Rent Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Social Realism. - Bicycle Thieves review by Steve

This is the masterpiece of Italian neorealism and the pinnacle of social realism on screen. It portrays the shame and humiliation of a man who can't provide for his family. By the fadeout, the huge emotional tide of Vittoria Da Sica's tragedy is hard to bear. If this doesn't break your heart, check your pulse. Then call for help.

The masterstroke is the casting of non professional actors. Lamberto Maggiorani is the careworn father worn down by poverty in destitute post WWII Rome. When his bicycle is stolen he can no longer work, so he pursues its disappearance in accumulating desperation with his son- Enzo Staiola in one of the great child performances.

The depiction of Italy after the devastation of war is profound and detailed. But its dramatic heft is in the utterly convincing relationship between the man and boy as they search through the many strata of Roman society. There is no hope, but they continue on their quest because their need is overwhelming. We feel the burden of their survival.

And see how precarious life is without social cohesion. There is a political subtext, but no polemics. The man is poor and uneducated and doesn't understand how the system works. This is one of the most influential films ever made and inspired many future film makers. It's a monument to humanism which remains absolutely relevant today.

Compelling - Bicycle Thieves review by ND

I thought I ought to watch this as I'd heard of it as a classic and don't like to miss out on such things. The film begins slowly but soon you can gauge the man's desperation, then anguish which, although hard to watch, you can't turn away from unless you have a heart of stone. It's powerful stuff. The little boy, his son, turns in a bravura performance but then so do most of the cast members.

I'm really glad I've seen it now, I strongly recommend it to you.

Of historical interest only - Bicycle Thieves review by Alphaville

De Sica’s 1948 social drama is routinely regarded as a 5-star classic but surely only because it was the first example of Italian neo-realism, even to the extent of using non-professional actors. It’s hard to watch these days. Its influence on British cinema stretches from the kitchen-sink dramas of the 1960s to the unwatchable lottery-funded social dramas of today so it has a lot to answer for. For those who hanker after this sort of thing, there’s a surplus of slice-of-everyday-life dramas and documentaries on TV. We should expect something more imaginative from cinema. It’s enough to make you pine for some superhero nonsense. Ironically, such Italian films were lip-synched in post-production, making all dialogue tonally identical and destroying any semblance of realism. Truffaut rightly mocked the tradition in Day for Night. Thank goodness the French Nouvelle Vague arrived to reinvigorate European cinema.