Shoeshine (1946) Sciuscià (Ragazzi) (original title)

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writers:

Sergio Amidei &
Adolfo Franci ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Two boys make money by shining shoes in the streets of Rome in postwar Italy. When they become involved in a burglary, the police come looking for them.

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Police | Fortune Teller | Black Market | Older Brother

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins

Cast

Franco Interlenghi	...	Pasquale Maggi
Rinaldo Smordoni	...	Giuseppe Filippucci
Annielo Mele	...	Raffaele
Bruno Ortenzi	...	Arcangeli
Emilio Cigoli	...	Staffera
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pacifico Astrologo	...	Vittorio (uncredited)
Maria Campi	...	Palmist (uncredited)
Antonio Carlino	...	L'Abruzzese (uncredited)
Angelo D'Amico	...	Siciliano (uncredited)
Francesco De Nicola	...	Ciriola (uncredited)
Enrico De Silva	...	Giorgio (uncredited)
Claudio Ermelli	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Leo Garavaglia	...	Inspector (uncredited)
Antonio Lo Nigro	...	Righetto (uncredited)
Antonio Nicotra	...	Social worker (uncredited)
Anna Pedoni	...	Nannarella (uncredited)
Gino Saltamerenda	...	Il panza (uncredited)
Irene Smordoni	...	Giuseppe's mother (uncredited)
Peppino Spadaro	...	Lawyer Bonavino (uncredited)
Mario Volpicelli	...	Prison principal (uncredited)

Directed by
Vittorio De Sica

Writing credits
Sergio Amidei		&
Adolfo Franci		&
Cesare Giulio Viola		(as Cesare G. Viola) &
Cesare Zavattini

Produced by
Paolo William Tamburella	....	producer

Original Music by
Alessandro Cicognini

Cinematography by
Anchise Brizzi

Film Editing by
Niccolò Lazzari		(as Nicolò Lazzari)

Production Design by
Ivo Battelli
Giulio Lombardozzi		(as G. Lombardozzi)

Production Management
Nino Ottavi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Elmo De Sica	....	second assistant director
Argi Rovelli	....	second assistant director
Umberto Scarpelli	....	assistant director
Armando W. Tamburella	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Tullo Parmegiani	....	sound (as Tullio Parmegiani)

Camera and Electrical Department
Elio Paccara	....	camera operator

Other crew
Franco Serino	....	production assistant
Herman G. Weinberg	....	subtitler: English

Production Companies

• Societa Cooperativa Alfa Cinematografica

Distributors

• Lopert Pictures Corporation (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1977) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Compagnie Indépendante de Distribution de Films (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• Ente Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche (ENIC) (1946) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Films sans Frontières (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Medusa Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD) (restored)
• Mondadori Video (2000) (Italy) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (TV)

Also Known As:

"Sciuscià (Ragazzi)" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 (1953) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:A (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Scalera Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Societa Cooperativa Alfa Cinematografica

Trivia:

The title is a Napulitan corruption of the English word "shoe-shiner."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Another treat from De Sica

I have watched the unforgettable and justifiably renowned Bicycle Thief, and the impressive Umberto D. I had long been wanting to watch Shoeshine and finally saw it last evening, enjoying it as movies are meant to be enjoyed - on a big home screen with my new projector. The movie starts on a perky note - two boys, close friends, exuberant at having bought a horse they both love. One is almost lulled into thinking that this will be a buoyant movie about friendship and a horse. It turns out to be several shades darker. It is De Sica's genius that he can pull you in so quickly and make you feel such strong empathy for the two boys as they are brutalized by life within a short span of a few days; their friendship souring and spiraling down towards an ominous end. Be warned, this is a depressing movie. But it is a gem nonetheless, and I know that several scenes will remained etched in my mind forever. In particular, De Sica captures in a starkly beautiful manner the quicksilver bonding and the territorial rivalries of the boys trapped in a bleak Dickens' style detention center. A must watch for any fan of that strain of Italian cinema from the 1940s and 50s.