Saturday, October 29, 2011

Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) - 8 stars out of 10

Ladri di Biciclette (The Bicycle Thief) - 8 stars out of 10

Happy moments are fleeting in "Ladri di Biciclette," a story of desperation that will leave you feeling completely vulnerable.  The depression-era, post-WWII atmosphere hangs over this entire film as we are constantly reminded of the sad state of Rome by long unemployment lines, a mission filled with homeless people, characters living in squalor, and a dramatic musical score.  The start of the movie is filled with hope as Lamberto Maggiorani's character is one of the few men given an opportunity to work, with the stipulation that he must own a bicycle.  Knowing the title of the film, it's inevitable that the bicycle will be stolen and the director does a good job of building anticipation as there are several opportunities when it could be stolen.  Though the plot centers around the search to recover the bicycle, the theme of the film is the moral example that a father sets for his son during this investigation.  Interestingly, the climax of the film does not occur when the father attempts to recover the stolen bicycle but instead at the onset of an ironic dilemma.  This story is incredibly simple and makes an ideal introduction to foreign film for preteens, though the ending is brutal when, without a single word of dialogue, we read Maggiorani's mind and dread his final inevitable action.  The movie ends the right way, though this film's realistic conclusion is a tough one to swallow.  Ladri di Biciclette has become a landmark film in Italian cinema as seen by its Honorary Academy Award for "most outstanding foreign film" several years before that category was created.  Maggiorani's acting is incredible as he is the focus of every scene and he is perfectly supported by 7-year-old Enzo Staiola, one of the cutest little Italian actors that I've ever seen.  This neorealist film needs to be on everybody's list as it virtuosically brings to life the moral conflict of a man in desperation to provide for his family.

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