Had never seen the Bicycle Thieves before until one dull, sluggish night I popped in the rented disc in the DVD player, having no idea what to expect. I had seen little of the Italian Neo-Realist film movement, but the concept didn't sound too appealing to me since I prefer the opposite to realism when it comes to film-watching (yes, I'm one of those "post-La Dolce Vita Fellini" lovers ). But, I consider myself a serious film fan, and I always force myself to try out new things.
I was hooked from the start - I couldn't believe that it featured non-actors because the emotions seemed so genuine. This is also quite possibly the first film that featured a little kid that didn't irritate me (shock, horror). I wouldn't know how to define a masterpiece ("masterpiece" is subjective, in my opinion), but I know one when I see one, and this film was it. It truly is remarkable how a film so simple could be so powerful. I could watch it without subtitles and understand everything that was going on. But by far, the greatest thing about it was the inevitable, tragic ending...
So, between this and another new favourite, La Strada, I'm now really interested in Italian neo-realism. I've all ready seen plenty of Fellini, so what other De Sica films are worth getting? Do they all have tragic endings? I like tragic endings.
I was hooked from the start - I couldn't believe that it featured non-actors because the emotions seemed so genuine. This is also quite possibly the first film that featured a little kid that didn't irritate me (shock, horror). I wouldn't know how to define a masterpiece ("masterpiece" is subjective, in my opinion), but I know one when I see one, and this film was it. It truly is remarkable how a film so simple could be so powerful. I could watch it without subtitles and understand everything that was going on. But by far, the greatest thing about it was the inevitable, tragic ending...
So, between this and another new favourite, La Strada, I'm now really interested in Italian neo-realism. I've all ready seen plenty of Fellini, so what other De Sica films are worth getting? Do they all have tragic endings? I like tragic endings.