Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow gave Sophia Loren three different women to play in one film, and she made each one distinct, funny and unmistakably her own.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), directed by Vittorio De Sica, is a portmanteau film in which Loren, opposite Marcello Mastroianni, plays three roles: a woman who avoids a fine by remaining pregnant, a wealthy wife, and a prostitute in Rome. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The delight of the film is Loren’s range within a single sitting. Each episode asks for a different register, from broad comedy to quieter, more reflective moments, and she adjusts her timing and manner without ever losing the audience’s sympathy. The partnership with Mastroianni, already a proven one, is at its most playful here.
It is a signature film because it shows Loren as a complete screen comedian as well as a dramatic actress. The three women are not variations on a star image; they are three characters, and remembering them separately is the best proof of the performance.