![]() Italian Neorealism was a revolutionary breakthrough, not just for its technical style and raw film-making, but for the gritty realism of its story and poignant naturalism of its characters. Neorealism, as a term, can mean several things it often refers to films of working class life and of the struggles and social conditions of people set in the culture of poverty. Vittorio De Sica was the director of The Bicycle Thieves and his films and the style he used started the Italian Neorealist movement alongside Roberto Rossellini's Rome: Open City, which attempted to give a new degree of realism to the cinema. Sometimes the simplest stories are the most important to tell, because they are the ones people can most identify with, which can create an emotional template of personal honesty and truth. Because of the nature of the tragedy, the audience is left hanging without a resolution, and the relationship between Bruno and his father is left unsure.The Bicycle Thieves (or The Bicycle Thief) is a story of humanity and love that has touched so many people around the world because of its powerful simplicities. ![]() At the end of the film, although the audience can still sense the love between the two of them, Antonio’s pride has been lost and Bruno’s respect and admiration for his father has been challenged. The audience can still tell that Bruno respects his father up to the point that he sees his father get caught for stealing the bike. This is a low point for Antonio and he wants to still be respected by his son, so he doesn’t want him to see him steal the bike. This affection is what leads Antonio to send Bruno away from him so he can steal a bicycle in order to keep his job and provide for his family. The audience sees that Antonio is frustrated, but at this point, can still sense the love and care he has for Bruno. As the days wear on, and the search keeps coming up fruitless, the tension between Bruno and Antonio begins to rise. Through his obedience and appreciation for his father, the audience sees how much Bruno looks up to Antonio in the beginning of the film. Even immediately after Antonio’s bicycle is stolen, their relationship prevails and both father and son begin a search for the stolen bike. At the beginning, the audience sees the excitement both Antonio and his son have for the possibilities this new job gives their family. As the film progresses, the relationship between Antonio and Bruno slowly deteriorates. In terms of the father-son relationship depicted in The Bicycle Thief, this film could be considered a tragedy. Second, The Bicycle Thief also explored the evolution of the relationship between the Antonio, the father, and Bruno, the son. Although overall it seemed that while both families lived in poverty, the family in The Bicycle Thief was a little better off and de Sica didn’t portray poverty as harshly as Chaplin. Similarly, both families were treated the same by other people in the film, particularly police. The sons in each family also had to contribute in some way to provide for the rest of their families. ![]() ![]() Both fathers had to rely on a type of small, odd job in order to provide for their family because both lived in a time where neither could get a regular day job to support themselves. ![]() While there were material differences, the two families’ social status compared to others in the films seemed rather similar. The family in The Bicycle Thief however, has an apartment with multiple rooms, more than one bed, and a larger kitchen amongst other things. Their living space is only one room equipped with only a bed, a table, a chair, and a small kitchen set. In The Kid, the main characters have next to nothing in their possession. First, we had already encountered a depiction of extreme poverty in Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, but the poverty in The Bicycle Thief was portrayed a little bit differently. There were a couple things to consider after watching the film The Bicycle Thief directed by Vittorio de Sica. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |