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Bicycle Thieves (1948): A Moving Tale of Lost Hope and Despair
Neorealism’s documentary-like approach recognizes the beauty of ordinary life. It emphasizes the drama in the mundane, whilst simultaneously accomplishing making a political criticism. In its form and style, most Neorealist films attempt to stray from artificiality by shooting on location as well as using nonactors to exhibit authenticity. One such film which succeeds in doing so is Vittorio De Sica’s Ladri di biciclette (or, Bicycle Thieves), released in 1948.
The film is representative of the Neorealist themes of unemployment, poverty, and societal corruption. It also intimately delves into the deterioration of the father-son relationship between Ricci and Bruno. In the climactic scene, when Ricci is finally overcome by frustration and attempts to steal a bicycle in an act of desperation, Bruno is shocked as he witnesses the moment. According to film historians Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell, their journey could be described to have “stripped away (Bruno’s) illusions about his father”, and through that notion, the film conveys the idea that a man is often the victim of his circumstances. This moment does not attempt to visualize any psychological complexity of its…
