Miracle in Milan

Miracle.in.Milan.1951.(Vittorio.De.Sica).1080p.BRRip.x264-Classics

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A desk floats on top of the ocean, the tips of its four legs bolstered to the water surface. How is that happening? Sometimes things look perfect when a bunch of strong decisions are made. In this case they dont.

This is perhaps the one of Vittorio de Sica's films that contains the most and greatest poetry. Everything here is poetic, the main character himself being something of an angel, the tramps of the ramshackle slum with their very peculiar lives of their own, just their way of celebrating the sunshine and keeping warm when it shines through the smog, and even the way the industrial tycoons are treated, they want to tear down the miserable ramshackle slum of the tramps, but it's not that easy, since our friend the orphan has mysterious friends and contacts on the other side, and his optimism proves not just incurable but even invincible. This film must have meant a lot to Fellini, for many scenes here remind you of later great scenes of Fellini's, and most of all the touch of intimacy with those worst off in society. At the same time this is a great comedy, and there are constant hilarious surprises all the way, culminating in the glorious finale around the cathedral - whoever could have expected such a magnificent crowning triumph of such a hopeless case?

The best movie of all time. Masterpiece of movie art.

MIRACLE IN MILAN has a straightforward plot: young Toto (Francesco Golisano) is discovered in a cabbage patch by an old woman (Emma Gramatica) who brings him up as her son. She passes away, and the boy is sent to an orphanage. Released from the institution as an adolescent, Toto embraces a positive view of life; and becomes involved in a large-scale project to set up a shanty-town on the outskirts of Milan. They fall foul of the landowner Mobbi (Guglielmo Barnabò) who tries every possible means to evict them using the police force, water-cannon, bullets and the like. Toto and his friends resist them with the help of the miracle suggested by the title and end up going to a possibly happier world. Director Vittorio de Sica and his cinematographer G.R. Aldo capture the atmosphere of postwar Milan with its deserted streets, ruined buildings and outwardly cold population in the depths of winter. Horses and carts still run up and down the streets; cars are a rarity except among the filthy rich. Poverty is rife: many homeless people wander up and down ransacking the rubbish-heaps and making do with very little, even half-empty bottles of alcohol thrown to them from passing cars. The distinction between rich and poor is highly pronounced, as one might expect from Cesare Zavattini, who rote the novel on which the film is based, as well as collaborating with de Sica. Yet MIRACLE IN MILAN differs from other de Sica movies in its use of quasi- Brechtian devices - for example, street signs changed into multiplication sums for the benefit of the street children, or obvious signs denoting the symbolic meaning of the shanty-town. The musical numbers (by Alessandro Cicognini) attest to a bright future for the poor; not that they need much. They would be happy with just a crust of bread and a roof over their heads. Stylistically speaking the film has several antecedents, as well as the Italian neo-realist tradition. The sight of the shanty-town residents marching triumphantly down their streets singing about their dreams recalls British musicals such as SING AS WE GO (1934), as well as the better-known Depression-era Hollywood musicals like 42nd STREET (1933). The group ethic that binds Toto and his friends together has further British antecedents in PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (1949), another comedy set in the bomb-damaged wastes of a big city. MIRACLE IN MILAN is a highly entertaining piece with an upbeat ending, drawing our attention to community values as well as placing our trust in our families. There are some good jokes at the expense of the bourgeois Mobbi, including one where he and his co- conspirator are reduced to barking at one another like a pair of unruly dogs. De Sica's social criticisms are as applicable today as they were sixty-plus years ago; one can only hope that people experiencing similar privations will be as optimistic about their future as Toto.

lovely. it is first word about this film. fantastic, tender, gentle, dream, it is a sentimental gem. and this is important for a gray , cold world. parable, social manifesto in sweet colors, fairy tale, it is a piece of clay for its viewer. because it is difficult to define it. so, essential is the warm emotion. the performance of Emma Gramatica. and extraordinary Toto in which the young Francesco Golisano gives all pure nuances of life joy. after many years from first meeting, it is not exactly one of my favorites but ideal drug for gloomy days. a different de Sica, it is shining and naive. or, only, isle for the short escape after stressful moments. a kind of Life is wonderful but with little substantial dose of miracle flavor.maybe, a form of Charlot universe slice. like return in childhood womb.

