Rent Two Women (1960)

Loren's best film - Two Women review by ML

Vittorio De Sica was a leading figure in the "neorealist" school of Italian film-making with works such as 1948's "Bicycle Thieves" (Ladri di biciclette), a heart-breaking tale of how an honest man is finally driven to an act of petty crime by the grinding poverty of post war Italy. Here he produces another heart-rending work, this time the tale of a mother and daughter at the end of the Second World War, struggling to survive as law-and-order break down. This is a far cry from the light fare with which we normally associate Loren. She is a revelation, playing against type in a role she had to fight for (she was originally cast as the daughter). Her performance won her the Oscar for best Actress - the first person to win an Oscar for a film made in a foreign-language. What a pity she wasn't given such material in Hollywood or in England; she should be remembered for this, not for singing "Goodness Gracious Me" with Peter Sellers to promote the film "The Millionairess", which was made in the same year (1960) as "Two Women". The two films represent the two poles of her career and illustrate her range as an actress.