A desperate man finally finds work in post World War II Italy. He scrounges together everything he has in order to buy his bike back from a pawn shop, only to have it stolen by thieves.
Post World War II Class Disparity
Ladri di biciclette follows Antonio, played by Lamberto Maggiorani, a desperate father trying to find work in post World War II Italy. The desperation in the ruined city around him is palpable. He is not alone in the search for stability and security. Everyone is scraping by and finding their path in their own ways.
The impoverished class is not alone. Antonio and his son, Bruno, played by Enzo Staiola, experience a slice of the richer class when they stop into a trattoria. Antonio and Bruno watch as a rich boy and his family eat an elegant spread. Bruno is at first nervous to eat his food, afraid of not having the proper etiquette. Antonio assures him that he doesn’t need to worry about being like them and that he needs to just enjoy himself.
There are many situations like the one in the trattoria, where the characters are reminded that everything will be fine. It will be fine whether they accomplish their goal or if they don’t. This is clearly laid out by the seer. Antionio goes to her in a desperate act to hopefully have the seer magically know its precise location. She tells Antonio that they will either find the bike right away, or not at all. Revealing that she was not a mystic, but someone who knows what people need to hear in order to keep going in life. Antionio needs to either find it quickly, or move on. Don’t dwell on it. Dwelling on it will only distract you from the path and falling off the path is not an option right now.
Faith
Each character has a different outlook on how to escape destitution. Some seek God and the church, others their communities, some find seer’s and oracles, in the case of Antonio, he puts his faith into his determination.
It’s not to say he doesn’t seek help and find it. When his bike is initially stolen, he seeks assistance from anyone he can find. He stumbles onto what appears to be a union or formation of workers rights’ activists. The leader stops their speech about how they are there to help anyone in need in order to tell Antonio to stay quiet in the back.
The communities supporting the thieves are strongly unified, protecting one another, something that Antonio doesn’t have access to in his immediate community. His only solace is found in his friend Baiocco, played by Gino Saltamerenda, who suggests they get a search party together and crawl the markets for the bike.
The church offers a possible solution to Antonio’s problems, in general. He passes through the church seeking an old man that knows information about the bicycle thief. As he travels through the church it becomes clear that the church offers things like, clean shaves, haircuts, meals, a place for social development, a community. Antonio notices these things, but they do not resonate enough for him to stay. His determination to find the bike, and thus, solve his problems weighs too heavy on his head.
Neorealism
Antonio is not the only victim. The society as a whole is struggling together, outside perhaps of the wealthy minority. Even the bicycle thief is no better off. Once Antonio finally gets his hands on the thief, there is nothing he can do. The thief is scraping by. The bike is gone, likely sold in the markets earlier in the day. The thief’s home is similar to Antonio’s. Most of the people that Antionio runs into are poor and in the same situation as him. This is no accident.
De Sica captured a real snapshot in time with Ladri di biciclette. The sets are on location and the cast is comprised of untrained actors. Maggiorani was a factory worker when he was enlisted into the cast. His authenticity was genuine since he was living the life portrayed in the film. Maggiorani went back to the factory after the film, but was laid off. The sentiment being that he was a rich movie star now, when in reality he made a modest sum and was never able to get a big role again. Just like in Ladri di biciclette, Maggiorani found himself on the outside looking in.
The realism within the film gives the story a stronger punch. It is authentic in a way that could not be replicated in a studio, it heightens the impact of the story in a way that cannot be measured.
The style exhibited in Ladri di biciclette is known as Neorealism. A style focused on capturing the poverty and suffrage of those in post World War II Italy. The Neorealist movement spanned from early 1940’s with films like, Ossessione (1943), I Bambini ci Guardano (The Children are Watching Us) (1943), and Roma Città Aperta (Rome, Open City) (1946).
Directed by: Vittorio De Sica
Cinematography: Carlo Montouri
Written by: Cesare Zavattini, Oreste Biancoli, Luigi Bartolini
Editing By: Eraldo Da Roma
Music By: Alessandro Cicognini
Starring: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, & Gino Saltamerenda.
Runtime: 1h 29m
Genre: Drama
Distributed by: Ente Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche
