A great example of Italian Neo-Realism is Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948). Regardless, the sad theme of the non-diegetic music does not give hope to the viewer. ", Bicycle Thieves and the persistence of realism, Read the Study Guide for Bicycle Thieves…, View Wikipedia Entries for Bicycle Thieves…. The camera moves up slowly and deliberately to reveal hundreds of stacked bed sheets. They are all dressed in rags and dirty clothes. Bicycle Thieves Questions and Answers. He dismisses the idea of going to the movies in his leisure time, and his criticism of movies as “boring” evokes the film’s overarching criticism of bourgeois institutions. (The Bicycle Thief, 1948, Richard Feiner & Company.) Bicycle Thieves clearly represents the relationship between Ricci and Rome as a crisis by constantly showing the struggles of its people during the aftermath of World War II in the mise en scene. Bicycle Thieves opens with a slow pan that follows a bus into a shabby suburban housing estate. The film’s backdrop is 1948 Rome, which consists of rubble, broken down buildings, and civilians searching for work and struggling to make a living. Maria and then Antonio appear trapped and belittled; imprisoned almost (REPRESENTATION). It is arguably at this point that the film’s ideological values are most clearly elucidated. At this moment the audience realises that throughout the film such focus on a material object now seems almost futile and what really mattered was Enzo, the little boy. Delaney, Darby. The Bicycle Thief, directed by Vittoria De Sica, is a film that reflects Italian neorealism. In this sense the film divides in a way that represents the cultural gender values of the country at the time (and possibly still) (MESSAGES, VALUES, IDEOLOGY) . No one looks happy. Members of the Communist party ironically hush Antonio, a distressed working class man, out of their meeting. The malicious neighbors of the thief torment Antonio and force him to leave, and it is a crowd that captures Antonio when he himself becomes a bicycle thief. Let a Professional Writer Help You, © New York Essays 2020. I just don’t like ‘em.". You must have money to throw away.". By linking the bicycle with Bruno, each an object of neglect, De Sica suggests that Antonio’s carelessness can result in an outcome much more devastating and indelible than the theft of a cherished possession: the death of his own son. Directed in 1948 by Vittorio De Sica – “Bicycle Thieves” does indeed contain strong ideological and moral messages and it is through the way it is filmed in this realist, almost documentary style that these morals are expressed. This statement ironically foreshadows the theft of Antonio’s bike. One police officer even convinces Antonio not to press charges against the thief. Back at the family home and having retrieved his bike Antonio prepares for his first day at work. The analysis is not exhaustive and works through the exposition scenes sequentially. ", Part 5: "If you only knew what this means to me. Through this exposition, we become aware of the love Antonio has for his family; if he fails to provide for them, he will be left with nothing, no real sense of happiness or purpose. Second, we are being shown a story located amongst the poor. As the sequence progresses we meet Antonio. Right from the start the film uses its realist aesthetic to foreground two key ideas. Eventually the rain clears and they can move on with their quest, showing how no matter how large the problems that are thrown at you seem to be, the people around you are dealing with similar situations and you are not alone in your struggles.