二战期间，塞西拉和她13岁的女儿洛塞塔为逃避战争的炮火，不得不离开他们生活了多年的罗马而到乡村小镇西赛罗暂避，那里是塞西拉小时候生活的地方。
在这里生活似乎非常平静，但表像之下的紧张和困扰时常出现。这时，塞西拉还认识了没上前线打仗，却安心在家读书的年轻人、准备当医生的米开尔。米开尔是个共产主义者，还搭救过两个英国的伞兵。米开尔教洛塞塔读诗，洛塞塔被他的学识风度折服，爱上了他。但米开尔似乎钟情于每天只为填饱肚子发愁的塞西拉，她的现实、勇敢深深打动了米开尔。
米开尔帮塞西拉到父亲的朋友家搞些食物，但却意外地碰到了正在这家吃饭的德国军官，军官认为米开尔没有上前线是种耻辱，但他刚要把他带走，空袭警报响起来了。米开尔和塞西拉一起躲过了飞机的炮火。
盟军登陆后，德军的残余势力准备撤退，但塞西拉所在的地方还是没有逃过德军的践踏，曾经谋面的军官要走了他们本就不多的面包和水，还把米开尔带走作为走出去的向导。
塞西拉决定带着洛塞塔离开小镇返回罗马，但她们在路上遭到摩洛哥人的强暴，洛塞塔精神崩溃，塞西拉在得知米开尔被德国人杀死之后也痛苦非常。
但是两个女人还是顽强地返回了罗马。塞西拉重新弄起了自己的杂货店，卖起了美国的可口可乐，女儿洛塞塔则走出了悲伤的阴影，因为她去当兵的恋人也回到了她的身边。

影评&幕后

1961年，索菲亚·罗兰凭着西卡导演的《战地两女性》荣获奥斯卡金像奖影后桂冠，这是有史以来以外语片参加角逐而赢得美国奥斯卡影后的第一人。

参见吕同六译《约婚夫妇》

Released in the United States in the early 50's under the title of WOMAN, this obscure early Rossellini film was made at the end of the war and completed by Marcello Pagliero. It is a sensational little tragedy about a prostitute who returns from the city to her home town where she is variously loved, spurned, and lusted over. The grim, fatalistic atmosphere bears a good deal of resemblance to the much better known contemporary masterpiece OSSESSIONE, by Luchino Visconti. In fact Massimo Girotti appears in both films. Elli Parvo is quite riveting in the main role.

1942年威尼斯电影节双年奖。反法西斯战争电影经典，堪比Roberto Rossellini的《罗马不设防的城市》。IMDB评分8.3。MY RATING 5+
La inceputul mileniului III cinematografia romaneaca a primit un dar nesperat. Presa italiana a scris despre un fapt cu totul inedit, anume descoperirea intamplatoare in arhivele studiourilor Cinecita din Roma a peliculei filmului “ Odessa in flacari”, considerat definitiv pierdut. “ Odessa in flacari”, realizat in anul 1942, intr-o coproductie romano-italiana este consemnat in istoria cinematografiei europene si nu numai, o capodopera a genului. Despre el ramasesera doar cateva cronici, unele consemnari, fotografii si afise.
Avand ca subiect drama refugiatilor din Basarabia, in timpul celui de-al Doilea Razboi Mondial, ca si a ororilor comise de trupele NKVD filmul a fost interzis dupa ocuparea tarii de catre Uniunea Sovietica, iar protagonistii acestuia aruncati in inchisori. Depus in arhivele cinematografiei, la fondul peliculelor cenzurate, deci total oprite nu numai de a fi difuzate, dar nici vizionate intr-un cadru restrans, multi ani “ Odessa in flacari” a figurat doar in registrul de evidenta al arhivelor, apoi a disparut din scripte. Dupa decembrie 1989, unii cercetatori in istoria filmului au cautat zadarnic sa dea de urma peliculei, investigatiile ducand la concluzia ca ea a fost confiscata de “ consilierii sovietici” din perioada ocupatiei, dupa care a fost scoasa din evidente, de catre Directia presei si tipariturilor, fosta cenzura. S-a mai descoperit ca Securitatea a dat ordin prin care s-a dispus distrugerea unor filme de razboi din perioada 1940-1944, considerate fasciste si “imperialiste”, dusmanoase “oranduirii socialiste”.
Capodopera cineatografica apartine regizorului italian Carmine Gallone, unul dintre cei mai renumiti ai timpurilor sale. Scenariul este semnat de dramaturgul Nicolae Kiritescu. “Odessa in flacari” urma traditia inaugurata de primul mare film romanesc din 1912, care omagia victoria trupelor romane in Razboiul de Independenta din 1877.
“Odessa in flacari” este o pagina vibranta de istorie, aratand lumii, in 1942, la Festivalul de la Venetia – unde de altfel a castigat Marele Premiu – ce inseamna ocupatia bolsevica si teroarea stalinista. Timp de mai bine de o jumatate de secol, despre acest film nu s-a pomenit nimic. Nici nu putea fi vorba sa se dea in vileag drama Basarabiei si a Bucovinei de Nord, atata vreme cat la Bucuresti se afla la putere un regim obedient Kremlinului.
Filmul va fi proiectat in premiera in Romania, subtitrat in limba romana, vineri, 8 decembrie 2006, ora 19.00, la sala Eforie a Cinematecii Romane.

After an astrologer has foretold him he will die at an early age if he does not avoid a romantic entanglement, Alessandro Stradella, a well-known composer decides to leave Rome for the North of Italy. Written by Guy Bellinger

A peasant leader under the enlightened despotism of Empress Catherine the Great, and a love story.

A combination of a satire on war and a comedy with war as the background. It tells of the ordinary people living on a Naples sidestreet, from 1940 to 1950 under the dominance of the Fascists, the Nazis and then the Allies occupation forces. Primary among the citizens is Gennaro Iovine (Eduard De Filippo)who has a penchant for innocently getting into trouble, and his friend Pasquale (Toto.) The latter is a rail-sweeper who becomes a professional stand-in...a corpse used to conceal contraband...serving jail time for those who don't care to spend the time to do the time...a substitute at a political rally when violence threatens the scheduled speaker

A nearsighted clerk gets fired after embarrassing mishaps. He mistakenly takes a gangster's raincoat, finds a gun inside, and is arrested as Public Enemy No. 1. Chaos erupts as both the police and the mob pursue him.