1948 ‘Ladri di biciclette’ Directed by Vittorio De Sica
Antonio, an unemployed man in the depressed post-WWII economy of Italy, at last finds a good job hanging up posters, the only requirement for which is that he must have his own bicycle. When Antonio’s bicycle is stolen, he and his son are forced to walk the streets of Rome in search of it, or else face ruin.
Lamberto Maggiorani Enzo Staiola Lianella Carell Elena Altieri Gino Saltamerenda Giulio Chiari Vittorio Antonucci Michele Sakara Carlo Jachino Emma Druetti Giulio Battiferri Sergio Leone Mario Meniconi Checco Rissone Peppino Spadaro Nando Bruno Eolo Capritti Memmo Carotenuto Umberto Spadaro Fausto Guerzoni Piero Heliczer Massimo Randisi
Vittorio De Sica Cesare Zavattini Suso Cecchi d'Amico Oreste Biancoli Adolfo Franci Gerardo Guerrieri Gherardo Gherardi
The Bicycle Thieves, The Bicycle Thief, Крадії велосипедів, Fietsendieven, Cykeltjuven, Bicycle Thief, Fahrraddiebe, Voleur de bicyclette, Kleftis podilaton, 자전거 도둑, Ladrón de bicicletas, Ladrões de Bicicleta, Le voleur de bicyclette, Крадљивци бицикала, Złodzieje rowerów, Zloději kol, Zlodeji bicyklov, Velosipēdu zagļi, Sykkeltyvene, Крадци на велосипеди, El lladre de bicicletes, Cykeltyven, Κλέφτης ποδηλάτων, Polkupyörävaras, Le Voleur de bicyclette, גונבי האופניים, Biciklitolvajok, 自転車泥棒, ველოსიპედის გამტაცებელნი, Dviračių vagys, Ladri di Biciclette, Hoți de biciclete, Похитители велосипедов, Bisiklet Hırsızları, Викрадачі велосипедів, 偷自行车的人, 單車失竊記
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Lamberto Maggiorani (who plays the lead role of Antonio) was laid off from his job as a factory worker shortly after the film was complete. The factory required budget cuts and decided to fire Maggiorani because everyone assumed he was a millionaire movie star when he actually made only 600,000 lira (a little over 30,000 US dollars today, counting inflation). He pretty much spent the rest of his life as a bricklayer desperately trying but failing to land more acting gigs; even de Sica wouldn’t rehire him. Eventually, he died poor, having never regained the success of his first role.
And that is more depressing than the entire film.
It’s been years since a film has moved me to tears. But if there’s one film that can melt even the most stone-hearted of viewers, it is Bicycle Thieves. I can’t quite explain what it’s about because I don’t know, really. It follows a man named Antonio, thin as a scarecrow, as he tries to make a living. He needs a bicycle for the job he is lucky enough to get, but his bicycle gets stolen, and he roams the city trying to get it back, his little son dragging along behind him.
But Bicycle Thieves isn’t about that bicycle, really. It’s about fathers and sons, about the way the poor steal from each other because somebody else steals from…
I stole a bicycle once. I tried explaining to the cops that I was merely paying homage to post-war Italian neorealism.
100
Oh so graceful. Lingering to the touch. A window of endless compassion and perspective. De Sica fluidly portrays individual hardship against the apathetic noise of the collective only to meld its "singular" journey into a systemic reality. Hand and hand, we walk.
Bruno's face.
The way he trips.
How he grabs his father's hand.
And how they just keep walking...
And I'm crying and smiling,
I've been destroyed once again.
very sad right now but i will cherish that scene in the restaurant with the mozzarella sandwiches forever!! it reminds me a lot of the scene in the florida project where halley and moonee sneak into the hotel and pretend to be guests to eat the continental breakfast. how an abundance of food brings so much pleasure to children; the seemingly endless options. but as an adult, it just highlights how broken our systems are. how something as simple as a decent meal can separate us, reinforcing differences in social class. an abundance of options looks like a utopia to these characters in those moment, but are ordinary and expected to everyone surrounding them.
Bicycle Thieves is a naturalistic, at times hilarious, but ultimately devastating and grim tale that's as timeless as the immense humanity it possesses. Lauded as one of the best movies in history, Bicycle Thieves deserves every bit of its universal acclaim, by demonstrating filmmaking in its most pure, stripped down form.
Bicycle Thieves is a simple story of a father-son duo looking for a stolen bike so the father doesn't lose his job. It's obviously a microscopic exploration of the post-War Italian society, where unemployment pushed the poor to their limits, or at least to false God for comfort. Director Vittorio De Sica's decision to cast amateurs wonderfully paid off, as Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola's deceivingly capable performances perfectly…
