Bicycle Thieves is an Italian Neorealist movie about Antonio Ricci’s hardships in life. The story is based on a novel of the same name by Luigi Bartolini. The movie starts with Antonio struggling to find a job. He gets offered a job to put up posters around the city, however, is unable to do so since he had already sold his bicycle to feed his family. With no other options left, he takes the job and sells his bed sheets for money to get the bicycle back. He is happy to start working at his new job, but his bicycle gets stolen on the first day of the job. He looks everywhere he can but is unable to find neither thief nor his bicycle. Even when he thinks he has found the thief, he unable to press charges as there is no evidence or witnesses.
The film does not use professional actors or artificial sets. Scenes are shot on location, meaning that the place being shot in is an actual place that exists rather than something created to make movies in. Just like in other neorealist movies, it focuses on the working class and their struggles. The film’s also usually make it a point to have situations in them where there are no clear right or wrongs. For example, we are made to understand Antonio’s pain throughout the film and feel sorry for him towards the end and can understand why he has to resort to stealing another man’s bicycle.
Site Title 