Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) - unemployed, got a vacant poster sticker because he has a bicycle that was stolen on the first working day of the man
Maria (Lianella Carell) - Antonio's wife, always sobbing because of the difficult life and constant troubles that fall on their family.
Bruno - Antonio's son, together with his father, goes in search of a stolen bicycle
“Bike Snatchers” is a very famous and beloved film by audiences and critics. After its release, the whole world started talking about such a phenomenon in the world of cinema as Italian neorealism, which showed the life of ordinary people without embellishment, without attracting famous actors to the pictures, without emotional musical accompaniment and unusual and beautiful editing.
And then again, I stumbled upon the phenomenon of high expectations crashing against the wall of personal perception. The film is interesting because it shows the life of the poor in post-war Italy. Historically, it is invaluable. Artistic, perhaps, too. Let’s assume that I just wanted beauty and escape from reality at the moment of viewing, that I got the picture at the wrong time. Because as sad as it is to admit, I did not like the film.
I was annoyed by the always aching wife of the main character. Although I understand perfectly well that in the conditions of her life, any woman would break down and cry. I hated watching hungry, ragged and dirty people. And I know how disgusting that sounds. I understand that these problems exist, that such a category of the population still exists, and people are not to blame for their lifestyle.
All of the above sounds snobbish. And I'm ashamed. But it was at that moment that I was really uncomfortable to see. Although I have seen many such films, I feel sorry for the people whose lives were shown here. I don't know what happened, honestly, I don't know. Let us assume that Vittorio De Sica is a great director who caused in me uncharacteristic emotions, who showed one hundred percent unadorned reality.
But most of all, I was annoyed, and I think that’s why I didn’t feel sorry for the heroes, that’s why Antonio’s attitude towards his son, who looked like he was 8-10 years old. Yeah, they stole your bike. Yes, it is a disaster for the family, there is no money and unemployment reigns. But, mammy, how can you walk across the street and not see what happened to your son? Not to notice he was almost hit by a car twice? Can't hear that car's signals? How can you not notice that a child running in the rain fell, and not so bad? How can one be so indifferent to a son: that he is, that he is not.
That's the impression I got. Brain I understand that the director wanted to show, first of all, that the care of the family and the thought of lack of earnings, hopelessness and hopeless situation filled the whole head of the hero, he just can not think about anything else. Secondly, education in those years was significantly different from the current one, and now I even look like a brewing jaw. But I really don’t understand how you can treat your child in this way, when his safety means nothing and you don’t care what happens to him, let him take care of himself.
That is why the heroes were unpleasant to me, and I did not worry about their fate. The film did not give me a positive response. But, as you can see, it caused emotions. I can’t help recommending it, even though I didn’t like it. Cinema, first of all, must cause emotions, no matter what: good or bad. There are emotions, so I will recommend it.
One of the earliest films of Italian neorealism with an honorary Oscar in the crown from the awards of the largest film festivals of the planet, included in all the lists of the best films of all times and peoples. Why is it so important and so great?
Because everything is as simple as possible. To the impossible. The simplest drama, the simplest artistic techniques, the simplest play of non-professional actors (the boy Enzo Styola is generally amazing), and a very simple plot in terms of content. Paradoxically, that’s what makes Bicycle Thieves great. To show the viewer the dilapidated Rome of the post-war years, and to make it clear that the country that fought on the side of Hitler’s Germany, is populated by simple and small people, as everywhere, with their problems and tragedies, that they have no horns, fangs and everyone does not have a machine gun hidden under his pillow – genius, as for me.
Every war ends and the people stay. They, these people, are different. And everyone survives the best they can. There are no good or bad, only circumstances in which a person makes his or her own choices. And if stealing a bicycle is the worst thing a man can do to feed his family, then to hell with them! Give me two, I'll steal both.
The film is a powerful commentary on the poverty, despair and living conditions of people after the war.
Car Hijacker is a classic Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica, released in 1948. The story of the protagonist, Antonio Ricci, unemployed in Rome after World War II, gives us a glimpse into the harsh reality of post-World War II Rome, where people struggle to survive in a shattered economy and, despite their best efforts, father and son end up unable to get their bike back. The film ends with a heartbreaking scene that convincingly illustrates the cyclical nature of poverty and the despair it can engender. The film ends on a grim note: Antonio and Bruno go into the distance, their fate is unclear. The film is a powerful portrayal of working-class struggle and the impact of poverty on individuals and families.
The narrative of the film is simple and complex. The simplicity lies in the neorealistic style that emphasizes the everyday struggles of ordinary people, and is responsible for the narrative the film undertakes to highlight the gap between the Antonio and Bruno generations, in which the boy often acts as a voice of reason and hope while his father becomes increasingly desperate.
The film is a powerful commentary on poverty, desperation and the state of man after the war. The simple but compelling narrative, authentic performance and portrayal of Rome’s resilience after World War II make this film a classic.
The script of the film “The Hijacker” is a masterpiece in its simplicity and realism. The plot is simple but powerful, the dialogue is stingy but effective. The film's neo-realistic style highlights the everyday struggles of ordinary people, and the script captures that well. The characters are fully realized, their motives are clear, which makes the story accessible and exciting. The sound design is minimalistic but effective. The film relies heavily on natural sounds such as the busy streets of Rome, the sound of bicycle wheels turning and occasional car horns. This approach gives the film realism and creates a feeling of immersion for the viewer. The soundtrack is also obvious, reinforcing the film's grim tone. When choosing lighting, the filmmakers used natural light sources wherever possible. The film takes place in Rome, and the background for the plot are the streets and buildings of the city. Natural lighting adds realism to the film and creates a sense of authenticity. The use of shadows and contrast is also striking, especially in scenes where Antonio tries to steal a bike. Darkness and shadows increase tension and increase the emotional impact of the scene.
Watching something like "Bike Thiefs" is not very popular now, but a pity. However, to join the mood of the era without embellishment and romanticization - the way it was seen by the inhabitants of those times - a feeling quite special.
A film about Italy’s post-war poverty. The main character is an ordinary working family man from Rome who wants to work. The unemployment rate is so high that finding at least some business became happiness for the hero - but short-lived - only in order to buy a bicycle from the pawnshop for the sake of this work, the family pawned all their bedding (the frames of the pawnshop are also very telling - its size is improbable for our time speak of the mass of this poverty, almost its ubiquity), this very bicycle is stolen. And, it would seem, such a trifle (well, not to cross out life on this?) - but one such small detail seems to be the tragedy of an individual against the background of a great tragedy of post-war Italy.
It is these events that trigger a further narrative, endowed with many cross-cutting themes: the absolute indifference of the police to theft because of their mundaneness and surprise; the financial abyss in which there are only rich and poor (the latter, of course, have no career opportunities, at best they will maintain their position); the crime that generates crime – the loss that generates loss – poverty that breeds poverty. Just like Dostoevsky, don’t you think?
