Bicycle Thieves

When in Rome... keep an eye on your bicycle! Or else it might be stolen and you'll find yourself fruitlessly searching the streets of Italy, as the father and son do in this classic Italian film. Lamberto Maggiorani, as the desperate, out of work father, and Enzo Staiola, as his frustrated young son, play off each other nicely and a nice pace keeps things interesting. It's heralded as one of the greatest movies ever made, but personally I don't quite see why. It's a good story none the less, and it kept my attention. There's a very satisfying dose of irony at the end.

In post war Rome, money is very tight for "Antonio" (Lamberto Maggiorani) so when he gets a chance to earn some extra cash, he grabs the opportunity. Snag is, he needs his bike to do the work and someone has just pinched it. Together with his young son "Bruno" (a superb Enzo Staiola) he sets out on the near impossible task of tracking the thing down! What ensues are a series of escapades as the father and son team encounter a range of equally war ravaged citizens - some more helpful than others - on their mini-quest. It's an interesting study on humanity this, centred around something so apparently pedestrian as losing a bike, but the cascading impact of that event on their lives and their relationship as well as with the profound effects o...

A heartwarming yet surprisingly bleak masterpiece of hope and despair.