Bicycle Thieves is a 1948 Italian film that follows a poor working-class man named Antonio Ricci. Antonio lives in Rome in the post-World War II era. Antonio, a family man, is desperately looking for a job, like many other men. He is finally offered a position that brings hope to his family which is comprised of his wife Maria, young son Bruno, and his infant baby. The hope of his family is soon diminished when Antonio’s bike was stolen from him on his first day of work. Most of the movie portrays Antonio and his son Bruno actively searching for this bike. This film shows that there is a lot more on the line than losing a bike. This bike would be able to ease the family’s financial stress and bring them a more stable and hopeful life. This film revolves around the working class life which is a very well-known theme associated with neorealism works.
The film begins with a crowd of men anxiously awaiting the employment office manager to read off the names of the lucky men that are being offered a job. The air is filled with complaints surrounding lack of work and being unable to feed families. The employment manager calls for Antonio Ricci. Consequently, sighs of discouragement echo the crowd as an envious temperament seizes every man’s body. …show more content…
The opening scene showing the crowd of men waiting to hear their named called for a job was a commonality that occurred all over Rome. This scene truly depicts the hardships that working-class men were experiencing. The little work that was available was often out of expertise for many men, so they would have to go through this routine each day praying that a job would come up. While they stood their thinking about how to put food on the table, they heard another man’s name for a job that anyone could do. Men complain that it has been months that have been without jobs. Unfortunately, that is the case for most men across
The film begins with a crowd of men anxiously awaiting the employment office manager to read off the names of the lucky men that are being offered a job. The air is filled with complaints surrounding lack of work and being unable to feed families. The employment manager calls for Antonio Ricci. Consequently, sighs of discouragement echo the crowd as an envious temperament seizes every man’s body. …show more content…
The opening scene showing the crowd of men waiting to hear their named called for a job was a commonality that occurred all over Rome. This scene truly depicts the hardships that working-class men were experiencing. The little work that was available was often out of expertise for many men, so they would have to go through this routine each day praying that a job would come up. While they stood their thinking about how to put food on the table, they heard another man’s name for a job that anyone could do. Men complain that it has been months that have been without jobs. Unfortunately, that is the case for most men across