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.

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Video Quality

The Criterion Collection presents Shoeshine on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of a wonderful 4K digital restoration from the best surviving original elements undertaken by The Film Foundation and Cineteca di Bologna. The film is presented in 2160p SDR which brings new life to the picture even without HDR implementation. The film is also making its domestic Blu-Ray debut with the included Blu-Ray disc derived from the same source, also available to purchase separately. It is great to see the leap to 4K UHD in tandem with the Blu-Ray release, as it allows fans of the superior format to buy with confidence. The Blu-Ray is a beauty, but the 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc derives more from the source which makes it the preferred choice. The stark black and white cinematography is incredible with consistent gradients and valuable textures. The contrast remains resolute and provides improvements in clarity.

This transfer maintains the filmic quality of the picture with the natural film grain extracting subtle details from the background. We are not working from the Original Camera Negative, and you can tell as much at points with an overall softer appearance. This is to be expected from a film of this vintage, though, and you will not spot much in the way of major dust specks or print damage. This master offers a notable amount of textural details in the clothing and the dingy production design. Black levels are nice and fairly deep without any serious nuisances such as digital noise or compression artifacts. The frame translates the sense of claustrophobia the characters feel inside the jail cell with an accurate sense of the dimensions. This transfer is a major win for fans of Italian cinema. The Criterion Collection has put forth a strong effort.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a remastered LPCM 1.0 mono track in the original Italian with optional English subtitles. This film is nearly 80 years old, but there is a surprising lack of age-related wear and tear. Dialogue comes through clearly, but there are moments when it can sound a bit hollow. No exchanges get overwhelmed by parallel elements. The music of the feature does not attempt to steal focus, but it is in good shape when it emerges. Dynamic environmental sounds mainly show up in some of the street sounds and the raucous energy when the boys are in the prison. Criterion has given this film the noble audio presentation it deserves.

Special Features

The Criterion 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Shoeshine includes a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar David Forgacs and “Shoeshine, Joe?,” a 1945 photo-documentary by De Sica. This work explores the themes of the film, the creative figures, the legacy of the film, and more which is very illuminating. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Sciuscia 70: A 62-minute documentary from 2016 that reflects on the impact of Shoeshine featuring interviews with producer Paolo William Tamburella, screenwriters Cesare Zavattini, Adolfo Franci, Cesare Giulio Viola, Sergio Amidei, musician Alessandro Cicognini, photographer Anchise Brizzi, the two young protagonists Rinaldo Smordoni and Franco Interlenghi, and more.

Shoeshine – Neorealism in Focus: A 19-minute new piece with film scholars Paola Bonifazio and Catherine O’Rawe in which they reflect on the legacy of the film, the film’s aesthetic, the spotlight on postwar Italy, and more.

Vittorio de Sica: A nearly four-minute radio excerpt from 1946 in which Vittorio De Sica urges people to not disregard the issue of street children.

2024 Restoration Trailer (1:22)

Final Thoughts

Shoeshine is a harrowing tale of desperation and innocence lost in the face of a cruel justice system. As a viewer, you understand that there must be consequences that will hopefully compel our main characters to stay out of trouble, but the severity of the punishment and lack of compassion breaks your heart. The young performers embody their characters in a manner that feels far beyond their young years. Director Vittorio De Sica treats this story with the proper levity that will linger with audiences of all ages. The Criterion Collection has delivered a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that offers a sterling A/V presentation and some cool special features. If you are a fan of Italian neorealism, check this one out without hesitation. Recommended

The Criterion Collection edition of Shoeshine is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD and Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.