A film of international acclaim, Ladri di biciclette, better known to American audiences as The Bicycle Thief, is Vittorio de Sica's breathtaking neorealist triumph. Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani), a poor, unemployed father in 1940’s Rome finally finds work as a bill poster, but he needs a bicycle to get to each job site. He and his wife manage to find some linens to trade in for a bicycle, but when Antonio’s bike is stolen from him on his first day of work, he frantically scours the streets of Rome with his young son, Bruno (Enzo Staiola) to search for it. The rest of the movie details Antonio and Bruno’s distressing and hopeless pursuit of this ordinary object that ultimately signifies the Ricci family’s only means of survival.
This simple, yet brilliantly constructed film is the pinnacle of Italian neorealist storytelling. Vittoria de Sica illustrates the emotion and social struggles experienced by countless post-war Europeans with such honesty and compassion, particularly by using amateur actors in all the principal roles with stunning glimpses of Rome as the backdrop. The Bicycle Thief is a heart-wrenching tale of want and desperation experienced through the eyes of one man trying to keep his family afloat, while faced with unending complex situations in a social order rife with iniquity and hardship.
Antonio’s broken will and despair paired with Bruno’s loss of innocence in a beggared society still resonates with today’s audiences, more than 60 years later. This poignant film remains an enduring classic that sticks with you long after the final credits.
This simple, yet brilliantly constructed film is the pinnacle of Italian neorealist storytelling. Vittoria de Sica illustrates the emotion and social struggles experienced by countless post-war Europeans with such honesty and compassion, particularly by using amateur actors in all the principal roles with stunning glimpses of Rome as the backdrop. The Bicycle Thief is a heart-wrenching tale of want and desperation experienced through the eyes of one man trying to keep his family afloat, while faced with unending complex situations in a social order rife with iniquity and hardship.
Antonio’s broken will and despair paired with Bruno’s loss of innocence in a beggared society still resonates with today’s audiences, more than 60 years later. This poignant film remains an enduring classic that sticks with you long after the final credits.
For fans of the film in Chicago, the Gene Siskel Film Center will be screening The Bicycle Thief May 1 and 6, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.siskelfilmcenter.com/.
AC- Nice posting. I will have to watch this. Maybe once my employment comes through, I will join Netflix so that I can share in your movie loving experience! Just from reading this, I am able to relate it somewhat to my own struggle to keep my family afloat and how desperate I feel that struggle is becoming. Bravo!
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