Bicycle Thieves is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica.
Plot overview：After World War II, Rome, like many cities, was full of unemployment and poverty, and people often fought for a job opportunity. After being unemployed for a long time, Lamberto Maggiorani struggled to get a poster-posted job but worried about the need for a bicycle for the job. In order to get better, he used his wife's dowry-sheets from Replace the bike that had been stolen. Don't want to, his bike was stolen on the first day of work. Rich and his son Enzo Staiola searched the streets of Rome and could not find the bicycle on which he relied. Seeing that the days of hopelessness were coming again, Rich decided to give back his teeth.
Review:
Neorealism’s origin of strength lies in the documentary excellence which is used to portray the realism of the story as “realism can only occupy in art a dialectal position.” (André Bazin, 1971)
As a girl never goes through the big depression, I can never get the same feeling of being unemployed, Ricci had been unemployed for a long time, he ultimately got a job which requests a bicycle, (the actor of Ricci: Lamberto Maggiorani was also unemployed, staring this film got him a job.) his wife sold the quilts to earn money for her husband and they finally got a bicycle, the whole family valued it a lot since it is the hope of this poor family, but they can not escape from a quirk of fate, the bicycle stole by thief just the next day, so Ricci and Bruno started their journey of finding the bicycle which was to be the salvation of his young family.
I can clearly remember there is a scene father leave the little Bruno alone beside the river, he wanted to search the bicycle himself, but suddenly someone shouting "a kid fell in the river" Ricci so worried about his son that rushed toward river, at the same time, the thief passed, but Ricci knew his son is far more important, luckily, it's not little Bruno fell in the water, Ricci found him besides steps, then he took the son to the restaurant, they don't have much money, I was deeply moved.
Several times they almost caught the bike stealer. They finally found it. RICCI was definitely it was his bike, but no passerby and policeman stood by him. I ca n’t imagine how desperate he is at that time. How desperate.
On their way home, Ricci saw a bicycle just simply put beside the road, he was so struggling, and he made a choice that he wanted to steal this bike to make up his loss, the time he walked near the bicycle, his dignity was totally lost as a father.
He didn't succeed, instead, he got caught, in this movie, the conflict between the proletariat and the capitalist class is ubiquitous, and especially during the big depression, such social relations will be sharpened. The suits and shoes were worn by those who chase Ricci symbolize their social status, besides this, you can seen there is lots of bikes in the roadside or stores, which means bikes are not kins of luxury at that time, but the proletariat has to sell everything in order to get one.
Life is unpredictable, you may abused by life, by society , by the economy, but it won't affect you to have a meal with the people you love.
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