Often included on lists of top films ever made, and I managed to pick it up on Criterion a few weeks ago. One of the editing rooms in the Film House had a poster for The Icicle Thief, a film that parodies this one, and every time I saw it I kept thinking to myself that I should get around to watching Bicycle Thieves, but I'd then always forget.The film is comprised of a very simple story. Antonio is offered a job, but for it he needs a bicycle. Unfortunately, he recently pawned his bicycle. His wife pawns her sheets so that he can get his bicycle back. With bicycle in hand, he heads off to his new job of hanging posters around Rome. As he's hanging posters, his bicycle gets stolen. Antonio, along with his son Bruno and some friends, search throughout Rome for his stolen bicycle. The film appears, at first glance, to be simply about a stolen bicycle, but it's really about so much more. In a classic example of neorealism, the film presents an examination into despair, poverty and loss. More important than the search for the stolen bike is the relationship between Antonio and his son Bruno. Desptie being amateurs, both Antonio and Bruno are played wonderfully, and both characters are full of real emotion. Bruno, also, is the cutest child I've ever seen on film, absolutely adorable. The cinematography of the film is gorgeous, and the world of Rome is brought alive by the camera. The film is one that truly requires a second, and possibly even more, viewings. It is a simple story that says a lot. I need to watch it again, and focus less on the bicycle and more on Bruno. The real story has nothing to do with Antonio, but rather how Bruno's view of his father is changed and impacted by the story. Antonio has a lot more at stake here than just his bicycle, which happens to be his means of production, but also his son's outlook on him and life.
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