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The Bicycle Thief (1948)

Description:


Description:
"The Bicycle Thief" is an Italian film set after WWII, when the opportunity of employment is slim, a poor father has to find his stolen bicycle or else he will be fired from his job, and won't be able to feed his already struggling family.Thoughts:
Since Italy was in such a poor shape post-war, the film ably portrays the conditions during that time period, by showing the importance of having any available job for the Italian men, the former builds up the significance of the stolen bicycle, and how devastating it would be if the protagonist isn't able to find it by the end of the movie.
Therefore, we follow Antonio, who's wandering Rome's streets, searching the corners of the city, trying to find his bike, bringing along his kid Bruno, who adds some humorous scenes and encounters, that break from time to time the ongoing tension that the film builds.
Lamberto Maggiorani steals the show with his ability to showcase powerful emotions, such as misery, frustration, desperation, hope...all through his facial expressions, no dialogue is needed to understand and feel what this man is going through, meanwhile, the superb cinematography neatly captures the distressing situation of that time's society.
From just a simple concept, Vittorio De Sica was able to build a masterpiece, by his amazing directing, especially in the final scene where the breaking point is reached, I was literally at the edge of my seat.Rating:
This is a must-see film and I can't get enough of praising it, I tried to find a flaw within it but I miserably failed. This is an extremely high Full Price.
