Bicycle Thieves (1948)

 

Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Bicycle Thieves is an Italian neo-realistic novel drama film which directed by Vittorio De Sica. This film was produced in 1948. This film is about the life of an Italian. During the hard years of poverty in post-World-War-II Rome, Antonio, a poor working-class man of a wife and a little son, is finally offered a modest job as a bill-poster with his own bicycle; a bicycle like the one Antonio was already forced to pawn. As a result, his wife, Maria, pawns the family's bed linen to redeem their bicycle, unfortunately, however, on Antonio's first day of work, the prized possession is stolen. Desperate, the ill-fated father and his boy, Bruno, will scour Rome's bustling streets on a gloomy Sunday to find the vital bicycle, but undoubtedly, this is an impossible task. Will Antonio ever get his job back?

Italian Neorealism

 The term Neorealismo, which directly translates to “new reality” or “new realism,” sprouted in the wake of World War II in Italy. Neorealismo signified a trend in art and film that aimed to provide insight into the contemporary Italian society of the 1940’s. The films associated with Italian Neorealism are focused on showing Italy removed from Fascist influence. For example, This film is mostly concerned with the lives of working-class people. The film depicts Antonio's struggle to keep his job.

Forms and Style

The form and style of this neo-realistic film are unique. Most of the scenes in the film, for example, were shot in Florida. For instance, young people stole Antonio's bicycle, and both Vittorio Plaza market and stolen bicycles were found in Porta Portese market. The state of Italian culture in the 1940s is clearly illustrated in these portraits. Poor working standards and a heavy crime rate.

Modernism

Modernism is a style and form that distinguishes the film as a uniquely modern phenomenon and one of modernity's cornerstones (Stelmach, 2016, para. 2). Modernist filmmakers aimed to be more true to life than most classical filmmakers, according to them. They try to bring about the horrors of fascism, war, and occupation by exposing the unpleasant reality of class antagonism. The most obvious examples among Italian neorealist are street shooting and a focus on current social issues.

 Furthermore, open narratives with an unresolved central plotline are preferred in modernist films. The long take with the abnormally long shot sustained by camera movements, halting delivery, fragmentary and elliptical speeches, and refusal to meet the other characters' eye are all techniques used in the Modernist film.

 The scene in the film Bicycle Thieves where Ricci and the driver stop a man riding a bicycle in the tunnel to determine whether or not he is the bicycle thief is an example of modernism. The use of a long take in this scene exemplifies the modernist film's characteristic of shooting a real street scene in Italy.

Conclusion

From a viewer perspective, this is an interesting Italian film. The story plot of the film is good as the life of the protagonist bring many feelings to me. Overall, this movie has also used good shot and well-performances by the actors.

Reference

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-italian-neorealism-in-film/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040522/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Thieves