Bicycle Thieves Neorealism

The Bicycle Thieves is a simple, touching story directed by Vittorio de Sica. The 1948 film is a classic in the anti-fascist neorealism movement. Antonio finally has a job opportunity, but he must provide his own transportation. His bicycle is stolen and in a moment of desperation he attempts a lone bicycle outside the town square. The non-professional actors of Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola give an excellent performance as a father and son in postwar Italy. Their relationship provides a child’s perspective sympathized with by an audience. The descent of Antonio’s morality is seen through the eyes of his son. The reality through Bruno’s eyes depicts the disillusionment felt during the postwar period depicted during neorealism [clarify}. …show more content…
In the Bicycle Thieves the wide-spread suffering in Italy is depicted from the large group of unemployed men, Antonio sits yards away with no hope of his name being called, in the opening scene. A cinematic decision further brings attention to the amount of people without bicycles with tracking shots employed in the market. The camera tracks various parts of bicycles as countless are loaded onto racks, then there is a focus on the individual parts, and it closes with rows of tires. The amount of bicycles in the market suggests how many bicycles there are in the city and as Antonio searches for his stolen one, implies how many were stolen. Additionally, to further emphasis the economic burden Italians faced the sheer amount of used bicycles in the pawn shop, especially those dissembled, represents the amount of people that had to pawn a