Review of Shoeshine (1946) by Peter F — 08 Nov 2013

This drama did not engage me as much as De Sica's Bicycle Thieves. The neorealist practice of using nonprofessional actors works well enough, but many of the characters are not as distinctly drawn.

Pasquale and Giuseppe work shining shoes for the lingering G.I.s in order to buy a horse. They get mixed up with Giuseppe's older brother's gang and end up in a juvenile prison. In an interesting twist of the teen crime drama norm, the younger Giuseppe, who has family, is the more hard-nosed one, while the older Pasquale, who is an orphan, is more innocent to the ways of prison.

Tragically, trying to do the right thing leads Pasquale to betray Giuseppe's trust. They both encounter complications adjusting to life in prison, but ultimately their friendship is torn apart. This Italian film does not have a happy ending.