The Bicycle Thief
The Real Italy Through the Eyes of Real Italians
Italy, among many other countries, was hard hit by WWII, and it is not surprising to see that the economy is still in dire circumstances when this movie was filmed in the late 1940's. Some of the economical situation could be a result of the fact that the market never fully recovered after WWI before Italy was faced with WWII stresses. This film shows an accurate depiction of the every day life of Romans in 1947. Because the film centers around one man and his family, it makes his hardships much more personal and it is easier to relate to the situation he is dealing with. The main themes of this movie and the time period in general are hopelessness and desperateness. The main character shows these effects of privation through his everyday life and altercations with society.
At the very beginning of the film, there is a mass of workers who are upset because none of them can find jobs. One of them even says he wants a job hanging up posters even though he is bricklayer. Antonio Ricci, the main character, is extremely excited to be given a job, even though it is not long term or for much pay. This shows how hard jobs are to find. With an economy that is as bad off as Italy's, it is obvious why jobs are so scarce. While he is working Ricci's bicycle is stolen. Even though he attempts to chase down the thief, he never sees his bicycle again. Later in the film he once again sees the thief on the bicycle and begins to chase him. This shows how important the bicycle is to him. Ricci seems to always be chasing what he cannot have, the bicycle, a good job, happiness, and money. Ricci believes he is "cursed from birth" and that nothing can go correctly in his life. This feeling goes along with the hopelessness of the time period. The fact that Ricci is so determined to get his bicycle back shows how desperate he is for this job. His son is already working a job and their family has little to no money.
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