Italian Neorealism and "The Bicycle Thief"

Italian Neorealism and "The Bicycle Thieves"

"The Bicycle Thieves" Example 3

By Tanner Ian Ross Berman

"The Bicycle Thieves" Example 3

• Neorealist films differ from their Hollywood counterparts in terms of their lack of a happy ending or a resolution of any kind – a form of what might be called epistemic ambiguity – evident in the final scene from Bicycle Thieves. (Mooney)
• If Realist films offer us a window on a small portion of the world then we cannot ever hope for the omniscience that Hollywood offers us over their creation. In Neorealist film, as in life, sometimes there are no answers. (Mooney)

Neorealism

Work Cited

"The Bicycle Thieves" Example 2

A style of filming prominent in Italy after World War II, characterized by a concern for social issues and often shot on location with untrained actors. (dictionary.com)

Mooney, James. "The Bicycle Thieves and Italian Neorealism." Filmosophy. Wordpress, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. <http://filmandphilosophy.com/2013/03/08/the-bicycle-thieves-and-italian-neorealism/>.

Kaufman, Paul. "First Paper: The Superficial Portrayal of Religion in Bicycle Thieves." Paula Kaufmann. Wordpress, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. <http://paulakaufmannblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/first-paper-the-superficial-portrayal-of-religion-in-bicycle-thieves/>.

"neorealism." Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Dictionary.com, LLC. 08 Sep. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/neorealism>.

• Antonio walks into a church during a service with his son Bruno.
• He begins speaking with an older man whom is involved in the theft of his bike.
• The older man denies that he is involved and refuses to give Ricci any information although he is obviously in need of help.
• Technically, if one is attending church, they are trying to become better people, improving in honesty and helping others. This is quite contrary to this old man’s nature as he does nothing to help Antonio. (Kaufmann)
• This double standard emphasizes the negative light portrayed on religion by De Sica. By demonstrating that even those who attend church are fake and dishonest, it reflects badly on the institution itself because those are the members that make up the church. (Kaufmann)

The Bicycle Thieves. Dir. Vittorio De Sica. Perf. Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell. N/A, 1948. Online.

"The Bicycle Thieves" Example 1

• A major feature of Neorealism is the use of nonprofessionals, even in leading roles. For the adult ‘star’ of Bicycle Thieves, De Sica chose a factory worker, Lamberto Maggiorani instead of Hollywood star Cary Grant. (Mooney)
• This distinction between Hollywood ‘stars’ and the ‘real people’ used in neorealist films is shown to great effect when Ricci is told to avoid putting creases in a poster of Rita Hayworth – real people, unlike Hollywood stars, have wrinkles. (Mooney)