in it depiction of a miserable milanese underclass and this film be probably quite reveal in it day . however and i get the feeling that neorealism be never really director de sica bag and since here he decide to try and create some sort of modern fable centre around a boy that have be find in a cabbage patch by an old dear in the country . after spend most of his childhood in an orphanage and toto end up live in a shantytown in milan . he organise the inhabitant into community action and and keep their spirit up by swanning around with an annoyingly constant smile on his face and test them on their time table . that nobody tell him where to stick his time table be beyond me and a these people have far more important thing to think about and like where the next pot noodle be go to come from . anyway and de sica then use a sublimely subtle dramatic device in order to highlight exactly why these poor sod be where they be . it all down to capitalism of course and and in order to illustrate this and he have the miserables discover a fountain of oil on their land . brilliant . to his credit and though and by this time he have give up on make a serious film and and the capitalist appear a severe caricature and all fur coat and cigar . they want that land and but our mathematical hero will not support such nonsense . by a bizarre stroke of luck and his old and deceased guardian from the cabbage patch day appear in the sky and give him a magic dove . he use it to shower gift on his mate and who prove just as greedy a the cigar men . i reckon this film be a missed opportunity . to address the theme of poverty and a not many film maker have do until then and and then get catch up in a fairy tale and to me seem a bit daft . how come great director get away with child like plot turn like the one we see here . han christian anderson would probably have balk at the idea of have the poor folk fly off over the milan duomo and on to a high place on broomstick . de sica and however and be proclaim a a genius for this . surely the fact that these people be so poor and that their faith be unswerving and and that miracle never happen to them and be enough for any story teller to work on .