This is a film about the era of lost faith. Faith is not so much in God (it still persists, although it remains only a consolation, but not a decision), as in one’s own possibilities to transform.
This is a drama of the Italian generation that survived fascism in their own country. This is a drama about the endless search for a way out of the closed labyrinth of poverty. This is a tragedy about the breaking of man.
But there is still hope — hope for a future generation that will change the world. And about this ending, about this father and son, holding hands.
7 out of 10
Neorealism in cinema originated after the Second World War, when directors had to abandon scenery, professional actors and other “luxuries” due to the budget. A real life without embellishment, filmmakers had to rely only on their talent and what was at hand. The first film of neorealism is considered “Rome, Open City”, many early viewers of which even thought they were watching the newsreel, so believable. In addition to the approach to filming, neorealism is associated with a socialist message. These are films about working-class life set in a culture of poverty. At the same time, due to the grounding of the main characters, it is easier for the viewer to compare them with themselves. Often these are simple in structure but strong films.
The Bicycle Thieves is about Antonio. For several years, he has been unable to find a job until he is offered a job as an advertising sticker. The only requirement is to have your own bicycle. And everything seems to be getting better, Antonio will finally be able to support his family with dignity, but the unthinkable happens. On the first day of work, the bike is stolen! It is impossible to think about the new, so Antonio takes his son with him and begins to search for the stolen.
Of course, everything is not so simple, literally everything interferes with the search. In conditions of poverty, people are formed into real communities for self-defense. They will protect theirs from a stranger, even if the former is guilty. The crowd, which is always opposed to Antonio, as if transformed into a single organism. Undivided, not accepting a different opinion. He sucks, chews and spits. You have to go through 9 circles of bureaucratic hell. Heroes are not able to help either in the police, at work, or in the church. Pure Kafkaesque, there is no justice.
De Sica believed that anyone could play one role perfectly: himself. Therefore, of course, the casting was an important stage in the preparation for the shooting. Screenwriter Dzawattini also wrote about how he and De Sica had previously visited local psychics, brothels and other “enterprises” to be closer to the material. I guess it's a good thing. Italy is shown as a paralyzed poverty, where even honest people, with all the desire to earn a living correctly, can be seduced by crimes. Antonio’s misfortune is not only his personal tragedy, but also the tragedy of the nation as a whole.
If Rossellini was the pioneer of neorealism, De Sica showed the genre to the world and proved its universality. Since the Oscars in 1949, Bicycle Thieves has regularly been recognized as the best film of its time, a cornerstone of Italian neorealism, and when the British film magazine Sight & Sound conducted its first international survey of filmmakers and critics in 1952, it was voted the greatest film of all time. Despite the fact that in the course of time, the “bicycle thieves” managed to lose ground a little, there is no denying its influence on cinema and how it managed to reflect the spirit of post-war Italy.
10 out of 10
Here you can watch some modern global epic, where the fate of all mankind is decided, and you do not feel anything but emptiness and indifference. And sometimes you watch a movie about a stolen bicycle with a simple plot, and you see in it such a great and monumental tragedy that you simply do not believe that such an amazing movie could be made seventy-four years ago.
The action takes place in post-war Rome. Antonio has been on the labor market for a long time, and now finally he was lucky and got a long-awaited job. But on the first day of work, a bicycle is stolen from him, without which it is impossible to work. Together with his son Bruno, he goes in search of the ill-fated bicycle, because only by returning it, he will be able to feed his family.
“Bike Thieves” is the brightest representative of “Italian neorealism”, a trend of Italian post-war cinema, which was based on the rejection of theatricality and pomposity in the direction of the desire “to fully identify art and non-artistic reality”. Stereotyped film heroes were replaced by representatives of the lower strata of society, instead of movie stars began to shoot non-professional actors, and instead of scenery and editing, naturalistic shooting on the streets in natural light.
The film by Vittorio De Sica admires its realism, sincerity and the absence of any falsehood. This is not a movie, but a real life, and to feel its message and depth, you need to live an hour and a half on the streets of Rome with Antonio.
8.5 out of 10
The film is sad from beginning to end. With a special flavor of post-war Italy, with excellent, psychologically subtle acting. Tough and rather monotonous for the modern viewer, but it is worth watching. Here's why.
1) This is the deeply moving story of the impoverished ad-sticker family that made me cry. This is the case when the historical background completely makes a picture.
(2) Practically plotless. Ornamentalism in cinema. I would say that this is the best film in this artistic direction. He is close to Tarkovsky, Jarmusch and Lynch (but this is my assumption, nothing more). It’s hard for me to watch a plotless movie, but I watched Bicycle Thieves in one breath. Takes out the acting game, close-ups, facial expressions of characters.
(3) Symbolism. Father and son looking for a bicycle. A bicycle becomes a livelihood in poor post-war Italy. He's worth his weight in gold. Stealing a bicycle is a crime. But criminals are really sorry. A desperate simpleton father and a smart son beyond his years - this couple has a lot of empathy.
(4) Very well-chosen actors. All of them are thin, which is characteristic of the “hungry time”. All exhausted. It’s a very similar experience.
(5) Cinematography. Black and white cinema, every frame of which is a masterpiece. The play of light and shadow, the movement of plans - all organic content. Practically - a textbook operator.
I recommend watching it at least once, it’s worth it.
If you want a job, you have to have a bicycle. Antonio Ricci doesn't have a bicycle. Well, he does, but he put it in a pawnshop. To buy a bike, you have to lay the last valuable things.
And here's a happy Antonio going to work. A few minutes later, the bike is stolen, and with it hope for the future.
This is Italian neorealism and one of its brightest representatives is the film “Bike Thieves”.
In the 30s, Italians filmed the White Phone Cinema. So called detached from reality films, where the main characters are all rich. A white phone is a status symbol.
By the late 40s, there was a request for a movie showing real life. In addition, the film studios lay in ruins after the war, they had to shoot on the street, not in pavilions.
Neorealists took ordinary people into films. In "Bike Thieves" the main role was played by a worker from the factory.
There is a scene in the middle of the film where Antonio and his son are caught in heavy rain. For a few minutes nothing happens - Italians just get wet and look at it sad.
“Bike Thieves” consists of hopelessness, there is no room for optimism. Neorealists could not embellish reality - there were no budgets for films.
By the mid-50s, Italy was recovering. Poverty receded, the neo-realists were replaced by the films of Antonioni, who, although a supporter of realism, still appealed to the internal, not external poverty of people.
The Neorealists only lasted ten years and made dozens of films.
"Bike Thieves" is a bright representative of the genre. It captures the life of post-war Italy.
