Bicycle Thieves Film Analysis

The film Bicycle Thieves (1949) directed by Vittorio De Sica, is an Italian Neo-Realistic film set in post-war Italy. The film follows Antonio Ricci and his son Bruno on a quest to retrieve his stolen bike in an attempt to remove himself and his family from the cycle of poverty. Bicycle Thieves (1949) discusses themes of struggle and desperation causing one to sacrifice their morality and become the evil they initially fought. De Sica expresses such themes to the viewer through the culture of poverty and the continuous pain that poverty is capable of inflicting. De Sica also employs simplistic narrative, dramatic sound, and mise-en-scene that highlights the depressing nature of poverty. These cinematic elements invoke the idea of desperate struggle and internal conflict in a post-war-torn Rome.

As this film is set in the culture of poverty-stricken Italy, it explores the themes of sacrifice and dire situations bringing out one 's worst self. This is demonstrated in the final scene of the film where Antonio is internally conflicted, but eventually chooses to sacrifice his morality and steal the bike in desperation as a final attempt to provide for his family. Similarly, Antonio and his family consistently sacrifice their belongings by pawning them off for the sake of the family and putting food on the table. For instance, Maria sells their expensive sheets in order to be able to afford to get Antonio 's bike out of the pawn shop, which allows him to have the advertising job.