The Bicycle Thief (1948)

The Bicycle Thief (1948) – In post-war Italy work is hard to find.  So when Antonio is offered a job that requires a bicycle, he reclaims his from the pawn shop, only to have it stolen on the first day of work.  Faced with ruin for his small family, Antonio and his son, Bruno, go in search of the thief.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica                                Starring – Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola

I’ve mentioned before how I approach the “classics” with a certain reservation.  I’m not willing to give any movie, no matter how much other critics have raved about it, a pass if I don’t think it’s worth it.  Maybe it’s just a sign of my own lack of depth as a movie fan and reviewer, but I try to be honest at all times.

“The Bicycle Thief” (originally titled “Bicycle Thieves”) comes with high praise indeed.  At one point, it was named the Greatest Film of All Time.

None of that’s a problem here.

The movie itself is amazing.  De Sica creates a vision that feels more like a documentary than a traditional movie.  There is no polish to the world that the Ricci family inhabits.  It is gritty and hard.  The director pulls no punches on that.  If you want a little snobby comment to drop when you discuss the movie, refer to Italian neorealism.  This is that movie genre at its finest.  Shot on location, with mostly non-actors, the movie genre takes you into the real life in a country that has been devastated in a war it lost.  You feel the desperation of Antonio Ricci as a living emotion, not some carefully created fiction.

Maggiorani and Staiola play the father and son.  Neither are actors.  The former was an unemployed factory worker, and the latter was literally picked out of the crowd surrounding the set.  But the son’s hero worship for his father feels true, as does the betrayal when the father, overcome by despair, lashes out at the boy.  The scene where Antonio makes it up to his son by taking him out to eat at a restaurant for some wine and bread with melted cheese (an extravagence) is both happy and heartbreaking.

But I keep coming back to the acting.  These are NON-actors mostly.  A kid just picked off the street, while the movie was filming!  There’s no Hollywood ending here, even with a Hollywood tribute in the ending.  It will grab you, that’s all I’ll say.  Every time I think about the movie I’m drawn back into the wonder of it.

The movie is entirely in Italian, so you have to deal with subtitles.  Don’t think about it, just do it.

Why I Liked It – The realism, the acting, the ending.

Why You Will Like It – A brilliantly told story of aspiration, love and despair.

Rating – ***** A Must See