The film ' The Bicycle Thief' evoked in me great sympathy for the main character and especially his son, the loss of hope that began to melt with the theft of the bicycle, the loss of possible prosperity and a better life that could happen and those small and yet significant sacrifices that this family had to make.
The main character Antonio in small steps from hope slides into despair, ready to go on the same crime that so spoiled him everything he hoped to get out of poverty in an honest way, earning his own work.
Little Bruno, who is chasing his father in search of a stolen bicycle. Guilt short pursues poor Antonio for everything that happens to him on this day and behavior with his son and attempts to atone for this guilt in the cafe.
The film is very beautifully shot, the streets of Rome are very textured, the music is delightful and the feeling of empathy for the heroes is very great.
A story of desperation, social inequality, and child loyalty.
I think before you start writing a review of this film, you need to know one cinematic concept. It's Italian neorealism. Various Italian filmmakers of the 1940s revolted and rejected the different standards of fascist cinema. As a result, they bring to the cinema crazy life on the streets of the city and the standardity of each day. In the Italian cinema of the 40s-60s, several of the most outstanding directors can be distinguished: these are Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.
Among these rebels was director Vittorio De Sica. According to the work of the same name by Luigi Bartolini, the director uncompromisingly, and at the same time with love for his heroes, succinctly conveyed the essence of the story, showing the lives of ordinary people with all their everyday problems and daily failures, while remaining honest to the viewer. And the great merit of Vittorio De Sica is that he managed to fix time in his painting.
A person has lost a bicycle, not a luxury, and not even a means of transportation, and, not much not less, the only source of income. The bicycle is freedom, hope, a sense of speed and faith in the prosperity of life, the improvement of well-being, both in one’s family and in the post-war country. For some, a bicycle is a whole happiness and life, while for others it is at best the price of lunch. Especially touching scene when Antonio and his son Bruno came to eat. When a rich boy with graceful hair looks down on Bruno. The eternal and inevitable conflict between rich and poor.
The title, I think, is also very important: "Bike Thieves." So who is he? The one who stole Ricky's bike, or could it be Ricky himself? Yes, they can be anyone, any resident of Rome, it's just such a generalized concept that all people are kidnappers in some way, even the best of us ... It's not by chance that the conflict of a small person rises here, as in Gogol's "Overcoat" or Pushkin's "Station Caretaker". Generalized characters, people from the people (by the way, they are played by non-professionals), a kind of face of the Italian nation. The life of such simple, “modest” people consists of small things, but sometimes it is a small thing that can turn into a disaster, and destroy their “small” hopes.
Verdict: we have a big movie about ordinary people; classic neo-release; special award for the best film in a foreign language. This is not a movie, this is real life. Criticizing life is useless and stupid. In general, the words in this film mean little, as well as actions (only at the end of the film are actions important) and the relationship between people and each other becomes the main thing.
The film is a typical representative of the trend of neorealism in world history. And I will say that Vittorio De Sica did a good job (reflecting real life in the post-war period by approaching real scenery). This is not only a justification for recruiting not professional actors, but people from the street (Lamberto Maggiorani was a miller before filming), but also a negligible budget ($133,000, a paltry sum for the film industry).
The director shows us starving workers struggling to make ends meet, fighting for a place in the sun, and trying their best not to slip into the crater of poverty. Now it’s easy for us to watch movies of this nature, but I think to people of that time, the picture seems much more tragic and unpleasant.
A father who cannot provide for children and a wife who cannot confirm his authority and his status as a breadwinner is a technique that does not cause emotion only in callous and ruthless people.
Desperation, that’s what the film is impregnated with, that’s what makes the main character go to theft, and it is the hopelessness in the postwar period that influenced the plot and atmosphere of the film.
The advantages of this film: good shooting, thoughtful dialogue, an interesting plot, and excellent musical accompaniment.
Cons of this film: bad acting, pessimistic, black and white shooting.
9 out of 10
With the advent of neorealism, the public saw that the problems of the “little man” in the surroundings of his natural habitat can be no less exciting, dramatic and vivid than pompous and large-scale high-budget pictures. It is not surprising that after the release of “Bike Thieves”, the whole world spoke about Italian neorealism – the story of a poor father of a family desperately looking for a way out of a plight in which the bicycle plays only the role of a symbolic tool, with his deceptive simplicity dissects an entire era, illustratively showing the life of a simple people of post-war times. The crushing beauty of the ancient Italian streets, combined with a squalid life, luxury and poverty, wealth and poverty, joy and sorrow – in the frame as if the world order itself is concentrated with its injustice, social stratification and contrasts, where ordinary people have to desperately fight for survival. The film shows that for an exquisite, textured frame, spectacular scenery is not needed at all, and for drama there are enough everyday stories and non-professional actors, like no one else able to convey to the public the entire tragedy of searching not even a place under the sun, but an ordinary piece of bread.
It is not surprising that such films were made of “people from the crowd” of real stars – De Sica phenomenally worked with the cast, making up castes solely by type, and not by professional qualities and the presence of lyceum experience. So, the lead actor, Lamberto Maggiorani, was found by the director at a regular factory, the work at which Lamberto lost after filming, having fallen under contraction. De Sica saw in the person of this man the ability to convey hardships and hardships better famous stars and did not lose - Maggiorani, together with his screen "son", Enzo Staiola (who later became a teacher of mathematics) thanks to the extreme naturalness and personal understanding of the situation described in the script raised a simple story about the search for a bicycle to the heights of real tragedy of despair.
It is noteworthy that such stories often risk falling into a hopeless black woman, after which you want to hang yourself, but De Sica simply depicts life as it is - when joy and happiness go hand in hand with grief, and the feeling of deadlock replaces hopes for the best and vice versa. Thus, “Bike Thieves” is not just a drama of an entire class, enclosed in the problems of one particular person, but also acts as a reference example of a film manifesto, whose message is devoid of cheap posterity, but clearly sounds between the lines, not allowing a political pamphlet to oust humanism, soulfulness and humanity from the picture. And the awards “Oscar” and “Golden Globe” for the best film in a foreign language and BAFTA for the best film, as well as a huge success in half with an impact on world cinema, only confirm its high artistic value and has not lost its importance to this day.
General impression: And let the drama appear in a given genre, but the tape keeps in suspense, like a good thriller, skillfully playing with the feelings of the audience. First of all, watching the hero (in general, the synopsis is the whole plot), you feel compassion and the human character is sorry. Just imagine, unemployment, the post-war years, Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) just got a job and makes plans for the future, how he can feed his family and get out of poverty, but a bitter accident changes plans and Antonio without a bicycle ... which means all plans collapse in an instant. Of course, he and his son begin to look for loss, but is it possible to find a needle in a haystack?
