BICYCLE THIEVES (Ladri di Biciclette) (1948) - ♦♦♦♦♦
Directed by - Vittorio De Sica
Written by - Cesare Zavattini, Susi Cecchi D'Amico, Vittorio de Sica, Oreste Biancoli, Adolfo Franci, Gerardo Guerreri (based on a novel by Luigi Bartolini)
Starring - Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell
"Certainly one of the most influential films ever made, and a perfect mix of realism and cinema. Bicycle Thieves comes from Italian neo-realist master Vittorio De Sica, and it follows the simple story of a man who, along with his son, goes on a desperate search for the bicycle he so badly needs to remain employed and which was stolen from him on the first day on the job.
A haunting portrait of the Roman lower class, a people forced to bow down to disenchantment and the drag of everyday life. The Italian capital city, once a place of glory and symbol of pride and power has become a place of the poor, of pawn shops and of bicycle thieves. The exploration of the socio political situation is gripping and timeless, representing 20th century arthouse cinema to perfection as well as the impoverished society and its resulting loss of innocence.
The power of the traditionalist melodrama is carefully balanced, whilst the narrative structure of the film has been used for countless films that follows. The central characters, a father and the son, share inimitable bond that provides tenderness and smiles even in the midst of a situation that seems to have none.
Realism, of course, plays an important role in the film and the use of an amateur cast reveals a more genuine and powerful depth to the work."
Drama, Italy
