Shoeshine 4K Blu-ray Arrives August 19 from Criterion
Criterion releases a newly restored 4K version of Vittorio De Sica's Shoeshine with extensive special features.
Shoeshine (1946), directed by Vittorio De Sica, is a landmark film of Italian neorealism that chronicles the hardships faced by two boys, Giuseppe and Pasquale, who work shining shoes in postwar Rome. Their friendship is tested after they are caught up in a robbery and sent to a juvenile detention center, providing a poignant portrayal of lost innocence amid economic struggle.
This new Criterion 4K Blu-ray edition features a restoration undertaken by The Film Foundation and the Cineteca di Bologna, presenting the film with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack and a new English subtitle translation. The release is a two-disc combo pack that also includes:
Release Contents:
- Sciusciò 70 (2016): Documentary by Mimmo Verdesca marking the film's seventieth anniversary
- New program on Shoeshine and children in Italian neorealism: Featuring film scholars Paola Bonifazio and Catherine O'Rawe
- 1946 radio broadcast: With director Vittorio De Sica
- Film trailer
- Essay: By film scholar David Forgacs
- Shoeshine, Joe?: 1945 photo-documentary by Vittorio De Sica
Shoeshine is presented as both a cultural artifact of postwar Italy and a deeply human story of friendship, loyalty, and hardship.
Release Date: August 19, 2025.
Source: Blu-ray.com