #14, 17, 18). Some of the daylight footage can still look quite good, but it is only because the raw images actually have very strong organic appearance (see screencapture #1). Early into the film I also noticed some light macroblocking that should have been avoided. The most obvious examples are during the sequence where Sophia Loren meets Raf Vallone (see screencapture #8). Image stability is very good, though a few small reel bumps remain. Lastly, it is rather easy to tell that large damage marks and other age-related imperfections have been removed as best as possible. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless or your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Two Women Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I prefer to view the film with the Italian track, though I should clarify that both tracks actually feature some original overdubbing. Generally speaking, clarity is quite good. Depth is also pleasing, but from time to time some thinness in the mid/high registers can noticed. You should not be concerned, however, as almost certainly these minor fluctuations can be traced back to the original audio masters. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Two Women Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Sophia - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - in this excellent documentary film, Sophia Loren discusses her acting career and the many great films that made her an international star. Included in the film are clips from various interviews with directors Woody Allen, Lina Wertmüller (The Seduction of Mimi), and Francesco Rosi (The Moment of Truth), stylist Giorgo Armani, and writer Dacia Marani, amongst others, as well as plenty of archival footage from various films and events. In English and Italian, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (55 min).

• Vittorio D - this terrific documentary film offers an in-depth look at the illustrious career and legacy of the great Vittorio De Sica. Included in the film are clips from archival interviews with Clint Eastwood, dierctors Ettore Scola (A Special Day), Kean Loach, Mike Leigh, Woody Allen, John Landis, and writer Tonino Guerra (La Notte, L'Avventura), amongst others, as well as plenty of archival footage from various films and events. In English, French and Italian, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (92 min).

• Trailers - trailers for other Cult Films releases.

Two Women Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This recent Blu-ray release of Vittorio De Sica's Two Women offers the best technical presentation of the film that I have seen to date, but I think that the end result should have been a lot more convincing. I still have to give Cult Films a lot of credit for bringing the film to Blu-ray because we never had a decent English-friendly DVD release on the market. The Blu-ray also has two terrific documentaries that examine the careers of Vittorio De Sica and Sophia Loren. RECOMMENDED (with some reservations).