The bitterness of despair with hope mixed in this tape and watching what is happening is not just fascinating, it is interesting what will come out of the idea of finding a bicycle at any cost and how it will end. Therefore, the picture looks in one breath, tense, dynamic! Many tapes of our time would learn from this work - how to keep the viewer a story.
The picture, although black and white, but surprisingly you feel all the colors of the old classics. And the actors (by the way, only non-professional actors were involved in the film!) perform everything on a solid 5. And what music. inserts, caresses my ear!
As a result, I recommend you to read the film, the story is focused on the heroes, do not look at the year, the main thing is the presentation!
8 out of 10
And the almost hopeless expectation of work and a happy chance with a simple but well-paid job, and nervous excitement when applying for a job and dreams-calculations - plans for the distribution of wages. And diligently fulfilling new functional duties - with a loss of attention to personal needs, needs - all for the sake of implementing dream calculations. And a disaster that threatens to lose such a cherished job. And fuss, almost useless - but still with little chance to restore the "status quo" - to correct the "error". And self-calming, and appeasement of fortune - a "dashing" waste of the last money ... And the finale...
All this is subtly and accurately noted, and conveyed by the authors. It is sometimes known to the heart. All this has been experienced in one way or another on oneself - in one way or another combination. Transferred to the screen with almost documentary, unbiased accuracy. That's the question for the director. In the fact that film life should not be so naturalistic, more precisely, there should be other “notes” inherent only to it – ways of conveying meanings. In my opinion, they are absent in this film: even the southern expression, so beloved by us in Italians and Spaniards, is muted here. Probably because of the lack of professionalism of the actor.
Cinema, of course, programmatic, monumental - truthful and bearing the imprint of time.
It would have been a bit of suspense...
Confirmation of the status of one of the most outstanding films in the history of cinema ' The Bike Thieves' gave many professional film critics and ordinary viewers, for whom the work of Vittorio de Sica was a real discovery. The latter happened on October 30, 2018, when the BBC placed the picture in second place in the list of the best non-English-language films of all time, skipping ahead 'Seven Samurai' Akira Kurosawa, always and almost all quoted above and more valuable than any other work. Specifically pro ' Bicycle Thieves' elevated in the United States, and at home criticized, and said the author of the novel Luigi Bartolini, saying that ' the spirit of the book was completely betrayed', interfering with arguments about anarchist communism and so on, which prevents to perceive the true intention of the film. After all, de Sica made a movie not about politics, but about its reverse side.
Ideino 'Ladri di biciclette' has no ostentatious relation to the pressing question of war. Here the war is shown by purely metaphorical means. The experience of the first neorealistic Italian cinema ' Rome is an open city' gave a tendency to the development of the themes of the Second World War among directors of that period. Vittorio de Sica has always eschewed the demonstration of war as a phenomenon, his style was set back in 1946 in the drama 'Shusha' where the emphasis is on the simple population, and he reached his climax with 'Bike Thieves' an even more tragic story about a poor man. This story is much simpler than the underground insurgency, and the closer it is, it acts more clinging to the person to whom this topic is clearer than others. With no money or connections, de Sica created one of the most powerful tapes, where the search for surreal depth is an empty pursuit. For the director, everything was extremely difficult: he was not trusted by the studio, he collected money for the filming himself from friends, and the roles were performed by people who had nothing to do with acting. For example, Lamberto Maggiorani, who played Antonio Ricci, was a factory worker when de Sica, who was fundamentally looking for non-actors, invited him to audition. ' Bicycle Thieves' do not contain a single pavilion scene, each take was made on the streets of Rome. Any one of these things seems crazy right now. It is natural to add that production has always been in danger of failure, although there were no really serious obstacles. But now all past adversity seems to be the realization of the principle ' minimalism in everything' on which Italian neorealism was built. ' Bicycle Thieves' and became the key film of this trend, fully praising and cultivating it in world art.
From the primacy of the principle of minimalism pushes the plot, the only thing that could save the project from oblivion. Spanning only an hour and a half, it tells the story of the Ricci family in poverty. The plot completely destroys the main character Antonio, he is a man, hopelessly poor, he has almost no chance to start life, and not continue to survive. He is a year on the labor market, along with dozens of other poor people, until suddenly he receives a notice of employment. Antonio himself was then sitting far from the stock exchange building and did not hear the employee, that is, his hopelessness is shown by such a trifle. And when fate suddenly smiles the hero, he is transformed to a state in which he begins to feel complete security, internally believing that the problems are behind him, because of which he loses his bike. The situation turns completely, being again becomes terrible. Antonio is shown as a simpleton with weak character and will. He is not able to make fateful decisions on his own, he is pulled by loved ones. He dutifully waits, and therefore is not capable of decisive action in the future. Against the background of the events, walking around Rome in search of one of the thousands of bicycles - in whole or in disassembled, which is much more useless, form - a complete ordeal for Antonio. He's drawn to both need and hope. He understands perfectly well that without a bicycle, all the trouble is a need. And the little son at hand is hope, worth dragging a meaningless existence for.
But the further the story goes, the more the impact of the drama is felt. This is what she appears in the title, the director did not try to hide anything from anyone. For him to show the reality of the tragedy was the most important thing. It is merciless and extremely unfair. Antonio Ricci is not the only hero who had to survive the fear of the present. There were millions. Millions of people crowded at stock exchanges across the country, existed aimlessly in peacetime, were not vigilant and believed in the end of problems. De Sica portrayed Ricci as the entire post-war Italian people, shrouded in fear, poverty and unemployment. This people have forgotten about a decent life, they come to church for rations and do not believe in miracles. As a result, people cease to be people, turn their society into a colony, expose their stupidity against the background of a hero who is turned into a criminal by a chain of unfavorable events. In the end, Antonio continues to coexist meaninglessly, as does the whole nation, hard going through the world.
And if you look at the combination of images of Ricci and the people, the artistic value ' Bicycle Thieves' instantly increases. For it becomes clear that its history is the history of an entire country as a state on the world stage. The fate of Antonio can be compared superficially with the fate of Italy during the Second World War. In the beginning, he finds work, as if living empty, comparable to the Mussolini regime and the outbreak of hostilities. Then the hero puts up ads, and after stealing the bicycle, he entertains himself with the hope of finding it, which automatically becomes a need, not realizing internally that the search does not make sense - like the whole of Italy with its fascism, where people blindly believed their leader and did not notice the truth, continued to believe and seek the truth with hope for a victorious future. And in the end comes the realization that their own country has deceived, invested a nightmarish and unrealizable ideology, and all those involved in the war are criminals, because some killed at the front, others produced weapons, and there were really few innocents. Also, Antonio, he also skipped, and for some obsession, which more reveals the symbolism of the film. And the state itself pays for the sins of the government after the war, implicitly repeating its deeds. (It is also surprising that the story is very harmoniously adapted to the soundtrack.)
