Film noir epitomizes the studio film, with its glamorous treatment of larger-than-life characters and stories. Italian Neorealists like de Sica were not interested in the cinematic or dramatic techniques of studio films. When the bicycle-and their future-is stolen on the first day of the job, Ricci has no choice but to find it at all costs.Įven the Italian Neorealist "unstyle" of The Bicycle Thief seems totally different than the highly stylized film noirs. Since Ricci's family is desperate for the steady income, his wife sells their bedsheets so that they can buy a second-hand bicycle. However, the job requires a bicycle, a commodity difficult to obtain in post-war Italy and one that he does not have. When a position as a billposter becomes available, Ricci jumps at the chance.
Although he has been unemployed in the years following World War II, he has patiently waited for a job from the Italian government, the only organization with jobs to give. For most of the film, Ricci and his son Bruno (played by Staiola) walk throughout post-war Rome, desperately searching for his stolen bicycle and leading the viewer through the urban landscape in the process.Īt first glance, the honest and hardworking family man Ricci seems to bear no relation to the world-weary and hard-boiled detectives of crime novelists like Raymond Chandler. However, the direction of de Sica, the cinematography of Carlo Montuori, and the acting of Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola transform this sliver of a story into a starkly lyrical exploration of working-class social conditions in post-war Italy.Īlthough Antonio Ricci, the protagonist (played by Maggiorani), is employed to put up posters, he has more in common with film noir detectives. 2 Stripped to its barest essentials, the film is nothing more than a man and his young son trying to find their stolen bicycle. The plot of The Bicycle Thief was adapted by screenwriter Cesare Zavattini from a novel by Luigi Bartolini. Among its many awards are a Special Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and a slew of awards-Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Story and Best Score-from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists in 1949. The Bicycle Thief was met with critical acclaim from audiences, home and abroad, at its release. This film is widely considered to be a classic of world cinema and an exemplar of Italian Neorealism. The film is 93 minutes long and shot in black and white.
The Bicycle Thief ( I Ladri di biciclette) is an Italian drama film directed by Vittorio de Sica and released in 1948.
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