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5.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Le scarpe al sole remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, it depends on how much patience you have for old, black-and-white Italian dramas that care more about mood than plot. If you want explosions and a tight story, look elsewhere. But if you dig movies that feel like a dusty photograph you found in an attic, you might actually like this. People who hate slow-burn stuff that refuses to explain itself should probably steer clear.
The whole thing feels like it’s set on a mountain that never ends. The rocks look sharp. The sun is way too bright for a movie that’s supposed to be about soldiers hiding out.
There’s this one scene where a guy is just staring at his boots, and I’m pretty sure it went on for way longer than the director intended. Maybe the camera operator just forgot to cut? It works, though. It’s got that weird, quiet weight to it that you don’t get in modern blockbusters.
There are moments in Le scarpe al sole where you can almost hear the dust settling. It reminded me a bit of the pacing in Umanita, though this one feels a lot less interested in being a 'serious message' movie. It’s just people being tired.
It’s not perfect. Sometimes the dialogue feels like it’s being read off a wall behind the camera. But then you get a shot of a silhouette against a mountain ridge, and you forget the clunky lines for a second. It reminded me of how The Wild Girl uses the landscape, but way less romantic. Just rocks and dirt.
Also, don't ask me what happened to the pacing halfway through. It just kind of wanders off into the fog. I didn't mind it. It felt honest, in a messy, disorganized way.
If you go in expecting a coherent war narrative, you’re gonna have a bad time. Just let the movie be a weird, dusty daydream.
I think I liked it more because it didn't try to be important. It’s just a movie about guys on a mountain. Sometimes that's enough, right? 🏔️