Vittorio de Sica thus showed how lost the Italian people, revealing a very bitter truth in the form of an ordinary story of a small man against the backdrop of a mighty city. The people were not supposed to be like Antonio, they had to act, and in the end Italy got out of the post-war crisis. And for neorealism, it meant death, and Fellini, Antonioni and others came along who made art for art's sake. But de Sica and his men have fulfilled their role in film history. They have opened a new facet of drama in cinema, which is why 'Bike Thieves' became a film for all time.
10 out of 10
I watched Vittorio De Sica’s movie Bicycle Thieves 71 years after it hit the big screen. I set myself up for viewing, realizing that I would see a picture unusual for my already formed perception of modern cinema. That was more interesting.
There is no point in walking around the bush - it is a masterpiece.
The film revolves around a poor Italian family struggling to survive in post-war impoverished Rome. The main characters are not special or exceptional, they are one of many who are trying to find some work to feed themselves and their children. And it is the bicycle that becomes for the Ricci family the tool that can help them build a better future, with an abundance of wine, bread with mozzarella and new white sheets.
But on the first working day, a bicycle is stolen and now the main task is to find a bike at all costs, and yourself, without the help of the police, on the streets of a large and not always hospitable city.
From the very beginning, the viewer embraces sadness and a sense of hopelessness caused by genuine sympathy for the main characters. And this mood haunts you throughout the film, deepening and expanding more and more as you reach the finish line. Periodically there is a ray of hope, and then each time you are even more worried about the heroes and upset, seeing its extinction.
The excellent acting of Lamberto Maggiorani (Antonio Ricci) and Enzo Stylo (Brunno Ricci) literally transports you to those post-war years and makes you an unintended accomplice.
The incomparable atmosphere of Rome is conveyed by the magnificent cinematography of Carlo Montuori (he has more than 140 feature films).
"Bike Thieves" causes sad, but still bright emotions in the viewer, once again reminding us of the most important thing in our lives - family, warmth and love. No wonder in 1950, this picture received an Oscar for best film in a foreign language.
Those who are going to see the picture “Bike Thieves” for the first time, remember that you should not evaluate it through the prism of modernity. This is a different era, a different time, and it would be fair to look at it from the principles of historicism and objectivity.
It's a beautiful movie. He stole my heart. I recommend it.
Post-war Italy, Rome. The family of unemployed Antonio Ricci lives in extreme poverty. But in front of the man flashed a ray of hope - he was hired, which, however, requires the presence of a bicycle. He had a bike, he swam. The pawnshop. After selling the last thing the family had, Antonio buys a two-wheel assistant and goes to work. But on the first day, some scoundrels stole his expensive vehicle. The whole film Antonio, with his son Bruno, is looking for a bicycle, and luck sometimes seems so close.
Non-professional actors play very authentically, and the boy, Enzo Staiola, the performer of the role of Bruno, and at all incomparably displays throughout the film various shades of the range of feelings: anger, despair, fear, pain, love, resentment, hope, desire to help, be useful, and sometimes some feelings combined. His hero is simple-minded, lively, energetic, persistent little strong man. The boy has played in three more films, but the role of Bruno is his best. It is a pity that with such talent he went to a mathematics teacher and could not take place as an actor.
The protagonist of De Sica’s film, Antonio, seems to not live in post-fascist Italy, he is more like the heroes of early Dostoevsky or small downtrodden Gogol officials. Immersed in despair, Antonio seems to put an end to his fate, and although he struggles to find a bicycle, his confusion about life is so great and he is so clogged that he misses opportunities one after another. The film is sincere, but somehow painfully sincere and full of sadness.
Vittorio De Sica in 1948 shot an hour and a half black and white drama broken by misfortunes of a little man based on the novel by Luigi Bartolini, and since then it is considered the brightest representative of Italian neorealism, one of the first films of this trend. Invariably enters the top hundred in various tops, and in 1950 she won the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar for best film.
9 out of 10
Presenting the film “Bike Thieves” to the audience, Vittorio De Sica does not reveal a unique history of the Roman workers of the postwar period, but rather summarizes in the person of Antonio the position of the entire Italian society (the main mass of it) of that time. The film turned out to be strong and moderately dramatic, with the same emotionality inherent in the same Italians.
The main character of the film is an ordinary man, interrupted by various part-time jobs for the benefit of his family, suddenly finds happiness in the face of a new job. Thanks to the latter, according to his calculations, they should have healed very well. But fate had its own plans in this regard, and a little later, the man loses the most important tool for his business - the bicycle. Since it is not possible to continue the activity, the protagonist, taking with him an insanely charming son, goes in search of a two-wheeled apparatus.
Not to say that the storyline is full of dynamics and any expression, but the feeling of longing and hopelessness, perfectly read in the faces of film debutants Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Steyola does not leave throughout the film. The transferred atmosphere, of course, is caused not only by the barely ended war, but also by the directorial skill, who sees the really pressing problems of ordinary people and as a bonus, this atmosphere is supported by the highest quality composition work. The performers of the main roles looked very impressive and “live”, which is the brilliant play of young Enzo, so reminiscent of Jackie Coogan at his most starry hour.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the plot is uncomplicated, but that it attracts. De Sica denounces exactly the same people, in general - with exactly the same history and problems. Yes, they drink different wine, yes, their pasta is better, but this does not change the fact that capitalism, which was still nascent, makes an honest person. Therefore, the content of the story is relevant to this day. So the most prestigious awards of the "Kidnaps" are well deserved.
If you are looking for an easy movie with Happy End for relaxation and relaxation, then do not even think of watching Vittorio De Sikka’s film “Bike Thieves”.
Initially, the plot is very simple: a resident of post-war Rome Antonio Ricci – actor Lamberto Maggiorani – finally finds a job. In the post-war period, jobs were tight, thousands of unemployed people were looking for them, and what a joy it was to finally find them! On the first day of work, Antonio's bike is stolen. You know, a bicycle, you can even say a small thing, but they are stolen every day and nothing. But Antonio can't work without a bicycle, which means those two wheels are life for him and his family. Losing your job because of a thief... How do you get back home with your wife and two kids? Taking with him Bruno’s son Enzo Staiola, Antonio goes in search of a bicycle in a big city where no one cares about some missing bike.
I didn't like the film, it was too heavy and realistically tragic. But the movie is great and I shouldn’t have liked it. The script, the music, the acting – all right, but I will not undertake to revise “Bike Thieves”.
How many in the postwar period there were those in need who were doomed because of some seemingly small thing. But for one thing, for another, all life. And it's not just about the bike. Not even about him at all.
On the script together with the director Vittorio De Sikka worked Cerase Dzawattini, Oreste Biancoli, Suzo Cecchi D’Amico, Adolfo Franci, Gerardo Gerardi, Gerardo Guerrieri, Luigi Bartolini. The latter is the author of the work of the same name, on which the film was made.
