Vittorio De Sica's account of post-WWII Italy was effectively portrayed in The Bicycle Thieves. This film depicted the plight of the average Italian worker in light of the struggles facing the nation following the destructive WWII. As was the case with most films adhering to the school of Modernism and, Neorealism in particular, the film truly captured a real depiction of life, and sought to stay away from superfluous plots.
The plight of unemployment facing Antonio Ricci and his family was an all too common fate of many Italian families at the time. De Sica's portrayal of Italy at that time did not bode well with the administrative officials of the country. They felt it was casting Italian society in a negative light. These were common traits of the Neorealist films of that era. Such films would highlight the problems of the characters as being universal; feelings that were probably experienced by other Italians as well. Also, Neorealist films would seek to give audiences an appreciation for ordinary life. This was a concept of Neorealism that Cesare Zavattini, the writer of The Bicycle Thieves, emphasized. Finally, the unresolved plots of Neorealism is another feature captured in The Bicycle Thieves. The audience will truly never know what was the fate of the Ricci family.
I really enjoyed The Bicycle Thieves because of its genuine depiction of life in Italy post-WWII. Many films fail to truly capture the struggles of the average individual in society. In my opinion, De Sica was effectively able to do so and, moreover, I feel his message was able to resonate with the audience.
The movie, The Bicycle Thief, by Vittorio De Sica, is a classic example of the trend of Neorealism in postwar Italian films. Neorealism developed after World War II and flourished in europe. This genre depicted the lives of ordinary people and what they had to deal with postwar, such as unemployment. Another factor contributing to the development of Neorealism in Italy was the fact that most of the extravagant studios Italy was known for, were destroyed during the war. This forced filmmakers to use the streets to produce their movies. Also, well known actors were not used in these films, most likely to add to the authenticity of the lives depicted. The Bicycle Thief is a very good example of a Neorealism film.
Most of the characteristics of a Neorealist film are portrayed in The Bicycle Thief. The movie is much less dramatic than the typical Hollywood film of that era. The film is realistic, and brings attention to the problems people had to face in their every day lives. There is really no point in the movie that could be seen as the climax, but the movie slowly moves through the day of Bruno and Antonio trying to find the stolen bicycle. Another characteristic of Neorealism is prolonged camera shots to add to the "realness" of the movie. It shows many shots of them walking away for prolonged amounts of time, following the day in the life of Antonio and his family, in a very chronological order. The idea of an open ending was also popular in Neorealist films, and of course in The Bicycle Thief, we are left wondering whether or not Bruno and Antonio will ever find the bicycle, and are left unsure of the ending. Although, I found a little foreshadowing when Antonio and Bruno talked to the fortune teller and she tells him if he does not find the bicycle soon, he would not find it at all.
This film was interesting to me, because it really showed how hard life was for the average person postwar. The fact that an entire movie could be made about a man trying to find his stolen bicycle, and just how important it was to him to hold onto his job, proves the struggles faced in every day life. I found the Neorealism film to be a little on the boring, and depressing side. It is a far cry from Classic Hollywood Cinema, and does not offer a happy ending, or much happiness throughout the movie, but it makes me realize how hard life was in Europe postwar.
The Bicycle Thief is a classic example of Neorealism. This genre of film making was developed after World War II and quickly spread througout Europe. The Bicycle Thief was based in Italy and after the war, most of the studios were destroyed. Directors had to use actual streets and the city as there studio which helped capture the understanding of ordinary people and their lives. The struggle for jobs and living with little.
The movie was about the Ricci family and their struggles after postwar. It follows Antonio as he makes sacrifices to buy the bike just so he could take this job to help his family. After the bicycle was stolen, it follows Bruno and Antonio throughout the day as they go out a search for the stolen bicycle. It captures the long walks, emotions and the despiration to find the bicycle. At the end of the movie, you are left wondering whether or not Bruno and Antonio will ever find the bicycle. The idea of open endings were very popular in a Neorealistic film.
The Bicycle Thief was interesting to me. How the directors could make a movie simply on a stolen bicycle but be able to capture all the emotions that Antonio went through to make us understand and imagine what it was like during that time. It was realistic to what Italy was really like after the war. Neorealism genre as a whole, I find boring and a little slow. Compared to classic Hollywood movies, it doesn't have a happy ending or really an ending at all that tells you what is going to happen.
In my opinion, Anwer G. response on The Bicycle Thief was correct. The film displayed the negative light of the problems that the Italian people were dealing with after WWII. The neorealism film seems to contain a negative, no sense of hope view through the film. This view was first seem at the beginning of the film when all the unemployed men were standing around hoping for a job opening. This view continued through the film. Once Ricci’s bicycle was stolen, the film give a small sense of false hope that he may find it and keep his job. This false hope soon disappeared when none of the governmental departments would help him find the bicycle, and when he didn’t find the bicycle at the market. The Bicycle Thief truly showed the neorealism characteristic of no or a small amount of hope that life would improve soon for the average individual and his family.
