Shoeshine (Sciuscià) (Vittorio De Sica, 1946)

Oh my gosh! That was literally my reaction at the end of this shocking film. It started normally enough − for a neorealist film. Although it wasn’t as “rough” and “authentic” as Roma, Citta Aperta for instance. There were signs of obvious editing and there didn’t seem to be as many long shots. Yes, some shots of the “banal” or more boring, but for the most part, it was like a draft of a Hollywood film almost. I know De Sica’s films are known for the more significant part children play in them and this one was no exception. The main two characters, Giuseppe and Pasquale, are so mature and responsible it just amazed me. They took care of all this business and finances, and I got the impression they were doing better than their parents (who actually borrowed from them). Now I don’t know much about the situation at the time in terms of currency, but I found it a little well, maybe hard to believe that they could afford a horse, and if they could that you would actually spend money on the animal rather than food, for instance. Nevertheless, they were convincing characters and proved to be an effective way of portraying injustice through their innocence and naivety. I noticed that the jail director sort of related to the dictator of a Fascist regime, like Mussolini, particularly when he inspects the food in the kitchen, saying it’s “passable”. He was tough and cold, in contrast to his assistant who ultimately had too much empathy and left the jail, aware of his unsuitability for the environment there. I was impressed with how well they could keep their promise not to rat out their employer. I think this is an example of Gilles Deleuze’s time-image, where the characters are pretty much passive and helpless, as they are locked in jail after being accused of selling stolen goods and their escape is ultimately unfruitful. The fact that it was Giuseppe’s brother that got them the job makes it all the more harder for them to confess.

However, we see Pasquale’s strong man-like exterior crumble when he witnesses what he thinks is Giuseppe being beaten (which is in fact a clever trick involving beating a bag of potatoes and getting a young boy to scream, as if in pain). He then confesses “or grasses” but we see how this event turns his good friend (and pretty much brother) Giuseppe when he finds out from his mother that his brother is being investigated. It seems like the act of beating becomes a catalyst for truth, as later on we see the same thing echoed when Pasquale is beaten (for real this time), after Giuseppe tells the prison director he has a nail file in his cell (which he planted there). And thus, Giuseppe yells out for them to stop beating Pasquale, effectively revealing his guilt and deep-seated love for Pasquale. The little girl Nannarella also has an interesting presence in the film, she hardly speaks but is there with the boys at the start, when they’re taken away, and even in court − she’s like an angel figure I suppose. 

The film is not all doom and gloom, as seeing the protagonists are young boys, there are moments of light-heartedness and proof that children can come up with the most amusing things to say. Near the end of the film, before the boys escape, we see them watch a film (which like Pasquale points out, the jail gives them food, shelter and entertainment − “what more could you want?”) and the film becomes almost self-reflexive as we watch them watching a film, and for one of the poor boys (with a lung condition), a rare experience of the joys of cinema. This is before the projector catches fire and causes a mass trampling which ends up with this very boy dead (which honestly, I was kind of expecting). Speaking of death, well the ending is just incredible − so far from the happy, ever after resolutions of Hollywood classical narratives. Pasquale leads the jail director to find the escaped boys (with the intention of running away) and when he finds Giuseppe, he starts slapping his face as an expression of the anger and I suppose regret he feels. Nevertheless, as he hits Giuseppe, he fails to notice the edge of the bridge and results in pushing him over, to have Giuseppe land on the rocks below, motionless and dead. Pasquale just breaks down and of course the guards and jail director come running, we see the horse walk away (a symbol of their dream no longer within reach) and the words “Fine”. So the movie ends on this tragic, painful note and I suppose Pasquale returns to the jail or may even be charged with manslaughter. It’s a terrible way to end a story but so memorable and definitely an example of just how different the movement of Italian neorealism was.

I also like the special features which include interviews with the child stars (now much older men), documentary “Through Children’s Eyes” and segment on neorealism.

3/5