Bicycle Thieves

- Growing up in poverty during the 1950's, in a small town in northern Italy, I recall how much my parents prized their bicycles, and the tender care with which they were lavished. Farmers had horses or mules, but dad was a tailor, and cars existed only in our wildest dreams, to be realized only after we came to America.
- One of the most vivid memories of my childhood is from when I was seven, riding on the handlebar as mom pedaled about 30 miles to a hospital in Udine, to have my tonsils removed. After some hours for recovery from the ordeal, with me sitting on the package holder over the rear tire, holding her waist tightly and covered under the back of her coat for warmth, she rode back home.
- De Sica's beautiful emotional movie is not about the bicycle, of course, but about the desperation felt in Italian cities post WWII, when, no matter how hard one tried to make a living, they were continually frustrated by the bureaucracy or by the criminal element.
- It makes just as much sense today if you can imagine the film shot in color in a poor American city, and the bicycle replaced with a car. Every generation of the poor goes through something like this, and I think it's important to be reminded of what is happening just beyond what we want to see.

If you had told me a film about a man getting his bicycle stolen would make me emotional I would not have believed you. Yet here we are. A film that makes you reconsider any judgment you may have passed on some guy walking down the street. The film ends with three back to back portrayals of a man who would seem like an arrogant jerk if you had just met him, but here you are with him all the way through.

Beautifully filmed in classic B&W. The story held my interest to the end. I simply was unable to guess how it would end. I also was intrigued by the little boy who looked like he was about 6-8 years old when this movie was made in 1948. I was 7 going on to 8 that year, so the little boy may be an older man like me by now. It would be so interesting to meet that man.

The emotional layers in this film are incredible - so conflicting. After Tonio's bike is stolen on the first day of a job after his not worked for over 2 years, he faces moral dilemmas that might break any person. The father-son bond goes through many changes. Yes, it is quite heartbreaking. This film was recommended to me by many of my friends. I'm glad I watched it.