The Bicycle Thief

This film was made in reaction to the very artificial, unfeeling and disassociated nature of previous Italian films (The Telefoni Bianchi) with regard to the experience of citizens in Italy.

The Telefoni Bianchi are defined as films that, “tended to be socially conservative, promoting family values, respect for authority, a rigid class hierarchy, and country life, all stances perfectly in line with the ideology of the fascist regime.”

Rather, The Bicycle Thief set out to disclose the everyday Italian life, in the context of a poor man trying to get by in a post-World War 2 Italy.

I really liked the way this film was made, as it showed the various struggles associated with life at the time, and in other words, it was very realistic in the images it showcased and the messages it conveyed. Due to the fact that my grandparents lived in Italy at the time of this movie, I have a particular respect for it, as it also gives me some insight into the societal context in which they lived. Moreover, since I speak Italian, I can appreciate the true dialogue of the film, which is not nearly as powerful when read through the subtitles, as many of the terms lose their impact when translated to English.

In my opinion, the director created such an amiable character- an individual who is a wholesome, family man with a very discernible attachment to his family, that when his bicycle is stolen, the audience is compelled to feel incredible feelings of anger and resentment towards the robber. This goes to show that we are manipulated as to sympathize with the main character on such a personal level, despite the fact that what was done to him is incomparable to many other movie tragedies, and I believe that this is the mark of a really well-executed film.

To add on, the bicycle is the symbol of paramount importance in this cinematographic work, as not only did the main character work very hard for it and take enormous pride in his ownership of it, but it was also the determining factor of the ease of his livelihood, and on a larger scale, of justice, or the lack thereof, in society. Overall, this film speaks volumes on the topic of fundamental human nature, especially in a time that was riddled with the fear of others and the unknowingness of people’s true intentions.