The Bicycle Thief

In the Movie The Bicycle Thief We follow the character and most importantly the actions of Antonio Ricci a poor man residing in Rome with his wife and son. The film spends much of its time around Antonio’s attempts to retrieve his stolen stolen bike which he needs to fulfill the requirements for his newly acquired job. After being unsuccessful in trying to recover the bike Antonio resorts to stealing a bike but not without a internal conflict being displayed, In the moments before Antonio commits the crime a wide shoot encompasses the block with Antonio and the Bike spaced perfectly to show the weight of his decision. The action of Antonio stealing the Bike fulfills the title in that he becomes the culprit of the same crime he was originally a victim of, this exhibits the reality of what seemingly moral people such as Antonio will do when faced with desperation. One aspect of this film that displays neorealist tone is its gritty settings the film is shot in and the lack of grandeur in how the protagonist composes himself, as it is a important thing to consider that the director of the movie choose to have the person who plays Antonio not be a professional actor. Nochimson discusses in her Book “World on Film” It is essential to notice that Antonio’s crimes are put into the context of his financial desperation for a job, in the spirit of making the setting fit the characters circumstance The shots of Rome in the movie offer no view of the prized monuments only the streets and run down neighborhoods full of working class people are shown to make our considerations about Antiono’s theft different (Nochimson,2010,166). cringe inducing moments such as Antonio’s son rushing to him as he is condemned for his crime of theft show a dramatized version of the working class persons reality. The films main goal seems to illicit emotion where it is unpleasant in the face of the inconveniences faced by those who are wholesome and unlucky and their reactions to it.