In 1950, Bicycle Thieves won Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Awards, and all three for Best Picture! Which is well deserved.
"Bike Thieves" is a reality, harsh, cruel and merciless. People find it hard to see reality as it is. That’s why the movie either won’t like it as bad (then you just didn’t understand its meaning, and it’s neither bad, we can’t understand everything), or won’t like it as good. But if you don’t like it as a good movie, you’ll learn something, which is very important.
According to a great connoisseur of Italian cinema, literary critic and translator Georgy Dmitrievich Bohemsky, this is "the best film of De Sica and the best film of Italian cinema in general." In his book Cinema of Italy. Neorealism" he called it the German word "Stimmung" (Mood): "The cruel loneliness to which man is doomed by the struggle for existence, a parable of humanity permeated with determinism and hopeless, devoid of catharsis. Indeed, this simple story of the “Italian Akakiy Akakievich”, personifying the entire nation of the late 40s, with all its keenness explores universal human problems that are understandable to everyone. Before us is a real life, shown extremely realistically, without conventions and entertainment techniques. Therefore, every viewer can try on the eternal theme of the “little man” and feel the powerlessness and hopelessness that swept the inhabitants of post-war Italy. Therefore, this human drama is close to all those who have ever encountered social and moral inequality in the off-screen being.
With the legendary, acclaimed movie Bicycle Thieves, I had to go a long way of reinventing myself. To be honest, watching it was hard. Despite all the realism of what is happening, the positivity of the hero, the charm of his son, the viewing was given to me with great difficulty. I literally forced myself to get to the end, to wait for the end. Why? Probably because such films need to be “digested”. For several days, this film did not give me peace, but with every new thought about it, I realized that I was beginning to love it.
Despite the fact that the film was made almost seventy years ago, it incredibly accurately conveys the picture of what is happening now. In society there have always been and always will be ties of one to many or one against all. Since childhood, we have been growing a kind of likeness of terminators, consolidating our feelings, muffling experiences, accustoming us to the existing realities and customs of society. But each of us has a vulnerable spot, an Achilles heel, reaching which, fate begins to break our "I" to pieces. It is this situation that Vittorio de Sica tells us incredibly realistically and accurately.
Is it possible to keep a person in you when you have lost everything? Do you need to break what you considered valuable and healthy in order to somehow get out of this situation?
The hero did everything to get his way: he went to a fortune teller, in which he never believed, forgot about his son, whom he almost lost, committed theft. But in the end, it ended up where it started. At the end of the film, we see a show scene where a father and son join an aimlessly wandering huge crowd. Thus, the film loops, the hero returns to the starting point. It is impossible to achieve well-being, happiness and satisfaction in life by committing meanness and being like those above whom you want to become.
Despite the sad ending, the film leaves a pleasant sediment and hope for a bright future. You want to believe in a hero.
Watching a black-and-white film made 68 years ago is not an easy decision to make. This time I didn’t have to regret it. The movie is amazing. The film is simple, made precisely to tell its story, beautifully and convincingly, not for the sake of collections or awards of film festivals, not as a film by an actor or director, as in the 21st century often happens. The film for the sake of the film, laconically and flawlessly shot, endowed with such a deep meaning that it is mandatory to watch for everyone to this day. In the late 40s, in the conditions of post-war devastation, it was simply impossible to shoot an empty or uninteresting or low-quality film due to lack of funds. This film fully justifies its right to appear.
History in itself cannot but catch on. A frightening and depressing picture of post-war unemployment, which even the most positive person can lead to crime. I write this review, being actually unemployed, and here in my piggy bank is another film about what can lead to the lack of work and funds. How far can a lack of work take you? It is a reason to think, even in our, not yet the most difficult times.
About Antonio Ricky's character. If you think that your business is bad, think about what it was like for him when after many months of absence of work he finally got it with difficulty, and on the first day of work he was stolen from his bicycle, without which he would not be able to work and would be fired? Unsurprisingly, he is desperate and ready to do anything, and the loss of hope pushes him to commit crime. The fact that he is the most positive person is certain. You sympathize with him with all your heart and do not condemn him. As for the actor, this is a clear example of the fact that in the post-war period the actors gave their all, not being world famous, not striving for fame or fame, as modern. I had never heard of this man before, but he was so amazing!
Another important character is Bruno Ricky, Antonio's son. In this story, we see a father and son trying to track down a stolen bike, and this couple makes the film particularly poignant and touching. Bruno is no less important than Antonio, a grown-up, intelligent and independent boy who tries to help his father in his search. A living reminder of why it's so important for a father to find a bike and keep a job. The case when it is nice to look at the child in the frame, and this is rare. I say sacrilegious things, but children on screen are not always a good solution, and sometimes just annoying. This is not the case with this film.
The film is very kind, touching, sad, and permeated with special warmth. It is no coincidence that the action takes place in Rome, which can be the most beautiful city in the world, which remains beautiful even in the most difficult times for its residents. The streets of the city are beautiful and have a special color, they look alive, natural and filled with life, as the streets should be. It's a naturally historically Roman environment that permeates the whole film. There is no sense of hopelessness because it is Rome. And of course, the black and white shooting itself is beautiful and flawless, it feels like a real master shot.
The final, to be honest, disappointed me. But there is hope in it for the possibility of correcting mistakes and for a better future for the characters of the film.
The film is very bright, lively, atmospheric, fascinating and causing emotional participation. He is devoid of the naivety of Soviet cinema, but just as kind and pure. You will not regret it, you will love it.
After reading other reviews about the film, I wondered – people, have you ever read Gogol’s novel “The Overcoat”? Is it necessary to draw the plot of the story by the ears to seriously compare it with the movie “Bike Thieves”?
All right, let's leave the aesthetes and the posers with their meaningless thoughts. I will tell you the point of view of a person not burdened with a “high sense of taste” and “syndrome of the search for deep meaning.”
To hell with the term “neorealism” is a film about everyday life. The brutal Italian everyday life of the postwar period. Unemployment, poverty, hunger, child labor, and in general the treatment of children as underdeveloped adults. And against the background of all this, jingoism, demonstrations, trade unions, the glossy muzzles of rich people in restaurants with live music, folk psychic fortune tellers, the mafia, thieves and fraudsters flash. Does it sound like anything?
The brief essence of the story is set out in the description - like manna heavenly on the head of the main character falls the long-awaited work from the labor exchange, and now at the peak of enthusiasm and enthusiasm, the main character is taken away from the precious tool of earnings, hard to return from the pawnshop - a beaten old bicycle.
