Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 3, 2025

Vittorio De Sica's "Shoeshine" (1946) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include the rencent documentary "Sciuscia 70"; new program with film scholars Paola Bonifazio and Catherine O’Rawe; archival radio broadcast featuring Vittorio De Sica; and restoration trailer. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Of all the great Italian neorealist films, several of which are legitimate masterpieces of cinema, Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine is the easiest to critique. It is a very good film, one that will always, and rightfully, be grouped with Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D.. However, Shoeshine channels a lot of that very particular, unmistakable brand of post-war Italian melodrama, and occasionally, it even enthusiastically allows it to dominate its narrative.

Sometime after the end of WWII, in Rome, shoeshine boys Giuseppe (Rinaldo Smordoni) and Pasquale (Franco Interlenghi) dream of acquiring a special toy -- a very beautiful, muscular stallion they have fallen in love with. However, despite working hard on the city’s crowded streets, the two have managed to gather only a tiny fraction of the money needed to purchase the stallion.

On a most beautiful day, fate finally intervenes and presents Guiseppe and Pasquale with a seemingly perfect opportunity to make their dream come true. After meeting Giuseppe’s older brother, Attilio, a member of a small gang of black marketeers, the two agree to assist in a pre-arranged sale of contraband goods and earn a substantial commission. However, the sale turns out to be an old-fashioned scam, and when Attilio and his partners mishandle it, the local authorities promptly arrest Guiseppe and Pasquale. At a busy police precinct, the two are then fingerprinted, logged into the city’s massive criminal archive, and informed that they will be heading to a notorious juvenile prison.

In the days ahead, while surrounded by various other underage troublemakers and insensitive guards, Guiseppe and Pasquale gradually begin to grasp the heavy price they must pay as a punishment. Prison reality also corrodes and eventually shatters their friendship.

While it would have been easy to do it, Shoeshine does not produce any striking visuals that accurately depict the harsh living conditions inside the juvenile prison where the two boys are sent. At the same time, it is quite clear that it values authenticity, which is why it has remained an effective time capsule.

The melodrama that occasionally dominates the narrative is very similar and at times identical to that which flourishes in Mamma Roma and Bellissima. It creates pockets of tender, intimate material that has an undeniable effect on the identity of Shoeshine. For this reason, Shoeshine leaves the impression that it is more carefully managed and better polished than Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D., its two most famous relatives.

It must be acknowledged, however, that, given its subject, this is probably the only way in which Shoeshine could have been made. Also, it is the only neorealist film of its kind. It will take several decades before Italian directors begin exploring prison reality and the stories of those who lived it.

Shoeshine won a special, honorary Oscar award that led to the creation of the Best Foreign Language Film category, which became a competitive category in 1956.

Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Shoeshine is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-24 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #28-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this release:

"Undertaken by The Film Foundation and the Cinetecca di Bologna in association with Orium S.A., this new4K restoration was created using the best surviving original elements. Funding for the restoration was provided by Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.

Restoration: L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna, Italy."

In native 4K, the 4K restoration cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety in native 4K and then spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

On my system, I could not see any meaningful discrepancies in quality between the native 4K and 1080 presentations. In native 4K, some of the brighter daylight footage occasionally looks somewhat sharper, but the limitations of the surviving elements are such that there are always fluctuations. Despite these fluctuations, I would describe delineation, clarity, and depth as good. However, I must mention something that I think is important. A lot of darker areas tend to look quite flat, and while some of the source limitations are obviously contributing to the flatness, this is a typical weakness on 4K restorations completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata. In some areas, the effect is very similar to what denoising corrections do on a healthy master, which means that the dynamic range of the visuals is unconvincing. (You can see the exact same effect on the 4K restoration of Rocco and His Brothers). Image stability is good. The grayscale is good too, but the areas where the flarness emerges clearly can look more convincing. The entire film looks spotless.

Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The quality of the audio is difficult to judge because there are many inherited limitations. For example, during the outdoor footage, there is noticeable unevenness, and elsewhere, thinning can be easily noticed. Clarity is good, but depth is average at best. Unsurprisingly, dynamic nuances are extremely modest as well.

Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the disc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Sciuscia 70 - this recent documentary examines the history of Shoeshine and features interviews with lead actors Rinaldo Smordoni and Franco Interlenghi, Emi De Sica, and Paolo W. Tamburella. The documentary was produced in 2016. In Italian, with English subtitles. (62 min).

• "Shoeshine" Neorealism in Focus - in this new program, Italian cinema scholars Paola Bonifazio and Catherine O'Rawe discuss Shoehine. The program was produced for Criterion in 2025. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Vittorio De Sica - presented here is a radio broadcast from 1946 in which Vittorio De Sica addresses public indifference toward street children. In Italian, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Shoeshine. In Italian, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film scholar David Forgacs and "Shoeshine, Joe?," a 1945 photo-documentary by Vittorio De Sica, as well as techncial credits.

Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Giuseppe and Pasquale's story is timeless. While youth correctional facilities look different and are managed differently now, the boys who spend time there are still scarred for life. It is irrelevant whether they have earned it or not -- the process that produces the scarring and the harsh lessons that are part of it remains the same. Criterion's combo pack introduces a new 4K restoration of Shoeshine, with an excellent recent documentary featuring its two stars, Rinaldo Smordoni and Franco Interlenghi. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.