"La ciociara",although it did give Sophia Loren one of her two best parts (the other being Scola's "una giornata particolare"),has undergone some reassessment;one thing for sure the neorealism was on the wane at the time,and DeSica 's best works were things of the past (so were Rosselini's).Like in France ,a new wave was rising in Italy,whose art was diametrically opposite to theirs:Fellini,Antonioni,Zurlini,Bolognini,Pasolini,et al were shaking the Italian cinema ;and although some of them -not to say all of them- began with neorealist works ("la strada" "il grido") ,now they were inventing their own aesthetic:the content took a back seat to the form("l'avventura" "la dolce vita" ).And the classic Story did not seem to matter a little bit.
DeSica's style -which was so inventive during the forties and early fifties- became here a bit academic and conventional:for instance,he uses close-ups to excess;his actors,once "neorealist" to a fault (a non-professional in " Ladri di biciclette") , sometimes seem here a bit hamming it up.And Jean-Paul Belmondo is completely miscast in his part of idealist intellectual.
There are good things though:the relationship Loren/daughter is moving and heartfelt;and the selfishness,the lack of solidarity of the refugees trying to save their dear life are impressive.Loren has great moments that make this work worth watching.
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