And then begins not “Overcoat” Gogol, and the real series “Breaking Bad”. Gradually, pink glasses slide from the eyes of the main character, and at a certain point they break to pieces. Seeking justice where it never was, he falls deeper and deeper into despair and rage. And at the end of the film, we already see not an honest beggar extending a friendly palm, but a resentful and desperate man clenching his fist, ready to part with principles for a piece of bread for his family.
Through all the dirt and filth of postwar Rome, hand in hand with the main character is his son, who was perfectly played by a talented boy (at that time a boy) Enzo Staiola. Why aren’t there kids in movies these days? It is the son who keeps the whole film from falling into the abyss of shame and sorrow.
An open ending can be called happy. All the same, at least some chance, thanks to one random understanding person.
The people who are looking for deep meaning and a masterpiece in this film – when was the last time you went outside? Similar stories unfold every day, the world has not changed a bit since the release of “Bike Thieves”. To call the film a masterpiece for what it is “neorealism”, “man’s revolt against the whole world”, “sentimentality and aesthetics” is nonsense and phimosis of the brain. Vittorio De Sica smacked 10 such “masterpieces” a year, ten! But for great actors and bright characters, an interesting and honest story - yes, a masterpiece.
10 out of 10
The classic of world cinema, this description of the film we will meet by going to any Internet resource dedicated to cinema. Of course, this definition is absolutely deserved. More than 65 years have passed since the release, and it is difficult for me to imagine a viewer who would not be touched by this picture. Only people whose world is limited by the road from home to rocking, or a nightclub will remain indifferent. I think it is hardly possible to introduce something new to the discussion of the plot, meaning, or work of the creators of this work, directors and film lovers around the world have been talking about this for more than half a century. I just want to hope that modern filmmakers will not forget who they owe to the fact that cinema is an art form, and not a semblance of a YouTube video, and directors in films will show themselves, their thoughts, and not the budget that they were allocated.
I recommend watching absolutely everyone. A vivid example of a masterpiece of cinema. To popularize this tape, the duty of every connoisseur of cinema. Its little-knownness among the masses is, in my opinion, the biggest drawback. In the assessment, I withdraw 1 point for the fact that the music does not complement what is happening on the screen and does not cause appropriate associations.
It is likely that Vittorio De Sica, based on Luigi Bartolini’s novel The Bicycle Thieves, went through decades, retaining audience interest, thanks to an incredibly accurate, lively portrait of post-war Italy. The overthrow of Mussolini’s dictatorship left Italians with a sense of shame for their support for the misanthropic regime and the ambiguous architecture of the “new Rome.” Although there is no war in De Siki’s film and it is not even mentioned in the dialogue, her ugly ghost constantly looms in the frame. The deposed fascism of the Duce caused the collapse of social institutions, widespread unemployment and the growth of crime. The nature of this crime, the director gives a very clear definition - hopelessness. I want to live, and there is an elderly mother, hungry children, unpaid debts, that’s the money received from the sheets laid in the commission, hardly enough for a couple of weeks of modest meals. The plot of the tape is such that wandering through the streets of Rome, along with the main character looking for a stolen bicycle, the viewer constantly looks into the guts of the deprived city, and the nefarious crime is more clearly manifested need, not greed. “Bike Thieves” is an extremely pessimistic view of contemporary filmmaker Italy, a naturalistic picture of the terrible consequences of political arrogance. When a system-generated monster has devoured itself, is it possible to judge people who are desperate to steal for survival? De Sica in any case does not justify, but on the example of a decent and desperate person tries to understand.
Although the film (like the novel) is a vivid representative of neorealism and almost devoid of any generalizations, the unique story of poor Antonio can easily be projected into the situation in post-war Europe as a whole. The Church through free lunches tries to multiply its flock, the rare rich, despite the crowds of unemployed, live on the remnants of a devalued empire, false seers and false prophets are gaining popularity, and the packed quarters fiercely defend their own, accusing the stranger of all mortal sins. All these sketches from the life of the eternal city, and against their background, Antonio’s tragic search for the only means of subsistence, except pessimism, inspire nothing, but this was the state of affairs – the film focuses on the events taking place “here and now”. Credibility, by the way, De Sica observes in detail. On the poor, worn and soiled costumes, merchants of fragrances are sullen and look underhand on top of their numerous and little-needed goods, and the streets are full of posters calling for performances and displays. After watching this film, you can easily look through time, in Italy forty-eighth. At one time, the film amazed viewers and critics in the States by the fact that the characters shown in it were ordinary people, not angry with the defeat of the fascists, but simple families with their sorrows and joys. It just so happened that they all survived the war, and even as outsiders. Now, many years later, every viewer has the opportunity to look at those years with their own eyes and make sure that not every crime should be interpreted as an atrocity, perhaps it is simply an echo of much larger acts.
Bicycle thieves are a prime example of post-war Italian cinema. The subject is the same: hunger, devastation, unemployment. However, Vittorio de Sica skillfully wove around the ailing atmosphere of the postwar period his atmosphere - warm and homely. You know, there is in this neighborhood and mutual assistance that are constantly found in the film, something from the good old Soviet films, so well known to our viewer.
In addition to the wonderful atmosphere created by the director, the film pleases the viewer with a non-trivial plot, simple and understandable, lifelike. De Sica masterfully spurs the wave-like emotions of the audience, twisting only one plot twist, capable, however, to keep the attention of the film lover for an hour or more.
The story of the fate of the unfortunate worker, his family, his bicycle is not as one-sided as a cursory reading of the synopsis may seem. Let’s turn everything upside down and look at this film masterpiece differently, on the other hand, at the same time explaining what this film is so good.
Now, in our already inverted world, Vitto de Sica is not just a director, he is a preacher, and his thought and faith go back exclusively to biblical principles. You'll say, "This is just a movie about a poor man who lost his bike." No, my friends, this is a film about the confrontation of good and evil, about the sin that has seized many people, and about the need to forgive this sin, because otherwise evil can not be stopped.
Our hero learned to forgive and learned to be forgiven. So we can confidently say that everything in his life will be fine. There'll be a bike and a job. Everything will get better very soon, because the lesson sent by the Creator-Director is forever learned.
If you forgive people for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you, and if you do not forgive people for their transgressions, your Father will not forgive you for your transgressions.
"Ladri di biciclette" is an amazing movie, easily swept through several decades and remained a sweet and easy film, knocking out a tear even from "stone in the heart." Vittorio De Sica A wonderful actor and the greatest director of the whole generation, which was born in Italy. Along with the greatest Visconti and Rossellini, the name Vittorio De Sica stands on the same level of Italian neorealism. De Sica is simple and deep, cruel and sensitive, likes to laugh and can easily cause a tear attack. A real great artist, who does not need introduction and praise, just watch his films.
