by Joseph Davis, Contributing Writer
With the Oscar nominations officially out, I was curious to see what films were nominated for Best International Feature. This honestly got me thinking more about the history of the award, and some of the films in years gone by that have won the award. With that in mind, for this month’s Out of Market, I dove into the depths to see when the award was first made, and to check out some of the films that have won. This is what lead me to decide that it might be worthwhile to not only watch a few of the films nominated for this year’s Best International Feature, but also to look at the first film to win the award: Shoeshine (or Sciuscià in Italian). The first of eight films to win a special award, it felt worthwhile to give it a go and take the time to see what this post-war Italian film was like.
First off, I feel like it is worth discussing the fact the main cast we focus on are children. We see Pasquale Maggi (Franco Interlenghi) and Guiseppe Filippucci (Rinaldo Smordoni) as two shoeshine boys trying to raise money to buy a horse. This choice makes this film all the more intriguing, as they soon find themselves in prison for being an accessories to a robbery committed by Guiseppe’s brother and associates. This choice makes their situation even more heartbreaking, as you see the childlike innocence get washed away, and how an act done to protect a friend can in itself ruin a relationship. It would be easy to make a movie, even in modern times, with a similar plot, that uses adults as the focus, but to use kids is a striking choice. I say this, admittedly, with a grain of salt, as there are moments where the difference in both cultures and of the age of the film catch me off guard (such as a fight scene set in the showers of the juvenile prison), as these choices can be bothersome. But I think that’s also why it’s important to take a chance to view a film as an American in a distinctly non-American setting, and also to keep in mind the age of the film.
Speaking of Americans, as this is set in Italy, we get a view of some indirect American influence. This film was released in 1946, and some scenes give me the impression that it is set in 1944 or 1945, as mentions of the war in the Pacific are used, along with the fact we see the boys shine the shoes of what appear to be American soldiers and members of the Military Police in the city. This inclusion helps to ground the film, as we see a story set in a country that either in the film is still in the midst of, or has just seen the end of, the war in Europe. Thus, the idea of money being difficult to find and that people rely on things such as the black market or crime just clicks, along with the desire to not endanger this illicit supply line. It adds depth to the story, while also not completely overshadowing the main plot.
Shoeshine gives a glimpse into both the postwar realities of Italy, but also an idea of the postwar identity of Italian filmmaking. It’s also interesting to note how Shoeshine is the first of four films by its director, Vittorio De Sica, to win the award, two of them honorary, as part of what my post-watch research shows to me is a very long and productive film career. I may just have to dive deeper into his filmography as not just a director, but also as an actor.
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