Film Analysis: Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Cinematography: Carlo Montuori
Starring: Enzo Staiola, Lamberto Maggiorani,
Production Company: Produzioni De Sica
Released: 1948
Country: Italy
Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves– released in 1948 – is an Italian neorealist film. It follows the story of a poor man, Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani) and his son Bruno Ricci (Enzo Staiola) desperate to find his stolen bike in post-WWII Rome, with his job and family’s financial stability on the line. Italian neorealism featured stories and film from everyday life that included poverty, oppression, injustice, and desperation. We find many of these elements are themes of Bicycle Thieves. Neorealism also shot on real locations, and do not feature professional actors. Children also are also cast in profound symbolic roles. We see this present with the character of Bruno (Staiola), Antonio’s son, as a symbol of hope for future and morality.
Post-WWII Italy was a time of rebuilding. Italy was previously one of the most prestigious film making countries in the world. With Fascism holding a tight grip on Italy before and during the war, many elements of creative film direction was squished by strict censorship laws passed in 1922. The government was funding productions of films featuring fascist ideals in cinema up through WWII. After the war ended, much of the life in Italy was of poverty and unemployment. Vitorrio De Sica wanted to create a film about the lives and struggles of real people in Italy at that time. He only shot on site, with no sets, and cast untrained actors in the major roles. Anonio Ricci’s character was played by Lamberto Maggiorani, who was a factory worker. Brunco Ricci was played by Enzo Staiola, who was a cast while watching the film’s production on a street nearby. These actor’s real lives reflected their roles, which only added to the realism of the film.
The film’s cinematography is bare and bleak, adding to the dreary existence of the population of the people in that area of that time. Working class families, post-war recovery, poverty and desperation. Much like the last scene, shots of Antonio and Bruno are shown in large, open-air crowds, showing they are just one of many struggling.
The last scene of Bicycle Thieves brings Antonio and Bruno to the outside of a football stadium during a game. After a long day of searching after the thief who stole Antonio’s bike, they sit tired and desperate on the edge of the street. At this point in the movie, the audience is desperate for Antonio to do anything to keep his job and save his family, and stealing a bike seems like a possible solution. This scene starts off as Antonio’s scene, but becomes a scene about Bruno and him growing up.
It starts with subjective shots, showing us what Antonio is seeing. This is to give us a peek into his mind and mimic what he is thinking. There is shots of the rows and rows of bikes, people on bikes passing him, and it seems everyone has a bike but Antonio. As the game ends and people return to their bicycles, the cuts get shorter and shorter, showing Antonio’s frenzy decision making. This type of editing is done with almost no dialogue, communicating the narrative information and emotions through visuals. Bruno looks at Antonio for advice and direction, and Antonio sends him off on the tram. At this point, we see Antonio in long shot, as if from Bruno’s point of view, watching his father approach a bike he is going to steal. Antonio hops of the bike and starts pedaling and is quickly chased by onlookers. There is a tracking shot on Bruno as he realizes what has happened. As Antonio is stopped and muscled away from the bike, he is viewed from low angle shots, as if still being viewed by Bruno. Bruno is shown picking up his father’s hat and walking towards him during a long shot duration, as if we are going inside of Bruno’s head. As they walk away, Antonio is crying and is very ashamed of what he’s done, and Antonio looks up and grabs his hand. They blend into the crowd and disappear. This scene went from a guy stealing a bike to a little boy now trying to make sense of what’s going to happen to him and his family after this incident. Their story of struggling to make ends meet is also just one of millions of people struggling in Italy after the war.