The great Italian actor/director/writer Vittorio De Sica is probably best known for his neo-realism offerings, particularly the tear- jerking masterpiece Bicycle Thieves (1948). His next film, Miracle in Milan, begins with the title 'once upon a time...', making it clear enough that this is a step towards more fantastical fare. While still exploring themes of class divide and the humility of the poor, Miracle is pure fairytale, starting out with a baby found in a basket and climaxing with a gathering of our homeless heroes flying away on broomsticks. The ageing Lolotta (Emma Gramatica) finds a newborn baby in her cabbage patch and adopts him, naming him Toto. When the old lady dies, the young Toto is taken to an orphanage where he grows up (to be played by Francesco Golisano) and emerges an optimistic and happy-go-lucky young man. Shortly after he discovers that other members of society don't share his chirpy outlook on life, he is robbed by a homeless man but takes pity on him, and in return Toto is shown to a shantytown on the outskirts of Milan. Fitting in immediately, Toto and his new friends discover that the land on which they dwell holds oil, and soon enough the rich fat cats descend on the outcasts. There is little subtlety to Miracle in Milan, and De Sica is quick to stamp his own views on a society that shun the poor, portraying the rich as fat, cigar-chomping tyrants, while the poor are a collection of likable oddballs. There are many wonderful moments, such as Toto overseeing the renovation of the shantytown and the scene in which the homeless, Tati-esque, huddle together to warm up in a slim ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds. It's also on- the-nose and slightly grating, complete with obscene caricatures and some comedic scenes that simply do not work. We are left with the message of the corrupting power of wealth, and while this is a familiar topic in the realm of neo-realism, there's enough charm on show to help see past the flaws.

Miracle in Milan is a movie that has one of those heart-warming characters with an indomitable spirit who brightens the lives of everyone around him. I quite liked how Francesco Golisano played this character because he never acts as though this is a struggle for him, he simply is kind and optimistic as a part of his nature. The film starts off somewhat comical, but otherwise perfectly normal as the people living homeless in Milan seek a way to survive. I was charmed by this whole section of the film, and seeing the way that the human spirit fought to live a normal life despite not having all the modern conveniences that money provides. There is also a fun contrast when we see these poor people interacting with the rich and privileged people who want to take possession of the land. A meeting in the big city was one of the most humorous scenes in the film, as we see these homeless people in the most over-the-top opulence. The turn for the film comes later when a magical element is added to the story. This is where things got weird. I liked the idea of empowering our hero in a unique way, but his new-found ability kind of shifted the tone and even the plot of the film. Suddenly, it was looking at how greed could entrap even those who once knew how to live with nothing. But it never felt the script fully addressed how damaging this behavior was to the people as they received everything that they thought would make life better. Also, the original plot is still happening, but it seems the importance of it is diminished. I wouldn't mind a kind of Monkey's Paw story, where someone is given magical powers that end up ruining life when it was supposed to help, but it is not the plot I was invested in from the outset. Then the ending is extremely odd and leaves me with more questions than answers. I definitely liked elements of Miracle in Milan, but if it remained focused in one direction or the other I would have enjoyed it more.

Superlatives are in order when referring to "Miracolo a Milano" : it's not "a little gem" but a sort of crown jewel of world humanistic cinema. I personally value this comedy more than De Sica's/Zavattini's more serious/famous works such as "Sciuscia", "Ladri di biciclette" or "Umberto D.". So much fondness, warmth, understanding, positiveness - and cinematic bravura, intelligence, taste, wit .... Timeless ! Whenever I watch it, I find the movie's ending brilliantly ambiguous : on the one hand liberating and hopeful, on the other hand ultimately sad, because that joyful migration cannot lead anywhere but "anywhere out the world" .... Arrow's blu-ray offers the best print I ever saw of this cathartic masterpiece on home video format.