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That's how easily a couple of police officers dismiss the crime of a stolen bicycle. But to poor Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani), it means the loss of a steady income and food on the table. It is a devastating loss that could impact the lives of his family for a long time. So what can he do then?
Set in post-World War II Italy, Bicycle Thieves follows Antonio, a poor man looking for the bicycle that was stolen from him which he desperately needs to keep his job. Antonio, like many other Italians during this time, is desperate for work to support his young family and this job represents a steady income and ultimately food on the table for him, his wife, and their two young children.
One of the many things this film does magnificently is to show how chaotic the economic situation was after the war. From the crowd of people looking for work or the towering stack of belongings that we see have been pawned at the shop to the push and shove of people trying to get on a bus to get to work. In a country so affected by war, any work is a lifeline, and that lifeline is represented by this bicycle, which is not "just a bicycle".
That desperation is perfectly portrayed by Maggiorani, who transmits so much of that hopelessness through his eyes, face, and body language. He is joined in the search by his young son, Bruno (Enzo Staiola), who does an equally great job of showing mixtures of frustration and confusion amidst all of this (Another sign of the hard times is the fact that this 8-9 year old kid is seen working at a gas station).
But what I loved about this film is how it blurs the lines between "good" and "bad" as the plot progresses, which really makes us reevaluate our feelings through the first half of the film. The struggle that we see in Antonio is the struggle in all of us, desperate, holding to whatever lifeline we have, even if it's "just a bicycle".
Grade:
BICYCLE THIEVES
(1948, De Sica)
A film from the 1940s
(1948, De Sica)
A film from the 1940s
"Anything serious, Captain?"
"Just a bicycle."
"Just a bicycle."
That's how easily a couple of police officers dismiss the crime of a stolen bicycle. But to poor Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani), it means the loss of a steady income and food on the table. It is a devastating loss that could impact the lives of his family for a long time. So what can he do then?
Set in post-World War II Italy, Bicycle Thieves follows Antonio, a poor man looking for the bicycle that was stolen from him which he desperately needs to keep his job. Antonio, like many other Italians during this time, is desperate for work to support his young family and this job represents a steady income and ultimately food on the table for him, his wife, and their two young children.
One of the many things this film does magnificently is to show how chaotic the economic situation was after the war. From the crowd of people looking for work or the towering stack of belongings that we see have been pawned at the shop to the push and shove of people trying to get on a bus to get to work. In a country so affected by war, any work is a lifeline, and that lifeline is represented by this bicycle, which is not "just a bicycle".
That desperation is perfectly portrayed by Maggiorani, who transmits so much of that hopelessness through his eyes, face, and body language. He is joined in the search by his young son, Bruno (Enzo Staiola), who does an equally great job of showing mixtures of frustration and confusion amidst all of this (Another sign of the hard times is the fact that this 8-9 year old kid is seen working at a gas station).
But what I loved about this film is how it blurs the lines between "good" and "bad" as the plot progresses, which really makes us reevaluate our feelings through the first half of the film. The struggle that we see in Antonio is the struggle in all of us, desperate, holding to whatever lifeline we have, even if it's "just a bicycle".
Grade: