It's a tribute to the power of this film that it has become one of the most highly revered films of all times, despite also being perhaps one of the simplest. Its success may in part be down to its reputation as the quintessential example of Italian Neo-Realism, despite it being neither the first or best of the genre.
Like the vast majority of Neo-Realist films, 'Bicycle Thieves' focusses on the extreme poverty of the working classes in post-war Italy. In this case, an unemployed man is finally offered a job, on the provision that he owns a bicycle. Whilst the first part of the film details his struggle to raise the funds to reclaim his bike from the pawnbrokers, reaching an optimistic climax, the second half sinks back into frustration and disappointment after the bike is stolen and the hero recruits his friends and son to help him recover it.
Thanks to the simplicity of the plot, and the realism of the film's style, shot on the streets of Rome with amateur actors, within real communities, the power of either the most basic scenes shines through, and we feel each injustice and anger at each barricade preventing the hero from making even a small wage. The film's ending is among the most profound, memorable and upsetting in cinema.
I'm almost embarrassed to say that, despite studying film and watching everything I can get my hands on, this is the first time I have seen this film, which many consider an essential part of any education in international art cinema. Due to the role that Italian Neo-Realism played in the history of cinema (in my opinion, it was probably the catalyst for the greatest development in the film industry) by creating an independent method of film-making that left the studios for real locations, I would have to agree that this is a film everyone should see.
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