Vittorio de Sica’s Bicycle thieves created the wave that resulted in the creation of the Italian Neo-Realism movement. The film stands out with its cyclic, intimate story that follows a father and sons’ desperate search for a lost bicycle across post-war Italy. Since World War II ended, Italy, like many countries, was in deep poverty. The Neo-realism movement brought forward documentary-style filmmaking which blurred the line between reality and fiction, in an attempt to bring forth the harsh reality. The opening scene establishes the state of the country and extreme poverty due to joblessness which has directly affected our protagonist Antonio as well. The misc-en-scene emphasizes the people’s desperation and the music elevates the emotion in the scene to show sadness and sympathize with their plight.
The film follows a very different approach to filmmaking when compared to the Hollywood style of filmmaking. De Sica used real locations and unprofessional actors to make the film feel more real. The movie is painstakingly detailed in depicting the struggles of the common man.
As the story progresses, Antonio gets the job that requires a bicycle, which turns out to be an issue as he did not have one. The free-flowing camera follows him to his home, where he has to break the news to his wife, Maria. With nothing else to sell, they decide to sell their bedsheets in order to buy the bicycle. In the scene where he goes to sell the bedsheets, we can see others there for the same purpose. Also, the towering wall of bedsheets in the warehouse with people’s bedsheets represents the desperation and helplessness of the massive number of people who are left with nothing but their bedsheets to sell in order to survive. In this scene, we realize how the story of Antonio and Maria isn’t theirs but is representing Italy’s working-class population who are being oppressed by the privileged.
When inside the home, the camera, consistently at eye level, uncovers the exceptionally grave and inadequate decorations of their small home. The misc en scene there shows their poverty and their inability to decorate their house even a little bit. There is a visible divide between the worlds, which has men dominating the exterior and women, the interiors. Maria is seen as a selfless woman, who sacrifices everything for the family, which reinforces the gender roles present at that time.
As we see Antonio getting ready to go to work, there is a sense of optimism in him and his family. The misc en scene here would show how his uniform and the way his son imitates him, emphasizing the family values of Italians at that time. The child imitating Antonio as he gets ready for work also shows another side of exploitation labor and shows how the new generation is also stuck doing what their previous generation is doing and being stagnant in the same economic situation their family has been.
The day starts off on a very positive note as he takes his bicycle to work. On the way we can see a free-flowing camera, probably mounted on a bike. Antonio seems to be happy and the cinematography compliments the mood of the scene along with the background score, which is upbeat as well. He reaches his destination and starts to put up posters of movies, which are ironically Hollywood movies. The use of the poster for extravagant studio-produced movies sits in direct contrast with that of this film filled with the struggles of the poor. As he starts working, his bicycle, which is his only source of income, gets stolen. The story then follows him on his journey to get his stolen bicycle back. He starts searching for it in various places and meets different people, which reinforces the idea of the film as the people he meets are also in a similar situation as him.
The actor’s friend working two jobs, and the communist leader who consoles the unemployed, all are symbols of the socialist ideology the film tries to propagate.
At one point Antonio sees the thief at a distance, giving us a glimpse of hope, but he is unable to find the thief in the end.
The relationship between the father and son is also of importance as the child is seen as an equal part in the pursuit of the thief. There are instances where the child is left to fend for himself. The child needed to become mature for his age as the situation asks for it.
Vittorio De Sica also shows the power of the church, which is seen when the people attend the prayers in order to get the soup. The film hence questions faith, whether it’s true or just a way for people to survive.
The last scene shows reality as it is by showing Antonio become the bicycle thief, stealing somebody else’s cycle. This shows how good people might become worse due to the situation they are in and this is a vicious cycle with no end in sight.
De Sica and Neorealism movement inspired many filmmakers across the globe for years and still do. Filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, and Satyajit Ray have drawn inspiration from the movement which can be seen in their films.
Aditya Jagath 