Shoeshine
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Synopsis
An international breakthrough for neorealism, Vittorio De Sica’s Academy Award–winning film is an indelible fable of innocence lost amid the hardscrabble reality of 1940s Italy. On the streets of Rome, two boys—best friends Giuseppe (Rinaldo Smordoni) and Pasquale (Franco Interlenghi)—set out to raise the money to buy a horse by shining shoes. When they are inadvertently caught up in a robbery and sent to a brutal juvenile detention center, their loyalty to each other is severely tested. A devastating portrait of economic struggle made all the more haunting by its child’s-eye perspective, Shoeshine stands as one of the defining achievements of postwar Italian filmmaking.
Picture 7/10
Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine finally arrives on home video in North America through a new 4K UHD edition from The Criterion Collection. The film is presented in SDR in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on a dual-layer BD-66 disc, with a 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition presentation sourced from a new 4K restoration. The set also includes a standard dual-layer Blu-ray featuring the same restoration in 1080p, along with all of the release’s supplements.
I’ll preface everything by saying I’m thrilled Shoeshine has received a 4K UHD release, especially since it feels like any sort of high-end release has been a long time coming. I don't want to make it sound like this has no business being released on the format because that's definitely not the case. That said, based on the end results, it is a bit wild that this title got the 4K treatment while others released by Criterion the same month—Compensation and Cairo Station, in particular—only received Blu-ray editions, and I'd say come out looking better by comparison.
In the end, the limitations present here seem to be due to the source materials and have nothing to do with a shoddy restoration or even a poor encode. The restoration notes vaguely state that the scans were sourced from “the best surviving elements,” but without further detail, I can only assume they didn’t have access to ideal offerings. Judging by the final image, we’re probably looking at at least some of it coming from an interpositive or duplicate negative (maybe), and other portions from prints a few generations removed. Much of the image has a persistent haziness, with finer details struggling to register. Grayscale can be inconsistent, with mushy grays especially evident in the film’s final stretch, though I'm happy to say a majority of scenes feature a wider range and smoother gradations. Yet even in those stronger moments, blacks never fully settle, always coming across a bit muddy. While it’s disappointing that this is an SDR presentation, I doubt the HDR would have made much difference.
Fortunately, the encoding itself is solid. It’s clean and film-like, with no noticeable artifacts and nicely rendered grain. And the restoration work, given what they were likely working with, is admirable. The image is very stable throughout, and there are no severe marks, scratches, or flicker, which is a feat all unto itself, really. I’m honestly a bit surprised Criterion didn’t include a restoration demonstration to show what was overcome here because I can only assume portions of it were absolutely dire.
So, in the end, after all of that, it still looks pretty good, probably about as good as it can look; the materials are clearly a limiting factor. Still, while the 4K presentation is a step up from the Blu-ray, it’s only a marginal one at best.
Shoeshine - Screen Captures
Audio 5/10
Criterion includes a lossless PCM 1.0 monaural soundtrack. As with the image, the source materials are clearly limited, but the track sounds decent overall. The range is fairly narrow, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn some filtering had been applied. Still, dialogue is clear, the music comes through well (if a bit edgy at times), and there’s no significant damage or distracting noise to speak of.
Extras 6/10
This is a film that I feel has been a long time coming from Criterion, so it’s a bit surprising how slim the selection of supplements end up being.
The most substantial feature is the 2016 documentary Sciuscià 70, a 61-minute retrospective on the making of the film. Through interviews with academics, individuals who knew De Sica (including his daughter Emi), and the film’s two stars, Franco Interlenghi and Rinaldo Smordoni (the latter appearing in what seems to be older footage, having passed away before the film was assembled), the documentary provides a comprehensive overview. It traces the film’s development, from its origins in an article written by De Sica, to its release and enduring legacy, while weaving in archival photos and footage. It can occasionally lean a bit sentimental, but it’s still an informative piece, particularly when it digs into the postwar Italian film industry.
Criterion has also produced a new featurette, “Shoeshine”: Neorealism in Focus, running 19 minutes and featuring film scholars Paola Bonifazio and Catherine O’Rawe. Though they touch on the film’s neorealist qualities (despite its obvious sets and stylized flourishes) they also expand on the film’s origins. The piece explores De Sica’s original article “Shoeshine, Joe?” in more depth, as well as his shift from actor to director and how that influenced his work with non-professional performers. The historical context is also covered, particularly how Italy’s postwar climate shaped both this film and others of the period.
It’s a strong inclusion, though regrettably the only academically focused one (Eureka's commentary wasn't even pulled over). The disc then wraps up with a short trailer for the new restoration and a 3-minute archival radio interview from 1946 featuring De Sica discussing the film and its social themes. The audio plays over a slideshow of production photos, clippings from De Sica’s article, posters, and period press.
Thankfully, the booklet helps round things out. In addition to a new essay by David Forgacs, it also includes an English reprint of De Sica’s original article, complete with photographs.
Overall, the material is worthwhile and easy to move through, but it does feel a bit slight for such a significant title.
Closing
Despite the inherent limitations, Criterion's edition of Shoeshine is still a solid one. The restoration work is commendable given the materials, the supplements are worthwhile if a little light, and just having the film, especially in 4K, is a win in itself. It may not be the showstopper some other titles have been, but it’s a welcome one all the same.
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