Ever since the writer character Vincent D’Onofrio played in The Player went to a screening of Bicycle Thieves (1948; Ladri di biciclette aka The Bicycle Thief), championing it as true cinema, I always felt guilty for never having seen it. After copping a DVD copy, and letting it sit on a shelf for a long time, I finally sat down and watched this classic, an example of the Italian neo-realist movement. Directed by Vittorio De Sica, it’s an observational look at the working class in post-war Italy with Lamberto Maggiorani as the man desperate for a job, needing to support his family. He’s able to work for the postal office, putting up posters across the city, but only on the requirement of owning a bicycle. Selling a wedding gift to afford the bike, his first day goes awry when it is stolen from him. So begins a day long quest to find it, along with his plucky son (Enzo Staiola). Clocking in a little bit over ninety minutes, I knew the basic shape of the story, after having read reviews about it and all the allusions to it from subsequent film and television. Yet I still found myself very moved by the heartbreaking finale. Great performances (and captured faces) from the cast, with a docu-drama style to the locations and extras.
VHS Tracking 