British label Cult Films has revealed that it plans to release on Blu-ray two classic Italian films: Vittorio De Sica's
La Ciociara a.k.a.
Two Women (1960), starring Sophia Loren, Eleonora Brown, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Andrea Checchi, and Pupella Maggio, and Ettore Scola's
A Special Day (1977), starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, John Vernon, Françoise Berd, and Patrizia Basso.
Two Women
Screen goddess Sophia Loren won a justly deserved Oscar for her vivid portrayal of a war ravaged widow in Vittorio de Sica's neo-realist classic.
Two Women chronicles the harrowing ordeal of the beautiful widow Cesira (Sophia Loren) and her sickly daughter Rosetta (Eleonora Brown) as they escape the daily air raids in Rome by fleeing into the countryside. The pair make their way over corpse strewn mountains and burnt out valleys only to be brutally raped by soldiers when they seek shelter in an abandoned church.
A life affirming tale of survival and perseverance in the face of adversity,
Two Women is a frank and poetic film with the universal message that our shared humanity transcends all ethnic or political differences.
Special Features:
- Original Italian Version, with optional English subtitles
- English Version of the film, with original dubbing by Sophia Loren
STREET DATE: OCTOBER 24.
A Special Day
The film is set during the late 1930s: the occasion is the first meeting between Mussolini and Hitler. Left alone in her tenement home when her fascist husband runs off to attend the historic event, Antonietta (Sophia Loren) strikes up a friendship with her homosexual neighbor Gabriele (Mastroianni). As the day segues into night, they develop a very special relationship that will radically alter both of their outlooks on life.
Special Features:
- Original Italian Version, with optional English subtitles
- English Version of the film
STREET DATE: OCTOBER 24.