IMDb RATING
8.3/10
161K
YOUR RATING
In post-war Italy, a working-class man's bicycle is stolen, endangering his efforts to find work. He and his son set out to find it.In post-war Italy, a working-class man's bicycle is stolen, endangering his efforts to find work. He and his son set out to find it.In post-war Italy, a working-class man's bicycle is stolen, endangering his efforts to find work. He and his son set out to find it.
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
161K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Cesare Zavattini(story)
- Luigi Bartolini(novel)
- Oreste Biancoli(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Cesare Zavattini(story)
- Luigi Bartolini(novel)
- Oreste Biancoli(screenplay)
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 20 wins & 3 nominations total
Videos3
Ida Bracci Dorati
- La Santonaas La Santona
- (uncredited)
Piero Heliczer
- A young boyas A young boy
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Cesare Zavattini(story) (screenplay)
- Luigi Bartolini(novel)
- Oreste Biancoli(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Antonio Ricci, an unemployed man in the depressed post-WWII economy of Italy, finally gets a job hanging up posters, but he needs a bicycle. But when his bicycle is stolen,, he and son walk the streets of Rome looking for it. Antonio finally manages to locate the thief, but with no proof he must abandon his cause. But he and his son know perfectly well that without a bike, Antonio won't be able to keep his job. —jolusoma
- Taglines
- The Prize Picture They Want to Censor!
- Genre
- Certificate
- Not Rated
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThere's a scene late in the movie where Bruno is nearly run over twice whilst crossing the street. This was absolutely unrehearsed - it was filmed on location and the two cars happened to pass by at the same time.
- GoofsAll entries contain spoilers
- Quotes
Antonio Ricci: "There's a cure for everything except death."
- ConnectionsEdited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)
Top review
Heartfelt Drama of Post WWII Poverty a Must-See...
The Italian neo-realist film movement began around the end of WWII with Roberto Rossellini's OPEN CITY in 1946. It is defined and encapsulated by this striking film directed by Vittorio De Sica. THE BICYCLE THIEF is the best of a group of films that depicted the hardship and despair that Europeans, specifically Italians, went through after the death and destruction of the war. The economy was horrible, and the towns and cities were half-destroyed and decaying. Rome is the location for THE BICYCLE THIEF and De Sica shoots the city in grainy black and white with non-professional actors to get a simple, yet unbearingly emotional point across. A simple thing such as a bike can be someone's entire world at that time and losing it means doing something irrational or perhaps necessary.
The lead in the film is played by Lamberto Maggiorani who seems to be a very good actor. He is not an actor, however, and maybe this is why the film hits its mark so well and comes across so realistically. Maggiorani is of this difficult world and his brooding face is a clear indication of this. His job is to plaster film posters up on the walls of buildings all over Rome. He even hangs a picture that symbolizes the absolute opposite of the misery surrounding him. Rita Hayworth from GILDA is on the walls all over the city, a sign of joy to some, a representation of their own lowly status to others.
When the bicycle is actually stolen, the "title" character is sought after by Maggiorani and his young son (Enzo Staiola), a little kid with so much acting ability, you swear this must be a documentary. A grueling search throughout Rome has the essential parts of the movie, because we see up close the actual people and places the neo-realist film movement came to represent. It is a small, sad world they live in and the bike has to be found so that they can live. The father is put to the ultimate test in front of his son. Will he do the honorable thing or will he do what his mind and heart know is only possible? These are the tense moments of the film's climax.
There is a lot of THE BICYCLE THIEF in Benigni's LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and some obvious comparisons have been drawn because of the father-son relationship. They are worthy of comparison and have equal artistic prowess. What is different about THIEF is the level of intensity maintained throughout. I felt the key element was the music by Alessandro Cicognini, a simple horn that plays so tragically that it is a main character in the picture. What De Sica does here, as well as other neo-realist directors (Rossellini, Fellini), is create for American audiences a powerful counterpoint to what we are used to. An honest, non-corporate portrait of the struggle for life and self-respect. THE BICYCLE THIEF is one of the finest films ever made.
RATING: 10 of 10
The lead in the film is played by Lamberto Maggiorani who seems to be a very good actor. He is not an actor, however, and maybe this is why the film hits its mark so well and comes across so realistically. Maggiorani is of this difficult world and his brooding face is a clear indication of this. His job is to plaster film posters up on the walls of buildings all over Rome. He even hangs a picture that symbolizes the absolute opposite of the misery surrounding him. Rita Hayworth from GILDA is on the walls all over the city, a sign of joy to some, a representation of their own lowly status to others.
When the bicycle is actually stolen, the "title" character is sought after by Maggiorani and his young son (Enzo Staiola), a little kid with so much acting ability, you swear this must be a documentary. A grueling search throughout Rome has the essential parts of the movie, because we see up close the actual people and places the neo-realist film movement came to represent. It is a small, sad world they live in and the bike has to be found so that they can live. The father is put to the ultimate test in front of his son. Will he do the honorable thing or will he do what his mind and heart know is only possible? These are the tense moments of the film's climax.
There is a lot of THE BICYCLE THIEF in Benigni's LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and some obvious comparisons have been drawn because of the father-son relationship. They are worthy of comparison and have equal artistic prowess. What is different about THIEF is the level of intensity maintained throughout. I felt the key element was the music by Alessandro Cicognini, a simple horn that plays so tragically that it is a main character in the picture. What De Sica does here, as well as other neo-realist directors (Rossellini, Fellini), is create for American audiences a powerful counterpoint to what we are used to. An honest, non-corporate portrait of the struggle for life and self-respect. THE BICYCLE THIEF is one of the finest films ever made.
RATING: 10 of 10
helpful•13823
- Don-102
- Apr 16, 1999
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $133,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $371,111
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $25,377
- Oct 4, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $436,655
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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