The Bicycle Theif was a very interesting film for me. In my opinon this film began sort of slow. At first I found myself struggling to pay attention. I did learn a little bit about Italy though and Italy's struggles after the World War. The film began to pick up when Ricci went home to tell him family he had gotten a job. This was sort of a happy point in the film and intriguied me to want to find out what was going to happen with not only his job but his family.
The film also informed me of the racial groups and violence that occured afte the war. In the scene in the Via Panico the film showed the tension and issues that Germans had with the Italians. This was a good example of the dislike the two different groups had for eachother after the war. The movie had a sort of unhappy ending. I would have liked for Ricci to find his bike. In the end not only did Ricci lose his bicycle but also his pride and sanity. ALLYSON FITZWATER
Your description of De Sica's film in the time of post-World War II was correct. It embodied every aspect of the films being made in Italy at this time, form the shots, to the depressing storyline, along with the characters and their struggles through everyday life.
Although I did not find "The Bicycle Thieves" to be boring, I do agree that it was the total opposite of how it would be depicted if it were a Hollywood film. In Hollywood, Antonio and Bruno would have found the stolen bicycle and would have lived happily ever after.
In Respone to Emily H. An important feature of neo realism is going through the events portrayed slowly. In “The Bicycle Thief” we see the life of Antonio and his family. I don’t think it is portrayed in a boring way. Though neo realism purposely expresses close to true events it’s suppose to make us understand the characters better and see a situation from their point of view. Also I don’t think it is boring because through neo realism we see every event that takes place in an interesting way.
I believe this film is an important Italian neo realist film, and it opened the way for other movies including “Where God Left his Shoes.” This is a film about a boxer who is in and out of jobs, and is told that if he cannot find a job by the end of the day he and his family will lose their apartment. Like “The Bicycle Thief” we see a man and his son and their struggle over one day. Also, at the end we are left with a sense of uncertainty like in “The Bicycle Thief.”
Vittorio De Sica's account of post-WWII Italy was effectively portrayed in The Bicycle Thieves. This film depicted the plight of the average Italian worker in light of the struggles facing the nation following the destructive WWII. As was the case with most films adhering to the school of Modernism and, Neorealism in particular, the film truly captured a real depiction of life, and sought to stay away from superfluous plots.
ReplyDeleteThe plight of unemployment facing Antonio Ricci and his family was an all too common fate of many Italian families at the time. De Sica's portrayal of Italy at that time did not bode well with the administrative officials of the country. They felt it was casting Italian society in a negative light. These were common traits of the Neorealist films of that era. Such films would highlight the problems of the characters as being universal; feelings that were probably experienced by other Italians as well. Also, Neorealist films would seek to give audiences an appreciation for ordinary life. This was a concept of Neorealism that Cesare Zavattini, the writer of The Bicycle Thieves, emphasized. Finally, the unresolved plots of Neorealism is another feature captured in The Bicycle Thieves. The audience will truly never know what was the fate of the Ricci family.
I really enjoyed The Bicycle Thieves because of its genuine depiction of life in Italy post-WWII. Many films fail to truly capture the struggles of the average individual in society. In my opinion, De Sica was effectively able to do so and, moreover, I feel his message was able to resonate with the audience.
--Anwer G.
The movie, The Bicycle Thief, by Vittorio De Sica, is a classic example of the trend of Neorealism in postwar Italian films. Neorealism developed after World War II and flourished in europe. This genre depicted the lives of ordinary people and what they had to deal with postwar, such as unemployment. Another factor contributing to the development of Neorealism in Italy was the fact that most of the extravagant studios Italy was known for, were destroyed during the war. This forced filmmakers to use the streets to produce their movies. Also, well known actors were not used in these films, most likely to add to the authenticity of the lives depicted. The Bicycle Thief is a very good example of a Neorealism film.
ReplyDeleteMost of the characteristics of a Neorealist film are portrayed in The Bicycle Thief. The movie is much less dramatic than the typical Hollywood film of that era. The film is realistic, and brings attention to the problems people had to face in their every day lives. There is really no point in the movie that could be seen as the climax, but the movie slowly moves through the day of Bruno and Antonio trying to find the stolen bicycle. Another characteristic of Neorealism is prolonged camera shots to add to the "realness" of the movie. It shows many shots of them walking away for prolonged amounts of time, following the day in the life of Antonio and his family, in a very chronological order. The idea of an open ending was also popular in Neorealist films, and of course in The Bicycle Thief, we are left wondering whether or not Bruno and Antonio will ever find the bicycle, and are left unsure of the ending. Although, I found a little foreshadowing when Antonio and Bruno talked to the fortune teller and she tells him if he does not find the bicycle soon, he would not find it at all.
