The bicycle thief

Directed by Vittorio De Sica Produced by ;i'se!!e 0mato Written by Screenplay: Vittorio De Sica )esare *a%attini S'so )ecc i D/0mico ;erardo ;'errieri <reste (iancoli 0dolfo :ranci Story: &'i"i (artolini Starring &amberto +a""iorani ,n-o Staiola &ianella )arell Vittorio 0nton'cci Music by 0lessandro )ico"nini Cinematography )arlo +ont'ori Editing by ,raldo Da #oma Distributed by Italy: ,nte =a-ionale Ind'strie )inemato"rafic e United States: 0rt 'r +ayer >ose! ('rstyn elease date!s" Italy: =o%ember 54, 1948 United States: December 15, 1949 unning time 9? min'tes Country Italy #anguage Italian $udget @1??,333

Bicycle Thieves (Italian: Ladri di biciclette, also known as The Bicycle Thief) is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It tells t e story of a !oor man searc in" t e streets of #ome for is stolen bicycle, w ic e needs to be able to work. $ e film is based on t e no%el of t e same name by &'i"i (artolini and was ada!ted for t e screen by )esare *a%attini. It stars &amberto +a""iorani as t e !oor man searc in" for is lost bicycle and ,n-o Staiola as is son. $ e film is fre.'ently on critics/ and directors/ lists of t e best films e%er made. It was "i%en an 0cademy 1onorary 0ward in 1923, and, 4'st fo'r years after its release, was deemed t e "reatest film of all time by t e ma"a-ine Sight & Sound's !oll of filmmakers and critics in 1925.$ e film !laced si6t as t e "reatest e%er made in Si" t 7 So'nd/s latest directors/ !oll, cond'cted in 5335, 89 and to!s t e (:I list of t e 23 films yo' s o'ld see by t e a"e of 14.

Plot
$ e film tells t e story of 0ntonio #icci, an 'nem!loyed man in t e de!ressed !ostABorld Bar II economy of Italy. Bit no money and a wife and two c ildren to s'!!ort, e is des!erate for work. 1e is deli" ted to at last "et a "ood 4ob an"in" '! !osters, b't on t e sole condition t at e as a bicycle w ic m'st be 'sed for work. 1e is told 'ne.'i%ocally: C=o bicycle, no 4ob.C 1is wife +aria !awns t eir beds eets in order to "et money to redeem is bicycle from t e !awnbroker. ,arly on in t e film, #icci/s co%eted bicycle is stolen by a bold yo'n" t ief w o snatc es it w en e is an"in" '! a !oster. 0ntonio t inks t at t e !olice will take t e t eft %ery serio'sly, b't t ey are not really interested in t e !etty t eft of a bike. $ e only o!tion is for 0ntonio and is friends to walk t e streets of #ome t emsel%es, lookin" for t e bicycle. 0fter tryin" for o'rs wit no l'ck, t ey finally "i%e '! and lea%e. Des!erate for leads and wit is better 4'd"ement clo'ded, 0ntonio e%en %isits t e d'bio's backstreet fort'ne teller t at e ad earlier mocked, in t e o!e t at s e may be able to s ed li" t '!on t e bike/s w ereabo'ts. 1owe%er, s e merely doles o't to im one of t e tr'isms t at form er stock in trade: Cyo'/ll find t e bike .'ickly, or not at all.C :eelin" c eated, a crestfallen 0ntonio ands o%er to er some of t e last money t at t ey a%e. 0fter a rare treat of a meal in a resta'rant, 0ntonio admits to is son t at if e isn/t able to work, t ey will sim!ly star%e. 0ntonio finally mana"es to locate t e t ief (w o, it seems, ad already sold t e bicycle) and (r'no sli!s off to s'mmon t e !olice to t e a!artment. 0ntonio meanw ile, an"rily acc'ses t e t ief of stealin" is bike b't t e boy denies all knowled"e of t e crime. B en t e !oliceman arri%es, e sees t e acc'sed boy lyin" on t e floor fei"nin" a sei-'re and s'rro'nded by irate nei" bo'rs w o blame 0ntonio/s acc'sations for ca'sin" t e CinnocentC boy/s fit. $ e !oliceman tells 0ntonio t at alt o'" e may a%e seen t e boy stealin" t e bike, e did not catc t e t ief redA anded, nor as e any witnesses and t at 0ntonio makin" an acc'sation is not "ood eno'" . Bit no !roof and wit t e t ief/s nei" bo'rs willin" to "i%e im a false alibi, e abandons is ca'se. 0ntonio walks away from t e o'se in des!air, as t e t ief/s nei" bo'rs follow, 4eerin" at im abo't is lost bicycle. 0t t e end of t e film in one of t e most resonant scenes, 0ntonio is sittin" on t e c'rb o'tside t e !acked football stadi'm. 1e looks at t e 'ndreds and 'ndreds of bicycles t at are !arked o'tside t e stadi'm and as e cradles is ead in des!air, a fleet of bicycles mockin"ly s!eeds !ast im.

