Sciuscià (1946)

Italy 93m B&W
Director: Vittorio De Sica; Cast: Franco Interlenghi, Rinaldo Smordoni, Annielo Mele, Bruno Ortenzi, Emilio Cigoli

Purchasing a horse with money they earned from selling stolen goods, two shoeshine boys, Pasquale and Giuseppe end up in a prison for boys. Pasquale is subsequently tricked into giving up Giuseppe’s older brother to the authorities, which leads to a series of events which turn the boys against each other. A dark neorealist drama, with tragic outcomes, Sciuscià is a bleak commentary on lost innocence and the lack of children’s rights in post-war Italy (Klaus Ming February 2015).