Italy’s neo-reality films were actually in crisis around 1947, because the film expression methods commonly used by neo-realism, such as live shooting and non-professional actor performances, were abused. It is inappropriate to use these in some comedy genres. This inevitably leads to a crisis of thought in this movie. Under such a situation, "The Bicycle Thief" appeared and became a representative work of neo-realism. Its significance can be imagined, and the reason why great directors are great can also be seen.
Back to the movie itself.
A bicycle has become an unbearable burden in a person's life, which constitutes a serious disparity, between the slightest material value and the heavy spiritual load. A bicycle carries all the hopes of a person or even a family. Hope is everything, and it is the meaning of all the struggle of a family. The whole film is unfolding around this hope. Rich needs a bicycle to have a difficult job. However, the bicycle was taken, and the whole family redeemed the bicycle. However, on the first day of work, the bicycle It was stolen, and then it was the most exciting bike hunting trip in the film. A bicycle is stolen, which means that the hope of a family’s life collapses at once. The occurrence of a disaster is an instant event. After a disaster, there is a tribulation. The reason why the film is classic is that it shows the audience the protagonist’s tribulation process and this process. Only this true actor can perform perfectly. The natural actor does not require the actor to experience everything he has experienced in the story, but he must have experienced the hardships and tribulations of life, and his living environment is the bottom of the society. This kind of tribulation is that hope is shattered in an instant, but the individual is unwilling to face this instant disillusionment. He always struggles to pursue it. The more he works, the more he falls into the quagmire of hope shattered, and the more difficult it is to extricate himself. The tragedy of the environment will inevitably lead to a tragedy of soul and morality. Of course, films that reflect the director’s communist ideology will never forget the mission of social criticism. The director’s brilliance is that he does not isolate or simply criticize a certain social phenomenon, and every shot of the film always shows a rich image. A bicycle, for Richie at the bottom of society, is all the hope of life, but for people who do not belong to the same social class as him, a bicycle is just a bicycle. If it is stolen, it is lost. That's it. Therefore, the entire process of searching for hope was carried out in vain by Rich and his young son. In this process, we strongly felt their inner despair and loneliness.
The son's setting in the movie is really a magical touch. He enriches the connotation of the whole movie a lot, and makes the movie go deep into the level that the soul could not reach and the level of morality. From the process of the father and son looking for a bicycle, it can be seen that this is a harmonious father-son relationship, trusting each other and having a strong love for each other. To some extent, bicycle is the common hope of father and son. Although the process of seeking hope is a process of suffering, in this process, it reflects the dignity of father and son. However, when the tribulation reached the unbearable weight of his life, Rich's morality collapsed suddenly and he became a bicycle stealer and was physically and morally insulted by everyone. All of this was seen by his son. At the end of the film is a very interesting shot. The son holds his father's helpless hand. At this moment, Dad became a weak, morally weak. At this time, it seems superfluous to question the image of the father in the mind of the son. In fact, this scene is full of touching warmth. De Sica also showed this kind of tenderness between father and son in another movie "Children Watching Us", and Freudists can make a big fuss.
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