0fter %acillatin" for some time abo't w et er to steal one for imself, e decides e as no ot er o!tion b't to snatc one t at e s!ots o'tside an a!artment. Dnl'ckily, e is seen takin" t e bike and ca'" t by a crowd of an"ry men w o sla! and 'miliate im in front of is son. Ironically, t is time wit an army of witnesses w o catc im, e is fro"marc ed off to t e !olice station b't after seein" ow '!set (r'no is, t e owner of t e bicycle declines to !ress c ar"es. $ e film ends wit 0ntonio and is son, sad and let down from w at as 4'st a!!ened, t ey walk alon" in a crowd, lea%in" 's wit a dim o'tlook for t e two. 1oldin" ands, t ey are bot red'ced to tears.

Cast

&amberto +a""iorani as 0ntonio #icci ,n-o Staiola as (r'no #icci, 0ntonio/s son &ianella )arell as +aria #icci, 0ntonio/s wife ;ino Saltamerenda as (aiocco Vittorio 0nton'cci as (icycle t ief ;i'lio ) iari as (e""ar

$ac%ground
Bicycle Thieves is t e best known neoArealist filmE a mo%ement be"'n by #oberto #ossellini/s Rome, Open City (1942), w ic attem!ted to "i%e a new de"ree of realism to cinema. :ollowin" t e !rece!ts of t e mo%ement, De Sica s ot only on location in #ome, and instead of !rofessional actors 'sed nonactors wit no trainin" in !erformanceE for e6am!le, &amberto +a""iorani, t e leadin" actor, was a factory worker.$ e !ict're is also in t e Vatican/s (est :ilms &ist for !ortrayin" 'manistic %al'es.

Critical reception
(osley )rowt er, film critic for The Ne !or" Times, la'ded t e film and its messa"e in is re%iew. 1e wrote, C0"ain t e Italians a%e sent 's a brilliant and de%astatin" film in Vittorio De Sica/s r'ef'l drama of modern city life, The Bicycle Thie#$ Bidely and fer%ently eralded by t ose w o ad seen it abroad (w ere it already as won se%eral !ri-es at %ario's film festi%als), t is eartAtearin" !ict're of fr'stration, w ic came to t e 8Borld $ eater9 yesterday, bids fair to f'lfill all t e forecasts of its absol'te tri'm! o%er ere. :or once more t e talented De Sica, w o "a%e 's t e s atterin" Shoeshine t at des!erately tra"ic demonstration of 4'%enile corr'!tion in !ostAwar #ome, as laid old '!on and s ar!ly ima"ed in sim!le and realistic terms a ma4orFindeed, a f'ndamental and 'ni%ersalFdramatic t eme. It is t e isolation and loneliness of t e little man in t is com!le6 social world t at is ironically blessed wit instit'tions to comfort and !rotect mankindC.8G9

B en t e film was reAreleased in t e late 1993s (ob ;ra am, staff film critic for t e San %rancisco Chronicle, "a%e t e drama a !ositi%e re%iew: C$ e roles are !layed by nonAactors, &amberto +a""iorani as t e fat er and ,n-o Staiola as t e solemn boy, w o sometimes a!!ears to be a miniat're man. $ ey brin" a "ra%e di"nity to De Sica/s 'nblinkin" %iew of !ostAwar Italy. $ e w eel of life t'rns and "rinds !eo!le downE t e man w o was ridin" i" in t e mornin" is bro'" t low by ni" tfall. It is im!ossible to ima"ine t is story in any ot er form t an De Sica/s. $ e new blackAandAw ite !rint as an e6traordinary ran"e of "ray tones t at "et darker as life closes inC.

