IMDb RATING
8.3/10
180K
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.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 18 wins & 1 nomination total
Ida Bracci Dorati
- La Santona
- (uncredited)
Veriano Ginesi
- Man in the Crowd
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaVittorio De Sica still hadn't found the ideal actor to play Bruno when filming began. It was while he was shooting the scene in which Antonio searches for his friend who can help him locate the bike that fate intervened. "I was telling Maggiorani something," he recalled, "when I turned around in annoyance at the onlookers who were crowding around me, and saw an odd-looking child with a round face, a big funny nose and wonderful lively eyes. Saint Gennaro has sent him to me, I thought. It was proof of the fact that everything was turning out right." And so little Enzo Staiola was hired on the spot to play Bruno.
- GoofsAll entries contain spoilers
- Quotes
Antonio Ricci: "There's a cure for everything except death."
- ConnectionsEdited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)
Featured review
The Bicycle Thief is without a doubt De Sica's masterpiece of Italian neorealism filmmaking. It is a true landmark in cinema history.
A man who has been unemployed for months is finally given a chance at a job putting up posters. He and his family have been living in poverty for months, and are very exited to hear the news. The only requirement for the job is a bicycle. His wife pawns the sheets off of their own bed in order to buy the bicycle. And, as you can tell from the title, it is stolen on his first day of work. Now, without it, he and his son search the crowded streets of Rome for the only thing that can give him back his dignity as a man.
This is a simple, but very powerful film and I found the relationship between Bruno and his father especially touching. The final scene is a true captivating moment as Bruno witnesses the true nature of man and the world we have created for ourselves.
Don't miss this film, to call it a classic would be an understatement.
A man who has been unemployed for months is finally given a chance at a job putting up posters. He and his family have been living in poverty for months, and are very exited to hear the news. The only requirement for the job is a bicycle. His wife pawns the sheets off of their own bed in order to buy the bicycle. And, as you can tell from the title, it is stolen on his first day of work. Now, without it, he and his son search the crowded streets of Rome for the only thing that can give him back his dignity as a man.
This is a simple, but very powerful film and I found the relationship between Bruno and his father especially touching. The final scene is a true captivating moment as Bruno witnesses the true nature of man and the world we have created for ourselves.
Don't miss this film, to call it a classic would be an understatement.
- PureCinema
- Jan 29, 1999
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $133,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $371,111
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $25,377
- Oct 4, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $451,336
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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