The Bicycle Thieves

A few days ago I watched this Italian movie made in 1948 called The Bicycle Thieves. A film that embodies the Italian Neorealist movement, The Bicycle Thieves tells the story of a poverty-stricken man, Antonio Ricci, who finally gets a job and thus an opportunity to save his family from financial struggle. Only, the catch is he has to have a bicycle in order to work, and so his wife sells their belongings to afford one. On the first day of the job, Ricci's bicycle is stolen by a young man who's part of an organized mob...and Antonio and his young son Bruno try desperately to find and retrieve it. Trailer is shown below:



Sadly, the ending of this movie is not so uplifting, and what we essentially learn is the hopelessness of those who are victims: that they are disorganized whereas criminals are organized and have the upper hand. At the climax of this film, as Antonio finally confronts the boy who stole his bicycle, he and his son both reach out to the policeman in the neighborhood and attempt to have him make an arrest. Only, the boy's family and community all lie for him, leaving the conclusion that it's Antonio's word against the rest.

The performances are great in this film, despite the fact that the director DeSica casted the leading roles with non-professional, unknown actors, as was characteristic of the Italian Neorealist movement. The boy that plays Bruno is perhaps one of the best child actors I've seen so far, plus he is adorable. And if you decide to see this film, notice how often Bruno looks up at his dad--how often he asks for attention and doesn't receive it. At the same time, we the audience see that the boy is the only one who comes to the aid of his father and his only saving grace.