The Bicycle Thief

The Bicycle Thief appeared at the top choice in the initial 1952 Sight & Sound International Critics Poll, dropped to number six in the second poll in 1962 and hasn't cracked the top ten ever since. But while the 1949 film may have lost some of its original luster with pretentious critics, once in awe of the definitive example of post World War II Italian neo-realism, the simple film remains powerful and unforgettable.

Director Vittorio de Sica and writer Cesare Zavattini researched impoverished Rome for inspiration and used non-professional actors to achieve a cinema verité appearance. Thus, the film captures the time and place exceptionally well. The protagonist is Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani), who gathers with a large group of men every morning hoping for work. He has obviously given up hope, for Ricci is found forlornly sitting apart from the group on the curb before his name is called for work. The job requires a man with his own bicycle.

But the idea of getting a job excites him. The job is for a poster hanger that requires having a bicycle for transporting himself and his equipment. Ricci had stated that he had a bicycle on the application form, but he has since pawned it for food. The prospects for steady work and income encourage Ricci's wife, Maria (Lianella Carell), who strips the bedsheets to retrieve her husband's pawned bicycle. Wordlessly the camera gives profound insight into Italy's poverty by tracking the pawnbroker as he climbs a huge tower of shelves packed with other people's sheets.

Of course we anticipate that Ricci's bicycle will be stolen, and de Sica gives us a few moments of anxiety whenever Ricci leaves his bicycle unguarded. On his first day of work, Ricci is busy slapping paste on a Rita Hayworth film poster and smoothing it out when another desperate man runs off with his bicycle. Ricci runs after the thief to no avail. The police are little help-this is Rome, and there is no way that they are going to place a high priority on locating a stolen bicycle. "Find it yourself," an officer tells Ricci after recording the serial number for the records.

But the next day is Sunday, and that gives Ricci some hope-a single day to find the bicycle before his job on Monday. Ricci enlists the help of his spirited young son Bruno (Enzo Staiola) and a few friends and begins a frustrating search for the bicycle and thief. That leads to some classic and unforgettable scenes:

1. When Ricci gives up hope and takes his son to a restaurant for pizza. Bruno notices a family eating pasta and is told by his father, "To eat like that, you need a million lira a month at least."

The copyright of the article The Bicycle Thief in Foreign Films is owned by John Nesbit. Permission to republish The Bicycle Thief in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic