The vast majority of countries have a small handful of directors that are known to have helped define the national cinema, taking on a folkloric level of acclaim and being seen as artistic legends, ingrained into the cultural iconography, as well as usually being viewed as the entry-point for newcomers looking to explore a particular country and its history in film. There are a few very obvious names when it comes to the cinema of Italy, and one that stands out for several reasons is Vittorio De Sica, who may just be the finest director that the country has ever produced, or at least one of its most brilliant artistic minds. I have expressed so much admiration for his work in the past (Bicycle Thieves is quite possibly the greatest film ever made, which is not at all an exaggeration, and films like Shoeshine and Umberto D are certainly not far behind), but even after having seen several of his films, discovering a new one is always an exhilarating experience, since they never fail to be surprising or captivating in many different ways, which is precisely why he continues to be celebrated, nearly half a century since his death. One of his most intriguing projects is Miracle in Milan (Italian: Miracolo a Milano), in which De Sica tells the story of an orphaned young man who sets off into the world, finding his home in a shantytown that he works laboriously to improve, earning a lot of goodwill from those he helps, which comes in handy when their small village is invaded by rich capitalists looking to exploit their resources. Miracle in Milan is a slight outlier in the director’s storied career, but only on a formal level as the story is aligned with everything we would expect from De Sica – the same sincerity and deeply sentimental charm that we find throughout his films is still present in this film, which takes its time to develop on a number of themes, each one more compelling than the last, contributing to this evocative, deeply moving examination of the power of kindness.

De Sica was a pivotal figure in the formation of Italian Neo-Realism, the cinematic movement that came about in the aftermath of the Second World War, where directors worked to tell harrowing stories of a country torn apart, struggling to piece together their lives after being crippled by social and economic crises arising from the conflict. However, he was not a stagnant filmmaker, and he didn’t hesitate in stepping away from this movement in order to explore a subject that was better suited when delivered in a different format or style of filmmaking. Miracle in Milan is primarily a comedy, which was not entirely foreign to De Sica, but not what he was known to make (since his previous work was far more unfurnished and straightforward), and therefore was an opportunity for him to expand on his directorial repertoire, developing new ideas in a different style, and proving to be just as enchanting as ever. Some may even consider this film to be the complete antithesis of the bare-boned, bleak style normally associated with Italian cinema at the time – it is an effervescent, hilarious and charming comedy that takes some bold leaps of logic, but never feels inauthentic or forced. This is one of the early examples of magical realism in motion – a film steeped heavily in real life but covered with a dazzling sheen of pure enchantment, and it is extremely difficult to not be thoroughly moved by this film and its peculiar but enticing worldview. De Sica has many terrific ideas, and he manifests them in hilarious and heartfelt ways, never missing the opportunity to add something curious or compelling to the proceedings of this film. It may be one of the most heartfelt comedies of the 1950s, which is quite remarkable considering how Italy was still recovering from the war – sometimes it is important to produce works that don’t draw attention to the plight of the impoverished, but rather aim to be buoyant and entertaining, since diversion from reality is just as important as delivering hard-hitting messages, De Sica’s career being the perfect amalgamation of the two in practice.

However tempting as it may be, we should not allow the very eccentric nature of Miracle in Milan to distract us from the fact that this is a film with an extremely deep message, which is entirely aligned with De Sica’s other work. Despite its many moments of abstraction, this film still has a firm anchor within reality, and is still adherent to the general tenets of the Neo-Realism movement, drawing inspiration from both the socially-conscious films that he and his colleagues had been producing for years, as well as a more upbeat style of filmmaking, which makes for a rich and poignant examination of certain deeper themes. A realist film without a complex message is a contradiction, and even with as bizarre a premise as this, we find that Miracle in Milan is still very much aligned with certain conversations that tie into the broader conversation on the subject of post-war Italian society. It’s a very funny film, but it is still set within an impoverished community, focused on the efforts of a young man to help these poor souls rebuild their lives and have some sense of pride in themselves by turning their junkyard into a small but vibrant township, only to have this called into question when their little hamlet is found to be built on an oil reserve, which logically brings the wealthy industrialists, who come prepared with their own strong-armed intentions to exploit the natural resources, regardless of the lives they destroy in the process. The film is an outrageous comedy with a very deep sense of melancholy and social awareness embedded deep within it, and this is what De Sica is primarily aiming to explore, with the more profound themes being reflected in every frame of the story, but never to the point where the film loses its extraordinary charm – the director was clearly intent on doing something more positive, which is not only understandable in light of the more bleak films he had been producing previously, but admirable, since comedy has been shown to be an exceptional way of delivering messages in a unique and compelling manner, which are both terms that can be used to describe Miracle in Milan and its very distinct perspective on certain concepts.

More than anything else, Miracle in Milan is a film built on the subject of community – we see from the very first moments that this is a film about humanity in its most endearing, undistilled form, and it seems like this was the impetus for the entire story. The compassion that pulsates throughout this film is just incredible, with every moment being beautiful in its unquestionable humanity. Every character, whether major or minor, has something to do, and we find ourselves entirely beguiled by this film, which is all about the incredible power that comes when we are united. For the first half of the film, we are just exploring the world in which these characters reside – a series of vignettes as we see the protagonist venture into Italian society after reaching adulthood, focusing on his own experiences and interactions with the bohemians that become his adopted family as he takes charge and builds a community from shattered fragments of these broken lives. It’s a gloriously endearing film, one that is deeply empathetic and profoundly moving, and where every individual we encounter has something of value to offer us. Credit has to be given to this cast – led by the young but formidable Francesco Golisano as the protagonist, a young man whose entire reason to exist is to improve the lives of those who surround him (and in the process comes to amass an enormous amount of goodwill that pays off later), the film is built on the smallest human details. Even those characters who have only a few brief moments tend to make a profound difference, being essential elements in this galaxy of beautiful and heartwarming stories. Community as a theme is not always easy to explore, since it can be a challenge to find the right way to evoke this sense of sympathy and tenderness without resorting to heavy-handed emotions. De Sica is not afraid of sentimentality, with this film showcasing a very sincere approach to its emotional content, which makes for a profoundly moving story of communal life, and the importance of widespread compassion.

The decision to direct a film like Miracle in Milan in between unfurnished, harrowing social realist masterpieces like Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D was a bold choice, but one that De Sica manages to make very convincing, almost as if he was born to make films such as this, which toggle between humour and pathos with incredible sensitivity and awareness of tone and atmosphere. It is difficult to not be charmed by this film – for every moment of outrageous comedy, there is one of sincere honesty and human complexity, which is a wonderful way of making such a film, since it shows that life is not entirely defined by sad scenarios or joyful moments, but rather a blend of the two, which is what makes for a rich, fulfilling existence, something that De Sica always made sure to remind us throughout his films, which may all be different in the specific stories they tell, but share a deeply human sensibility, which is drawn from the director’s own genuine compassion for the human condition. It’s a detailed, captivating comedy with a lot of heart and soul, and we find ourselves easily falling under the spell being conjured throughout this film – it may stretch the boundaries of logic in a way that disqualifies it from the purest form of realism, but it makes up for it in the sheer gumption of taking bold risks, which uniformly result in a beautiful, captivating portrait of the human condition, handcrafted by a director with such a unique vision and distinguished set of talents, which all work together to create Miracle in Milan, an intricately-woven meditation on the value of kindness, and the joys that come with surrendering to the joys of simply being alive.