TEHRAN – The cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran will screen the 1960 war drama film “Two Women,” directed by Vittorio De Sica, on Monday.

The screening is set for 6 p.m. and will be followed by a review session in the presence of the film critic Sahar Asrazad, Honaronline reported. 

Based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Alberto Moravia, the film tells the story of a woman trying to protect her young daughter from the horrors of war. 

The story is fictional but based on actual events of 1944 in Rome and rural Lazio, during the Marocchinate, in which Moroccan troops of the French Expeditionary Corps embarked on a wave of mass rapes and murders while supposedly serving the Allied campaign for the liberation of Italy from the reign of Benito Mussolini.

The 100-minute film stars Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Eleonora Brown, and Raf Vallone, among others.

In the movie, Cesira (Loren) is a widowed shopkeeper, raising her devoutly religious twelve-year-old daughter, Rosetta (Brown), in Rome during World War II. Following the bombing of Rome, mother and daughter flee to Cesira's native Ciociaria, a rural, mountainous province of central Italy. 

After they arrive at Ciociaria, Cesira attracts the attention of Michele (Belmondo), a young local intellectual with communist sympathies. Rosetta sees Michele as a father figure and develops a strong bond with him. Michele is later taken prisoner by German soldiers, who force him to act as a guide through the mountainous terrain.

After the Allies capture Rome in June 1944, Cesira and Rosetta decide to head back to that city. When the two manage to find shelter at a neighboring village, Rosetta disappears during the night, sending Cesira into a panic. She thinks Rosetta has gone to look for Michele, but later finds out that Michele was killed by the Germans. 

Rosetta returns, having been out with an older boy. Cesira is outraged and upset, slapping Rosetta for her behavior, but Rosetta remains unresponsive, emotionally distant. When Cesira informs Rosetta of Michele's death, Rosetta begins to cry. The film ends with Cesira comforting the child.

Sophia Loren's performance received critical acclaim, earning her an Academy Award for Best Actress, among other accolades.

Vittorio De Sica (1901-1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement.

Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: “Sciuscià” and “Bicycle Thieves” (honorary), while “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” and “Il giardino dei Finzi Contini” won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Iranian Artists Forum is located at Artists Park on North Mousavi Street, Taleqani Street.

SS/SAB