In 1948, Vittorio De Sica directed a Italian Neo-Realism film called The Bicycle Thief. The film is in black and white. The film is about this man, Antonio, who has finally gotten a job considering Italy is going through a state of depression. The only problem is he needs a bike to do his job. So his family and him scrap up some money to get him a bike and on the first day someone steals it. Throughout the film, Antonio and his son, Bruno, are looking for his bike. While watching the film, it can make you laugh, cry and be angry all at the same time.
The film contains lots of different components. It is mostly shot outside with tons of people around (in the mass). The film is shot on location with lots of long shots, natural lighting. with a certain openness and framing. The story is about these individuals but it tends to revert back to the mass. This film is very powerful considering the many aspects it contains. There are several different themes like hardship, despair, and an ambiguous ending.
When first seeing this film, I did not care for the ending. I walked out feeling all depressed and down. After thinking about it for awhile, I have come to appreciate it. The movie obviously did its job. I was able to feel something that I normally don't feel when watching a film. Also, I like the fact that they did not sugarcoat anything. This is how life was like back then for those people and probably worse. Sica was able to portray that beautifully.
1 comment:
Obviously, one of my all times favorite movies... Nothing like it today. It is as if all of filmmaking has gone astray repeating the same recipe over and over.
Some times you find something genuine of the sort in a "Chumbscrubber" or Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers".
Lately I've watched this mexican film "Tijuana Makes Me Happy" in Temecula and found the same honesty.
"The Bicycle Thief" makes me a better man.
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