Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.
The Bicycle Thieves, The Bicycle Thief, Крадії велосипедів, Fietsendieven, Cykeltjuven, Bicycle Thief, Fahrraddiebe, Voleur de bicyclette, Kleftis podilaton, 자전거 도둑, Ladrón de bicicletas, Ladrões de Bicicleta, Le voleur de bicyclette, Крадљивци бицикала, Złodzieje rowerów, Zloději kol, Zlodeji bicyklov, Sykkeltyvene, Ladrones de bicicletas, Bisiklet Hırsızları, Le Voleur de bicyclette, Похитители велосипедов, Ladrões de Bicicletas, 偷自行车的人, Κλέφτης ποδηλάτων, Biciklitolvajok, Hoți de biciclete, Крадци на велосипеди, גונבי האופניים, Викрадачі велосипедів, Polkupyörävaras, Cykeltyven, 單車失竊記, 自転車泥棒, Dviračių vagys, ველოსიპედის გამტაცებელნი, El lladre de bicicletes, จอมโจรจักรยาน, Velosipēdu zagļi
ItalyT Rome 
Switzerland12 Locarno Film Festival 
Belgium14 
USA 
South Korea ItalyT 
FranceU 
UKU USANR 
USSR 
Spain 
South Africa South Africa South Africa 
JapanG 
Australia 
Portugal 
Denmark 
Greece 
Germany12 
Czechoslovakia 
Finland 
Austria Greece South Korea18 Greece AustraliaPG UKU UK 
Netherlands6 Australia Austria Belgium Czechoslovakia Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Italy Japan Netherlands Portugal South Africa South Korea Spain Switzerland UK USA USSR 
what no bike does to a mf
I stole a bicycle once. I tried explaining to the cops that I was merely paying homage to post-war Italian neorealism.
Lamberto Maggiorani (who plays the lead role of Antonio) was laid off from his job as a factory worker shortly after the film was complete. The factory required budget cuts and decided to fire Maggiorani because everyone assumed he was a millionaire movie star when he actually made only 600,000 lira (a little over 30,000 US dollars today, counting inflation). He pretty much spent the rest of his life as a bricklayer desperately trying but failing to land more acting gigs; even de Sica wouldn’t rehire him. Eventually, he died poor, having never regained the success of his first role.
And that is more depressing than the entire film.
EDIT (09/04/24): Refer to @spookygoose in the comments for important corrections;…
It’s been years since a film has moved me to tears. But if there’s one film that can melt even the most stone-hearted of viewers, it is Bicycle Thieves. I can’t quite explain what it’s about because I don’t know, really. It follows a man named Antonio, thin as a scarecrow, as he tries to make a living. He needs a bicycle for the job he is lucky enough to get, but his bicycle gets stolen, and he roams the city trying to get it back, his little son dragging along behind him.
But Bicycle Thieves isn’t about that bicycle, really. It’s about fathers and sons, about the way the poor steal from each other because somebody else steals from…
Bruno's face.
The way he trips.
How he grabs his father's hand.
And how they just keep walking...
And I'm crying and I'm smiling,
I've been destroyed once again.
There are several moments where Bruno looks up at his father and looks exactly like someone who just lost their hero. Truly an exceptional child performance.
100
Oh so graceful. Lingering to the touch. A window of endless compassion and perspective. De Sica fluidly portrays individual hardship against the apathetic noise of the collective only to meld its "singular" journey into a systemic reality. Hand and hand, we walk.
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
I simply can not believe that these people are non-professional actors. There's the malnourished Ricci played by Lamberto Maggiorani who was just a factory worker at the time. And his son Bruno, played by Enzo Staiola who was merely 9 years old! It's inconceivable! The way they put up such a sublime performance without any training.
I would imagine they were not really acting at all and was just going on with their lives as usual, (and somehow De Sica received permission to film them like how they do reality shows now) but I can not ignore the obvious fact that Lamberto and Enzo are not blood related at all.
Still, their depiction of a father and son relationship on…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
sadly, he attempted to continue the cycle
Oh, so it really is that good;
also, that kid is just the cutest little thing.
They stole his motherfucking bike!
very sad right now but i will cherish that scene in the restaurant with the mozzarella sandwiches forever!! it reminds me a lot of the scene in the florida project where halley and moonee sneak into the hotel and pretend to be guests to eat the continental breakfast. how an abundance of food brings so much pleasure to children; the seemingly endless options. but as an adult, it just highlights how broken our systems are. how something as simple as a decent meal can separate us, reinforcing differences in social class. an abundance of options looks like a utopia to these characters in those moment, but are ordinary and expected to everyone surrounding them.
