Vittorio De Sica Shoeshine

( aka 'Sciuscià' and 'Shoeshine' )

Italy 1946

Directed by Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves, Umberto D), Shoeshine was filmed on location in postwar Rome using non-professional actors. It was inspired by the real stories of those struggling to overcome the oppressive forces of a corrupt and ineffective political system.

De Sica's film depicts the troubled lives of two young boys caught up in the chaos of a world plagued by poverty and unemployment. Giuseppe (Rinaldo Smordoni) and Pasquale (Franco Interlenghi) work on the street, where they shine the shoes of American troops. They dream of a better life, seeking solace in a horse that they ride to escape their harsh reality. When the boys are implicated in a petty crime, they are punished by the society that has robbed them of their innocence, resulting in tragic consequences.

Shoeshine is widely regarded as one of the finest films to have emerged from the Italian neorealist cinema. It was also the first foreign film to receive an Oscar. "The high quality of this motion picture," noted the Academy, "brought to eloquent life in a country scarred by war, is proof to the world that the creative spirit can triumph over adversity."

Poster

Theatrical Release: April 27th, 1946

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DVD Comparison:

Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Eureka - Region 0 - PAL

DVD Box Cover	Pulled from etailors and shelves shortly after release
Distribution	Image Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC	Eureka Masters of Cinema # 33 Region 0 - PAL
Runtime	1:30:06	1:27:27 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.37:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate:5.76 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.76 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes
Bitrate: Image .
Bitrate: Eureka .
Audio	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: November 26, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 13	Release Information: Studio: Eureka Video Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Full length audio commentary by Bert Cardullo (author of Vittorio De Sica: Director, Actor, Screenwriter) • Through Children's Eyes - De Sica and Shoeshine - documentary with Manuel De Sica, Carlo Lizzani, Orio Caldiron, Italo Moscati, Franco Interlenghi • Ragazzi (The boys) - Parallel video interviews with Franco Interlenghi and Rinaldo Smordoni • The neorealist cinema - interview with Giampiero Brunetta • 24-page booklet featuring the writing of Vittorio De Sica, James Agee, Pauline Kael, and Bert Cardullo DVD Release Date: September 25th, 2006 Transparent Keep Case Chapters: 16

Comments:

ADDITION: Eureka - Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - PAL - Sept 06': The new Masters of Cinema release is light years ahead of the older/defunct Image Entertainment edition which is blown out, hazy, interlaced (rife with combing) and full of damage marks (mostly scratches and blemishes). Aside from some minor flickering contrast the new PAL edition is quite impressive - perhaps more so than the screen captures below will indicate. It is relatively clean and clear - the subtitles are also improved in appearance and translation. Audio - an obviously failing on the Image Entertainment DVD is improved to my ear. There is some movement in the frame with the Image disc looking cropped in the bottom and the MoC very marginally at the top.

The dual-layered Master of Cinema DVD has some excellent supplements - first an intelligent and detailed full-length commentary by Bert Cardullo (author of Vittorio De Sica: Director, Actor, Screenwriter). He exposes many subtle details in the filming process including framing, lighting and blocking that show the care in which that De Sica directed his films. There are also three featurettes - Through Children's Eyes - De Sica and Shoeshine - a 25 minute documentary with Manuel De Sica, Carlo Lizzani, Orio Caldiron, Italo Moscati and Franco Interlenghi giving input on De Sica and the film in question, Ragazzi (The boys) , a 21 minute featurette, with parallel video interviews with stars Franco Interlenghi and Rinaldo Smordoni and finallyan 8 minute short documentary entitles The neorealist cinema - mostly an interview with Giampiero Brunetta - a critic and cinematographic historian.

Overall this is one of the essentials of any film library for fans of Italian neo-realism. A masterpiece that Eureka, Masters of Cinema have brought to us in the best possible digital representation with valuable extra features that further enhance appreciation. This has our highest recommendation.

Gary W. Tooze

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(Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Eureka - Region 0 - PAL RIGHT)

Subtitle Sample