Bicycle Thieves

Obviously a black and white subtitled film won't be for everyone. If its very nature is not offputting, it is clear within minutes that this film is something special, and its quiet brilliance increases with every passing scene, until its understated denouement leaves you feeling bereft, an emotional impact only the very best cinema can have.

Set in post-war poverty-stricken Italy, the protagonist is given his first job in a year. He must pawn his bedsheets in order to buy back his recently pawned bicycle, essential for the job. Given the title of the film, the central conceit is clear. Despite being so obvious, the dramatic tension that this manages to generate within 8 minutes is the envy of the entirety of almost any contemporary film. The relative lack of tension at the purported impending destruction of New York in The Dark Knight Rises springs to mind.

After that, the action is slow, the dialogue short and relatively sparse. But none of that matters, scenes build at their own perfect pace, the cinematography is astounding (among the most beautiful black and white shots around, the age of the film only occasionally shown in some soft focus) and the acting superb. The real brilliance of this film is its ability to make so much of apparently so little. The simple, sumptuous pleasure of a bought meal in a restaurant is incredible. And the moral dilemma at the conclusion draws everything together: this is a morality tale (even leaving you questioning the original conceit), with themes of parenthood, childhood and lost innocence.

This is a quiet, understated film but a true gem.

You really get a feel for the time and place (post war Roma), brilliantly acted by Lamberto Maggiorani and others

This is an intensely beautiful film and I just loved the boy actor. It was, however, the most depressing film I have ever seen.

Wonderful film! Very believable story and characters. Great acting, especially from the boy. I will be thinking about this film and I recommend it to others.