Influence
$ e !lot of $im ('rton/s &ee' ee's Big (dventure (1982), w ic feat'res HeeA wee 1erman tryin" to find is stolen bike, is loosely based on Bicycle Thieves$wedis directors &'kas +oodysson and #oy 0ndersson a%e listed t e film as t eir fa%orite film of all time.8In t e 1995 film, The &layer, t e C(icycle $ iefC, as its called, becomes a minor !layer in t e satiricial look at 1ollywood. Bicycle Thieves also infl'enced se%eral Indian films. It was cited as an infl'ence on se%eral early Indian art films, incl'din" (imal #oy/s T o (cres o# Land (192?) and Satya4it #ay/s &ather &anchali (1922). $ e !lot of t e 533G $amil film, &olladhavan, w ic feat'res D an's tryin" to find is stolen bike, was loosely ins!ired by Bicycle Thieves. $ e film was also on $)+/s to! 12 most infl'ential films list.

Translated title
$ e ori"inal Italian title literally translates into ,n"lis as Bicycle Thieves, ladri bein" !l'ral in Italian, b't t e film as 's'ally been released in t e Dnited States as The Bicycle Thie#. 0ccordin" to critic H ili! :renc of The Observer (DI), t is alternati%e title is misleadin", Cbeca'se t e des!erate ero e%ent'ally becomes imself a bicycle t iefC.8159 $ e film is released in t e DI as t e more acc'rate Bicycle Thieves, and t e recent )riterion )ollection release in =ort 0merica 'ses Bicycle Thieves.81?9 B en t e film was reAreleased in t e late 1993s (ob ;ra am, staff film critic for t e San %rancisco Chronicle, was .'oted as sayin" t at e !referred t e title The Bicycle Thie#, statin", CH'rists a%e critici-ed t e ,n"lis title of t e film as a !oor translation of t e Italian ladri, w ic is !l'ral. B at blindnessJ The Bicycle Thie# is one of t ose wonderf'l titles w ose !ower does not sink in 'ntil t e film is o%erC.

&'ards

&ocarno International :ilm :esti%al , Swit-erland: S!ecial Hri-e of t e >'ry, Vittorio De SicaE 1949. =ational (oard of #e%iew: =(# 0ward, (est Director, Vittorio De SicaE (est :ilm (0ny &an"'a"e), ItalyE 1949. =ew Kork :ilm )ritics )ircle 0wards: =K:)) 0ward, (est :orei"n &an"'a"e :ilm, ItalyE 1949. 0cademy 0wards: 1onorary 0ward, Italy. Voted by t e 0cademy (oard of ;o%ernors as t e most o'tstandin" forei"n lan"'a"e film released in t e Dnited States d'rin" 1949E 1923. 0cademy 0wards: =ominated, <scar, (est Britin", Screen!lay, )esare *a%attiniE 1923. ('c arest :ilm :esti%al: ;olden Bolf for (est :ilmE 1923. (ritis 0cademy of :ilm and $ele%ision 0rts : (0:$0 :ilm 0ward, (est :ilm from any So'rceE 1923. (odil 0wards, )o!en a"en, Denmark: (odil, (est ,'ro!ean :ilm ((edste e'ro!Liske film), Vittorio De SicaE 1923. ;olden ;lobes: ;olden ;lobe, (est :orei"n :ilm, ItalyE 1923. )inema Briters )ircle 0wards, S!ain: ),) 0ward, (est :orei"n :ilm (+e4or HelMc'la ,6tran4era), ItalyE 1921. Iinema >'n!o 0wards, $okyo, >a!an: Iinema >'n!o 0ward, (est :orei"n &an"'a"e :ilm, Vittorio De SicaE 1921. (est )inemato"ra! y (+i"liore :oto"rafia), )arlo +ont'ori. (est Director (+i"liore #e"ia), Vittorio De Sica. (est :ilm (+i"lior :ilm a So""etto). (est Score (+i"lior )ommento +'sicale), 0lessandro )ico"nini. (est Screen!lay (+i"liore Scene""iat'ra), )esare *a%attini, Vittorio De Sica, S'so )ecc i d/0mico, <reste (iancoli, 0dolfo :ranci, and ;erardo ;'errieri. (est Story (+i"lior So""etto), )esare *a%attini.