A simple story of a small man living on the outskirts of the Italian capital in a difficult time of change. The post-war period is a difficult time for all parties involved, especially if it is a losing country. Devastation, poverty, lack of work and only one thought concerns a person - to survive. Find a job and provide for yourself and your family. Absolutely clear and adequate thought for all viewers. The main character is actually a loser of life or one of millions of people. A man who has lost hope and faith in life, who has found it in an instant and lost everything in one second.
Vittorio De Sica shows the viewer life through the eyes of father and son, about braz in Russian literature in the 19th century unknown. The idyllic of the main characters - not professional actors - evokes and demonstrates intimacy with the tragedy of the ordinary person, where routine questions become a dynamic basis for the storyline, where emotions and feelings are uncontrollable, where the fun of the narrative is mixed with sad and sad.
The majestic Rome appears before us defeated, poor, but still significant and great. Rome is a reflection of the protector and bodyguard of human values, whose streets should be filled with humanism and peace. A city that has seen so much and endured so much, which gently combines despair and the joy of life.
Father and son, a difficult relationship that will remain in the memories of both for a lifetime, filled with real full-fledged adventures, search and fun that accompany them all the way. The poor man who glues the portrait of Rita Hayworth (one of the main stars of Hollywood, who became his face for all time) - it looks so sarcastic and incomparably subtle and clever, I want to laugh desperately at all the frivolity of the opposition of classes. And the remarks in a restaurant about earning one million liras to live luxuriously and eat pasta are a stunningly subtle moment that captures the whole soul and sweeps through the years when the viewer sits and eats spaghetti, of course not for millions.
Subtle, dazzling and sustained humor demonstrates to the viewer all the absurdity of the monstrous situation in which Antonio Ricci fell. The hopelessness, which is felt by the skin and the understanding of all the severity of being. Antonio Ricci can't prove who stole his bike. The injustice that happens to everyone, in which there is no way out, is the tragic drama of man, after which there are only two ways - humility or crossing a line. The loving son of Bruno Ricci, who becomes the savior of his father, who doubted the crowd for the selfish purposes of his father, and these huge tearing eyes showed the disgust and disgust of the hopeless situation of an ordinary, respectable family.
A stunning picture of 1948 Italian production, which became a classic and inspiration for many directors. Simple and funny, instructive, in fact - this is a post-war parable that had a huge impact on the whole world cinema. Surprisingly touching and murderously tense, tragic and funny. Cinema has a stunning effect to touch a person to tears, real life, salty with sadness and sadness. A film with an open ending, which will divide the melancholic and sanguine finally and irrevocably (what a small and banal idea and clearly not often used).
Don’t miss this fantastic movie, watch it, it’s only an hour and a half.
I just have to look at .
This is the first neo-realist film I have seen. A little familiarized with this trend, I discovered a lot of new things.
Throughout the film, we see the story of the unemployed Antonio Ritchie. One of the main features of the film is Rome, as the basis of events, as a place where the atmosphere of despair of “little people” is felt. The merit of this atmosphere is created thanks to the cameraman who shoots people close-up, as if making it clear that the main thing is experience. Also brilliantly emphasized this drama soundtrack, which fits perfectly here. The simple way of narrating here is very useful, because the film is about the destruction of hope, which under such circumstances comes very slowly. All this is complemented by the excellent performance of the actors.
“Bike Snatchers” is highly acclaimed by global critics, which made me watch it. And IMDb score: 8.40 (which is very rare, especially with black and white films). But I put off watching for a long time. And I did not think that after watching with confidence I could say that I saw one of the best masterpieces of world cinema.
Therefore:
Prologue. After watching the movie Bicycle Thieves, I couldn’t get away from what I got after watching it for a couple of minutes. After a few days, this movie never left my mind. Emotionally and emotionally, the film hooked me. Well, that's a good reason to write a review.
Antonio Ricci is an unemployed Italian. One day, he was lucky to get a job as a poster sticker, but for this he only needs a bicycle, and he, alas, does not. But Richie's wife, she sold the sheets to get the money and buy a bike. The next day, on the first day of work, someone stole his bicycle.
In post-war times, many countries suffered from unemployment. Italy is one of them. Antonio’s bicycle is his job, his bridge of life, which any poor person who wants to earn well, feed his family and live like a human being dreams of. Therefore, Antonio Ritchie, after searching around the city, after considering many bicycle parts, after many situations, will not rest until he finds the thief and his guide of life.
One head is good and two are better. 7 people worked on the script, which is not surprising why the film definitely deserved its Oscar nomination. Working together, they, out of a seemingly insignificant idea, were able to unfold such a story and keep me until the very end of the plot. Writers deserve their place in the history of cinema.
The film lacks many common stamps, which can not hope from the film some stereotypes, this applies to the ending. Honestly, she left me a very sad hue.
Plot: 1.9 points.
Characters.Lamberto Maggiorani (Antonio Ritchie) - played a good role. Yes, sometimes the hero of the film will irritate and show his selfishness, but this is the behavior of a desperate person, ready for any actions. This is especially reflected in the climax, when he made a fatal deed, but he was miraculously lucky. But that didn’t save him much.
As for the other actors, Enzo Steyola amused himself, who played his young son helping his father find a bicycle. But most of the time, I liked the performance of the third-rate actors who were in the film to show what kind of people can be. Can somehow help Richie, and those who are indifferent to society.
Characters: 1.8 points.
Soundtrack. Although she is not memorable, but quite strong. There is nothing more to add.
Soundtrack: 1.6 points.
Performance.Normal. What impressed her was the sheer scale of how unrealistic the challenge was for Richie. A large number of bicycles and a huge number of spare parts that immediately awaken the thought in my head – to find a bike in the middle of it, it is simply impossible. And this is only thanks to the cameraman and director of the film.
Setting: 1.5 points.
Additional: Operating work: +0.4 points. Carlo Montuori made a black and white film, competently working with light and shadow. As for perspectives and plans, there are a couple of very well-built shots in the film.
The Last. "Bike Thieves" - old, black and white, moments funny and very sad film
I recommend that those who want to get acquainted with the classics of cinema, watch this film as one of the examples of cult films of cinema. He deserved it a long time ago.
Italy, mid-20th century. The film takes place in Rome.
Antonio is a poor, unemployed man with a family (wife and young son) who suddenly gets a job. The labor exchange offers him the profession of a poster sticker, a good salary from it + various kinds of advances. Only, there is one prerequisite: Antonio must have a bicycle, otherwise the place of the sticker will go to another applicant. Antonio takes up this work, but, for not owning a bicycle, the hero has the problem of doing the work. The hero finds a way to buy a bicycle, but on the first day of work, the bike is stolen from under his nose. Now Antonio must find his bicycle, because the future of his family depends on it and the opportunity to finally get out of poverty.
The film shows the entire social culture of the post-war period of Rome, the capital of Italy. The picture is filled with experience and drama, showing at the same time what a person is ready to go in complete despair.
9 out of 10