The Bicycle Thief (1948- Vittorio De Sica) is a film from the Italian neorealism period which represented everyday life through reality and documentary aspects. After WW2 the Italian film industry could not afford actors, script wrights and grand sets, which brought neorealism where they shot on location, employing people off the streets rather then actors, used real story lines with natural dialogue and shot in documentary style.
The Bicycle Thief tells the story of a poor man who finds a job posting flyers on a bicycle which gets stolen. The film shows the man searching the streets of Rome for the stolen bicycle. This interesting and emotional plot shows everyday lower class aspects of society which was not often seen on screen. An emotion connection is developed early on in the film with the selling of the family’s sheets in order to purchase the bicycle which reinforces the heartache once it is stolen.
The realistic elements of the film support the themes of loneliness, individualism and the groups in society and allow the audience to connect to the protagonist and empathize with his emotions. It is an important film that has influenced further films in cinema history with its new approach to realism, winning many awards and was placed sixth in the greatest films ever made in the latest director’s poll in 2002.
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