Review: Sophia Loren steals attention in De Sica retrospective (Includes first-hand account)
Women in Hollywood consistently find themselves trying to break out of pigeon-holes created by decades of playing stereotypes. Strong personalities like Katharine Hepburn, Gloria Swanson, Bette Davis and Faye Dunaway were not afraid to play less traditional and less glamorous characters. Even today this dichotomy can be seen when comparing the roles of Bryce Dallas Howard and Charlize Theron in Jurassic World and Mad Max: Fury Road, respectively. But across the pond, it appears strong female performers were more revered for their talents. Actor/writer/director Vittorio De Sica was justifiably confident in putting Sophia Loren front and centre in his pictures, regardless of the subject matter. Her range spoke for itself.
TIFF Cinematheque is hosting the first retrospective of the director’s work in Toronto in 20 years, titled “More Than Life Itself: Rediscovering the Films of Vittorio De Sica.” Included in the programme are two of the pair’s most successful collaborations: Two Women (1960), for which Loren won the Academy Award for best actress, which also marked the first win for a foreign-language performance, and will be shown on a recently restored 35mm print; and Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), which earned the Oscar for best foreign language film.
Loren’s appeal has never been debated, and it has a significant impact on her character. All the men Cesira encounters want to bed her and several of them do, which her status as a widow makes slightly less scandalous. Nonetheless, these trysts are kept somewhat confidential as one of the men is married and the other is the focus of her daughter’s first crush. Other attentions include leers and catcalls, and worse. The last act of this picture is a very powerful portrayal of violence. In spite of not being excessively explicit, it still effectively conveys the horror of the situation. Moreover, rather than end after this life-altering experience, the narrative continues. In so doing it shows the effects the incident has on Cesira and Rosetta, which demands profound, genuine performances from both women.
Whether resisting a man’s advances, playing the overprotective mother, carrying out domestic chores, verbally sparring with a German officer or bearing the burden of successive sufferings, Loren demonstrates that she is capable in any circumstance and far more than just a pretty face. She herself once said, “Before I made Two Women, I had been a performer. Afterward, I was an actress.”
In spite of the differences in the narratives, each one involves a woman who in some way uses men as a means to an end; the men, conversely, is at her mercy. Each of the stories has a comedic undertone, which has less to do with the performances than the silliness of the script. The actors simply and flawlessly deliver the words, creating new personalities that appropriately and significantly differ from each other. Loren, in particular, makes each of the women distinct from the other, not just in appearance but in their mannerisms and traits.
The retrospective’s spotlight might be on De Sica, but at least in these two films Loren steals the limelight. These two films and many others are screening as part of the “Summer in Italy” programme at TIFF Bell Lightbox until September 17.