This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
THE BICYCLE THIEF
3 1/2 Wheels
There's something magical and otherworldly about classic films made before the 1950s. This is true even of serious dramas like Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane and The Grapes of Wrath. Actors were larger than life and what filled the screen, while possibly based on a true story, certainly did not take place in the real world. Today's dramas may embrace that cinematic heritage (Brokeback Mountain) or may just as likely appear to take place in a more naturalistic setting (Syriana).
Two films revolutionized how real movies could be. One was 1951's A Streetcar Named Desire in which Marlon Brando's method acting changed forever how film actors would approach their craft. A quick comparison of Jimmy Stewart to Robert DeNiro, while revealing greatness in both, shows two completely incompatible styles. The other film was 1948's The Bicycle Thief, which introduced Italian neorealism to the world.
Neorealism, as a film style, was characterized by shooting on actual locations instead of film sets, using non-actors instead of stars, and portraying poverty and strife in a gritty non-Hollywood manner. The movement was spearheaded in Italy in the wake of World War II when the country was struggling to get back on its feet after its disastrous period of fascism. Vitorrio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief is not the first film in the new genre, but remains the definitive one.
In 1940s post-war Italy, poverty was rampant, and sometimes a bicycle could be the only thing standing between a worker and unemployment, meaning starvation for his family. Against this backdrop we meet Antonio whose new job as a poster hanger requires that he own a bike, which he invests the last of his savings to buy. After the bicycle is stolen, we follow Antonio and his young son, Bruno, through the streets of Rome as he seeks to recover his livelihood. Antonio and Bruno are portrayed by two non-actors, but their naturalism allows for genuine emotion as the father struggles to connect with his son, while facing the moral implications of poverty and crime.
There was a time when critics considered The Bicycle Thief one of the greatest, if not the greatest film ever made. Certainly its historical significance cannot be overemphasized, but it's very low-key and may not quite live up to its reputation for modern audiences. The Bicycle Thief is a classic, though not necessarily a timeless one. While still a visually arresting and memorable portrayal of a father-son relationship, it's no longer a shock to see poverty portrayed in such a frank manner. Fifty years of influences on other films have slightly diminished the power of the original.
De Sica's achievement remains a vital turning point in the history of film, but it's also the originator of a sub-genre of bicycle movies. Films like Il Postino, Beijing Bicycle and City of God all portray the bicycle as a key means of survival in impoverished societies, and they all owe a debt to The Bicycle Thief.
THE BICYCLE THIEF
3 1/2 Wheels
There's something magical and otherworldly about classic films made before the 1950s. This is true even of serious dramas like Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane and The Grapes of Wrath. Actors were larger than life and what filled the screen, while possibly based on a true story, certainly did not take place in the real world. Today's dramas may embrace that cinematic heritage (Brokeback Mountain) or may just as likely appear to take place in a more naturalistic setting (Syriana).
Two films revolutionized how real movies could be. One was 1951's A Streetcar Named Desire in which Marlon Brando's method acting changed forever how film actors would approach their craft. A quick comparison of Jimmy Stewart to Robert DeNiro, while revealing greatness in both, shows two completely incompatible styles. The other film was 1948's The Bicycle Thief, which introduced Italian neorealism to the world.
Neorealism, as a film style, was characterized by shooting on actual locations instead of film sets, using non-actors instead of stars, and portraying poverty and strife in a gritty non-Hollywood manner. The movement was spearheaded in Italy in the wake of World War II when the country was struggling to get back on its feet after its disastrous period of fascism. Vitorrio De Sica's The Bicycle Thief is not the first film in the new genre, but remains the definitive one.
In 1940s post-war Italy, poverty was rampant, and sometimes a bicycle could be the only thing standing between a worker and unemployment, meaning starvation for his family. Against this backdrop we meet Antonio whose new job as a poster hanger requires that he own a bike, which he invests the last of his savings to buy. After the bicycle is stolen, we follow Antonio and his young son, Bruno, through the streets of Rome as he seeks to recover his livelihood. Antonio and Bruno are portrayed by two non-actors, but their naturalism allows for genuine emotion as the father struggles to connect with his son, while facing the moral implications of poverty and crime.
There was a time when critics considered The Bicycle Thief one of the greatest, if not the greatest film ever made. Certainly its historical significance cannot be overemphasized, but it's very low-key and may not quite live up to its reputation for modern audiences. The Bicycle Thief is a classic, though not necessarily a timeless one. While still a visually arresting and memorable portrayal of a father-son relationship, it's no longer a shock to see poverty portrayed in such a frank manner. Fifty years of influences on other films have slightly diminished the power of the original.
De Sica's achievement remains a vital turning point in the history of film, but it's also the originator of a sub-genre of bicycle movies. Films like Il Postino, Beijing Bicycle and City of God all portray the bicycle as a key means of survival in impoverished societies, and they all owe a debt to The Bicycle Thief.
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