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Shoeshine
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Synopsis
Vittorio DeSica's Shoeshine (Sciuscia) is a must-see example of Italian neorealist cinema, ranking with such other neorealist classics as DeSica's Bicycle Thieves (1948) and Umberto D. (1952) and Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1945). Using nonprofessional actors, DeSica and co-screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, also one of neorealism's leading figures, paint an uncompromising picture of the lives of Italian street children abandoned by their parents at the end of World War II. The film concentrates on two such children, Giuseppe (Rinaldo Smerdoni) and Pasquale (Franco Interlenghi). With no one else to turn to, the boys form a solid friendship, as well as a "corporation" of sorts: they eke out a living shining the boots of American GIs. The boys' hope for a rosier future is manifested in their dreams of owning a beautiful white horse. This, along with all their other aspirations, is eradicated when the boys are inadvertently shipped off to a reformatory. A failure in Italy (director DeSica noted that postwar Italian audiences preferred the glossy escapism emanating from Hollywood), Shoeshine was a huge success worldwide, as well as the winner of a special Academy Awards. Like Bicycle Thieves, it combines DeSica's frequent focus on children with his emphasis on post-war social problems. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

Pacifico Astrologo Vittorio
Antonio Carlino L'Abruzzese
Emilio Cigoli Staffera
Angelo D'Amico Siciliano
Francesco de Nicola Ciriola
Enrico de Silva Giorgio
Franco Interlenghi Pasquale
Antonio Lo Nigro Righetoo
Aniello Mele Raffaele
Bruno Ortensi Arcangeli
Gino Saltamerenda Il panza

Production Crew

Anchise Brizzi Cinematographer
Alessandro Cicognini Composer (Music Score)
Vittorio De Sica Director
Nicolo Lazzari Editor
Paolo William Tamburella Producer
Ivo Battelli Production Designer
Adolfo Franci Screenwriter
Cesare Giulio Viola Screenwriter
Cesare Zavattini Screenwriter
Sergio Amidei Screenwriter
Vittorio De Sica Screenwriter
Year: 1947
Runtime: 90
Country: Italy
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama

Produced by
Paolo W. Tamburella

Release
April 27, 1946 (Italy)
by Enic
Lopert Films

Awards
1947 - Best Foreign Film - New York Film Critics Circle
1947 - Best Picture - National Board of Review