75 years of ‘The Bicycle Thief’

The Italian neorealist classic replaced sentimental comedy and ushered in a stark new style, writes M S Murali Krishna

In 1948, Vittorio De Sica made ‘The Bicycle Thief’, a rueful drama of modern city life in post-war Rome. It is considered a landmark film that influenced filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Ken Loach, Jafar Panahi and Dariush Mehrjui.

In the 1920s, American films had established a hold on Italian screens after the ebbing of the native film industry. Benito Mussolini, ruling the roost with his fascist government, began to subsidise film production as part of both the industrial and cultural policies of the regime. Thus began a new partnership between the Italian establishment and the film industry, leading to the setting up of Cinecitta, a large film studio spread across a sprawling 99 acres.

The films made during the fascist period in Italy didn’t have outright fascist moorings. The regime had the objective of encouraging feel-good, escapist films, having comedy and sentimental content that would have a lullaby effect on the audience. Such films were called ‘White Telephone films’ as white telephones were prominently used to ornamentalise the frames. Similar films were encouraged by Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. Filmmakers like Roberto Rossellini, who went on to become one of the leading figures of the Italian neorealist movement, were roped in to direct films with propagandist overtones.

Europe witnessed devastation in the aftermath of World War II. Deprivation, destitution, hunger, unemployment and riots tormented its population. That is when winds of change appeared in politics and culture. They had a salutary effect on cinema. The need for a portrayal of the harsh realities was felt by some discerning filmmakers. They were inclined to cinematise everyday stories of common people. ‘Art should reflect society’ was the idea. A new cinematic consciousness began to take shape: the Italian neorealist movement. Location shooting, non-professional actors, improvised dialogues, little or no set design, long takes, documentary style techniques, and working class characters were some of the elements of Italian neorealist cinema.

'Ossessione' (1943) is regarded as the first neorealist film from Italy.

‘Ossessione’ (1943), directed by Luchino Visconti, is generally considered the first Italian neorealist film. For the next 10 years, directors like Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Guiseppe De Santis, Alberto Lattuada and Federico Fellini made films that had the hallmarks of neorealist cinema. The movement did in a way influence the birth of the French new wave and New German cinema.

Vittorio De Sica started his career with a small role in a silent film in 1917. He was also a theatre actor. In a career spanning 55 years, he acted in 150 films and directed 35. He played a clown and an old man, and progressed to play lead roles in many romantic comedies. In the 1930s, he became a matinee idol. The early years of the next decade saw De Sica entering the realm of direction. During this period, he directed many White Telephone films. 

De Sica’s ‘The Bicycle Thief’ is the story of Antonio Ricci (played by Lamberto Maggiorani, a non-professional actor) who stands in a queue every morning to get a job to support his family. One day he comes across a job that requires that the applicant have a bicycle. “I have one,” he says. But in reality, he doesn’t have one as it is pawned. His wife Maria (Lianella Carell) hands over the sheets of their bed for pawning to get the bicycle back. Ricci gets the job — he has to paste cinema posters on the walls. While on the job, his bicycle gets stolen. His son Bruno (Enzo Staiola) accompanies him in searching for it on the streets of Rome.

The film opens with Ricci emerging from a crowd of unemployed workers, and in the end, he disappears among the masses! The bicycle represents the hopes and aspirations of a better life for a poor family. The stolen bicycle indicates the theft of its future. The film has many characteristics of a typical Hollywood narrative, but the ending is definitely a departure from the Hollywood film structure. The feel good factor is missing and the viewers are made to ponder over the future of the Ricci family.

Vittorio De Sica, director of 'The Bicycle Thief' (1948).

The character arc of Ricci has many grey areas. Initially, he is shown as honest and straightforward despite his deprivation. As the film progresses, viewers see him attempting to kill people, becoming ill-disposed towards his son, and putting in efforts to steal a bicycle. Sociologists say this refers to poverty playing a role in crime and socially aggressive behaviour. It can be inferred that the director wants to convey this aspect through Ricci’s character. 

The dichotomy between the haves and the have-nots is depicted in the restaurant scene where we notice a perceptible difference in the food ordered by Ricci and what is eaten by a well-off boy at an adjacent table. The props, costumes, lighting and cinematography add to the impact of the film.

De Sica laid emphasis on the character of children in his films. He tried to focus on their lost innocence, their suffering and also their mature behaviour through his films ‘The Children Are Watching Us’ (1944) and ‘Shoeshine’ (1946). His portrayal of Bruno’s character in ‘The Bicycle Thief’ is nuanced and layered.