Favorite Winners - Part 1. Best Actress

And my favorite winner is... Sophia Loren in Two Women
I might be biased because she was the first European actress winning for a foreign-language performance. But no, I'm not.
I was hesitant when I chose my favorite winner in this category. I chose Loren over Meryl Streep because I could watch Two Women any time, but I guess I could not ever rewatch Sophie's Choice.
Her character Cesira is a young single mother in Rome struggling to survive the war along with her daughter. Cesira is a realist, a fighter, a beautiful woman, a mother. She laughs, she cries, she feels, she's struggling. I guess Sophia's beauty could overwhelm everyone, but she's also a very gifted actress giving three-dimensional and believable performances. I would not call her subtle, but she really gives me chills every time she says "Forgive me!". And that rape scene... It's not only disturbing but also heartbreaking.
When she won, Hollywood was shocked. The malicious and vicious Hedda Hopper wrote angrily "Natalie Wood was robbed". Well, who cares about Hollywood when you can see Sophia? :-)