Umberto D. is usually considered to be De Sica’s other masterpiece. It’s a great film, but I’m a little more partial to Shoeshine, which, unfortunately, is difficult to get a hold of if you live in The United States of America. Miracle in Milan is great, too, (and also hard to get a hold of) but it did a few things that I didn’t exactly expect from De Sica.
For other films in Italian neo-realism, you’ll want to pick up Rossellini’s war trilogy – Rome, Open City; Paisan; Germany Year Zero. Luciano Visconti is also one of the major players in the neo-realist movement, but I’m not very familiar with his neo-realist period, and will have to defer to other members when it comes to him. For non-neo-realist films by Visconti, I recommend Senso (which will be released on BD soon) and Rocco and his Brothers.
Adding on to Nathan’s Rossellini suggestion, I suggest you check out Il Generale Della Rovere, a film by Rossellini starring Vittorio De Sica. They were good friends, and it would be a good one to see alongside any De Sica film. I might also suggest The Children are Watching to be another great De Sica film, also in release by the Criterion Collection.
he only made one great film( and it is truly great)
quit while you have a high opinion of him
My favourite of his films is Una breve vacanza/A Brief Vacation. It’s from his later period but nonetheless a masterpiece.
You should also watch him act. Ophuls’ “Madame de…,” "Rossellini’s “General Della Rovere,” or as a comedian
in the “Bread, Love….” films. I just watched him on TCM in “Too Bad She’s Bad.” Wonderful.
He influenced a lot of people. As an actor, Mastroianni. As a director, Satyajit Ray.
As an actor, he is curiosly one of the main representant of “pink neorelism”. That is a way to define that comedies (such as “Pane, amore e fantasia”, or “Poveri ma belli”) that have a popular, and poor backgroud (in a certain way similar to the neorealism’s background).
About movies, I could suggest for Visconti La terra trema, Ossessione. And, of course, is not-neorealist movies, such as Rocco e i suoi fratelli and Il Gattopardo.
I should suggest also Riso amaro and Roma ore 11, De Santis’ movies.
Neorealism is an interesting but complex period, it has many different souls, at least one per director
umberto d and shoeshine are must-sees
children are watching us and miracle in milan are also nice, but not essential viewing
I just watched Bicycle Thieves for the first time a couple days ago. It was a very powerful and moving film. So glad I finally had the chance to see it.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is a fantastic movie by Di Sica!
@Grey Daisies – A Brief Vacation is a great film, one of my favorites of his as well.
I forgot the movie Sunflower, a totally heatbreaking movie but one of De Sica best!
No one’s mentioned The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970), from DeSica’s later period. It won the Best Foreign Language Oscar, if that means anything (and it probably doesn’t).
BTW, Bicycle Thieves won the very first Foreign Language Oscar in 1948.
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis is a crushingly beautiful film. One of his very best.
If you can find them, many of his lesser known titles from the 60s — Young World, Sunflower, A Place for Lovers, The Condemned of Altona — are also worthy of a look while searching out Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
And don’t forget his masterful Two Women, for which Sophia Loren was awarded an Oscar and Jean-Paul Belmondo should have been.
I tried to watch the Garden of the Finzi Continis once, and I just couldn’t take it. The quick zooming and slow pace in the beginning just wrecked it for me.
Two Women, I thought, was a little over the top.
DeSica was a compulsive gambler and took on many indifferent commercial projects in order to pay his debts. His best works (Bicyclye Thief, Shoeshine, Umberto d, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) stand the test of time and as an actor he was superb.
I must say i was underwhelmed with Shoeshine. it starts off well, then becomes routine once the kids go to jail. it just didn’t grab me.
Would love to see it. It’s his only early period/Neorealist masterpiece I haven’t yet watched.
^^i’ll have to give it another look in the future sometime.
I really liked Miracle In Milan though. i know a lot of people are on the fence about that, and most i’ve spoken to haven’t even bothered with it at all.
I enjoyed it. I thought it had touching moments and was made with sensitivity.
De Sica is my favourite out of all the Italian directors
Harry Rossi
Having only seen Bicycle Thieves, I would love to see more films by him. Any suggestions as to what to watch next?
In fact, I’d love to hear suggestions for Italian Neorealism films in general.