The movie ‘The Bicycle thieves’ was produced in the year 1948 and was directed by Vittorio De Sica. The movie was written by Vittorio and Secare Zevattini. The movie was also given an honorary award in the year 1950 because it depicted neo-realism in post war Italy. ‘The Bicycle Thieves’ is a drama that is still relevant today despite the fact that it was produced in the earlier years. In this paper, I will focus on reviewing the movie to show its relevance even today.
The movie is about a young family living in poverty especially because the man of the house Antonnio has been unemployed for two years. Finally, just after World War two, he gets a job to post adverts on poles. However, he required a bicycle to start the job. His wife Maria sells off her wedding bed sheets to acquire her husband a bicycle. Maria is also seen to believe in seers because she thanks one because her husband had gotten a job on her way from buying the bicycle. Antonnio starts the job and unfortunately the bicycle is stolen while he was fixing a post.
Antonnio is devastated and he searches in all markets where stolen bicycles were sold to no avail. Finally, he traces the man who stole his bicycle but the bicycle was nowhere to be found. Without giving up, Antonnio is accompanied by his son Bruno to the place where the bicycle thief lived. However, a police search in his house did not bear fruits. The police insisted they could not help because there was no sufficient evidence. On their way home in desperation, Antonnio tries to steal a bicycle and people harass him. The father and son finally go home to their usual state of unemployment.
The movie is set in Rome to depict the post war disorders and stress among the people. However, as much as the movie was acted in Rome, it reveals the conditions faced by any other poor families all over the world. The movie shows how people struggle to survive amidst the frustrations in life.
The movie as earlier stated indicates a state of neo-realism where the working conditions were unfavorable to the poor people in Italy. The whole play depicts a state of desperation for Antonnio and his wife Maria. The movie is thus applicable even in today’s society where young families are struggling to find jobs and make ends meet with the harsh economic times. No wonder, the movie has remained relevant over the years. In fact, I have watched the movie so many times.
The music played throughout the movie is in line with the themes of hopelessness, frustration and desperation as depicted by the characters. The music also gives a sense of comfort to the viewers with hope that everything would turn out well. The music played by the director in the film to show the morning rush of his characters as they hope for a better day is overwhelming. The sound of bicycle bells all over makes the movie even livelier.
The movie makes use of characters that are inexperienced but are able to perfectly reveal what is happening in the society. For instance, Antonnio is a character played by actor Lamberto Maggiorani. Lamberto was a factory worker before he embarked on acting ‘The Bicycle Thieves’. However, he was able to bring out the humor while at the same time revealing what the society was going through during the period of post World War 2. I particularly loved the relationship portrayed by Antonnio and his son Bruno. Bruno kept giving his father hopeful gazes as if he expected or hoped his father had a way of changing the situation they were in.
The sound and lighting used in the movie are all in coordination with the scenes being played. In most cases, people refrain from watching movies that were acted many years ago because they often have poor lighting and sounds are not comprehensible. As such, I would rate the director De Sica highly for his exceptional work producing the movie.
One scene that really caught my attention in the movie is when Antonnio was accompanied by Bruno in search for the lost bicycle. Throughout the journey, Antonnio was obsessed with finding the bicycle to the extent that he forgot taking care of his son. We see Bruno almost hit by a car as he wandered off the road and his father had not held his hand. In another instance, Bruno is anxious and his father slaps him. I feel Antonnio may have been looking for the bicycle while neglecting the needs of his son who all along witnessed the struggles the family was going through. Hence, the movie offers a lesson to parents that they cherish the relationship with their children despite the struggles in the family.
I would recommend that every student as well as adults watch ‘The Bicycle Thieves’ because its relevancy even today cannot be ignored. The movie is comical while at the same time portraying neo-realism that existed in Italy at the time the movie was produced. De Sica makes use of inexperienced characters that further enhance the level of realism in the movie. The reality of the movie is still applicable today where most young people are struggling with unemployment.