Shoeshine 4K UHD The Criterion Collection US Edition

Shoeshine is one of the earliest and most influential works of Italian neorealism. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, the film follows two poor boys, Giuseppe and Pasquale, who earn their living shining shoes on the streets of Rome. Dreaming of a better life and hoping to buy a horse together, they get caught up in petty crime and are eventually imprisoned.

Inside the juvenile detention center, the boys face harsh conditions, betrayal, and the slow erosion of their deep friendship. What begins as a simple story of youthful hope becomes a heartbreaking depiction of innocence destroyed by systemic neglect, poverty, and the indifference of institutions.

Shot with non-professional actors and on real locations, Shoeshine embodies the raw realism that defined Italian neorealism. Its unflinching humanity and social critique earned it international acclaim, including a special Academy Award in 1947, presented before the Foreign Language category existed.

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

¥ New 4K digital restoration, undertaken by The Film Foundation and the Cineteca di Bologna, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

¥ One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

¥ Sciusci√† 70¬†(2016), a documentary by Mimmo Verdesca, made to mark the film's seventieth anniversary

¥ New program on¬†Shoeshine¬†and Italian neorealism featuring film scholars Paola Bonifazio and Catherine O'Rawe

¥ Radio broadcast from 1946 featuring director Vittorio De Sica

¥ Trailer

¥ New English subtitle translation

¥ PLUS: An essay by film scholar David Forgacs and "Shoeshine, Joe?," a 1945 photo-documentary by De Sica

New cover by F. Ron Miller