This film was interesting to me, because it really showed how hard life was for the average person postwar. The fact that an entire movie could be made about a man trying to find his stolen bicycle, and just how important it was to him to hold onto his job, proves the struggles faced in every day life. I found the Neorealism film to be a little on the boring, and depressing side. It is a far cry from Classic Hollywood Cinema, and does not offer a happy ending, or much happiness throughout the movie, but it makes me realize how hard life was in Europe postwar.
Emily H.
The Bicycle Thief is a classic example of Neorealism. This genre of film making was developed after World War II and quickly spread througout Europe. The Bicycle Thief was based in Italy and after the war, most of the studios were destroyed. Directors had to use actual streets and the city as there studio which helped capture the understanding of ordinary people and their lives. The struggle for jobs and living with little.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was about the Ricci family and their struggles after postwar. It follows Antonio as he makes sacrifices to buy the bike just so he could take this job to help his family. After the bicycle was stolen, it follows Bruno and Antonio throughout the day as they go out a search for the stolen bicycle. It captures the long walks, emotions and the despiration to find the bicycle. At the end of the movie, you are left wondering whether or not Bruno and Antonio will ever find the bicycle. The idea of open endings were very popular in a Neorealistic film.
The Bicycle Thief was interesting to me. How the directors could make a movie simply on a stolen bicycle but be able to capture all the emotions that Antonio went through to make us understand and imagine what it was like during that time. It was realistic to what Italy was really like after the war. Neorealism genre as a whole, I find boring and a little slow. Compared to classic Hollywood movies, it doesn't have a happy ending or really an ending at all that tells you what is going to happen.
Devan J.
In response to Anwer G.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Anwer G. response on The Bicycle Thief was correct. The film displayed the negative light of the problems that the Italian people were dealing with after WWII. The neorealism film seems to contain a negative, no sense of hope view through the film. This view was first seem at the beginning of the film when all the unemployed men were standing around hoping for a job opening. This view continued through the film. Once Ricci’s bicycle was stolen, the film give a small sense of false hope that he may find it and keep his job. This false hope soon disappeared when none of the governmental departments would help him find the bicycle, and when he didn’t find the bicycle at the market. The Bicycle Thief truly showed the neorealism characteristic of no or a small amount of hope that life would improve soon for the average individual and his family.
Torsha D.
The Bicycle Theif was a very interesting film for me. In my opinon this film began sort of slow. At first I found myself struggling to pay attention. I did learn a little bit about Italy though and Italy's struggles after the World War. The film began to pick up when Ricci went home to tell him family he had gotten a job. This was sort of a happy point in the film and intriguied me to want to find out what was going to happen with not only his job but his family.
ReplyDeleteThe film also informed me of the racial groups and violence that occured afte the war. In the scene in the Via Panico the film showed the tension and issues that Germans had with the Italians. This was a good example of the dislike the two different groups had for eachother after the war. The movie had a sort of unhappy ending. I would have liked for Ricci to find his bike. In the end not only did Ricci lose his bicycle but also his pride and sanity.
ALLYSON FITZWATER
In Response to Emily H.
ReplyDeleteYour description of De Sica's film in the time of post-World War II was correct. It embodied every aspect of the films being made in Italy at this time, form the shots, to the depressing storyline, along with the characters and their struggles through everyday life.
Although I did not find "The Bicycle Thieves" to be boring, I do agree that it was the total opposite of how it would be depicted if it were a Hollywood film. In Hollywood, Antonio and Bruno would have found the stolen bicycle and would have lived happily ever after.
-Robyn R.
In Respone to Emily H.
ReplyDeleteAn important feature of neo realism is going through the events portrayed slowly. In “The Bicycle Thief” we see the life of Antonio and his family. I don’t think it is portrayed in a boring way. Though neo realism purposely expresses close to true events it’s suppose to make us understand the characters better and see a situation from their point of view. Also I don’t think it is boring because through neo realism we see every event that takes place in an interesting way.
I believe this film is an important Italian neo realist film, and it opened the way for other movies including “Where God Left his Shoes.” This is a film about a boxer who is in and out of jobs, and is told that if he cannot find a job by the end of the day he and his family will lose their apartment. Like “The Bicycle Thief” we see a man and his son and their struggle over one day. Also, at the end we are left with a sense of uncertainty like in “The Bicycle Thief.”
-A’Sheana White