Product Description

A beautiful, simple story of a man in post-war Rome who needs his bicycle in order to work at his job. No sooner does he retrieve it from pawn, then it is stolen. The heartwrenching search teaches the man and his son much about the meaning of life and just how far we will go when pushed to the edge. Winner of a special Academy Award.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10691 in DVD
• Brand: Image Entertainment
• Released on: 1998-11-24
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Vittorio De Sica's remarkable 1947 drama of desperation and survival in Italy's devastating post-war depression earned a special Oscar for its affecting power. Shot in the streets and alleys of Rome, De Sica uses the real-life environment of contemporary life to frame his moving drama of a desperate father whose new job delivering cinema posters is threatened when a street thief steals his bicycle. Too poor to buy another, he and his son take to the streets in an impossible search for his bike. Cast with nonactors and filled with the real street life of Rome, this landmark film helped define the Italian neorealist approach with its mix of real life details, poetic imagery, and warm sentimentality. De Sica uses the wandering pair to witness the lives of everyday folks, but ultimately he paints a quiet, poignant portrait of father and son, played by nonprofessionals Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola, whose understated performances carry the heart of the film. De Sica and scenarist Cesare Zavattini also collaborated on Shoeshine, Miracle in Milan, and Umberto D, all classics in the neorealist vein, but none of which approach the simple poetry and quiet power achieved in The Bicycle Thief. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

A milestone that still holds up 50 years later
I first saw this movie as a student decades ago, and now seeing it all these years later on DVD, I'm amazed how well it holds up. It's a lesson in what can be done on the screen with so little; there's no budget here, largely amateur actors and a very simple plot. It's about an unemployed man, who gets a job offer that requires a bike, the sacrifice his family must make to get his bike out of hock, and what happens when the bike is stolen on the job. It's successful because I think the writers and director focus on some universal truths--about human nature, love, pride, survival and--yes--family values. It's disheartening to read some reviews that say: "I was bored," "It wasn't entertaining enough," or "Enough with the black & white." It's also disheartening to see reviews from people with no concept of this film's historical context. The poverty of post-WWII Europe produced a revolution in cinema, and this movie was one that redefined the medium's possibilities. I can't imagine someone not being moved by the dilemma faced by the lead character in this film. I do regret that this movie has not gotten a full "Criterion Collection" restoration, and I would have liked more "extras" on the DVD--like background information on the time the director and the Italian neo-realist movement. BTW, the more accurate translation of the Italian title is "Bicycle Thieves," which (after you see the movie) you must agree is more appropriate.

There's a cure for everything ... except death
(This review is for the Criterion Collection release of this dvd -- not for the Image Entertainment release that many other reviews here refer to.)

"Bicycle Thieves" (as it is wisely retranslated from the Italian for this new Criterion release) is one of the few "perfect films" -- by which I mean a film that is in its own way just as it should be, lacking nothing, the kind of film where even apparent missteps tend to contribute indelibly to the overall impression of a film in which nothing could have been changed without damaging the film. Take, for example, the scenario that instead of an unknown day laborer in the role of Antonio, de Sica had gone with David Selznick's suggestion of Cary Grant (which was a condition for the film getting funded through American studios). I have no doubt that this would have remained an interesting film, and that Grant would have done an admirable job -- but it would have been a totally different film and would have lost the fragility and vulnerability and delicacy (combined with hardness and objectivity) that make this film so precious. We can all be grateful that De Sica chose to wait for an Italian investor who allowed him to make the film the way he and Zappatini had planned.

Without giving away anything of the plot, I will say that the conclusion of the film is one of the most powerful I have seen -- and carries an emotional weight that is earned rather than manipulated, and that can be compared only to a very few films: Chaplin's City Lights and Kiarostami's Close-up are the only films that come to mind. De Sica strikes a very delicate balance between realistic depiction of the harsh realities of life in postwar Rome, and a humanistic vison of the resourcefulness of individuals in the face of hopelessness and the enduring power of empathy, forgiveness, and love.

The film looks better than ever on this new Criterion edition -- it seemed to me that a few shots were a bit washed out but I can only assume that is due to the condition of the available negatives. Spots and dust and other imperfections seem to have been removed entirely, and the subtitles are quite good and easy to read. The film alone would make this set an essential one, but the booklet (containing some excellent essays, including a very illuminating essay by Andre Bazin) and attached documentaries (one on neorealsm, one on screenwriter Zappatini, and one on De Sica) make this set as a whole like a master course on one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema.

Thief of hearts
A classic of world cinema, "The Bicycle Thief" deals with postwar Italian circumstances with searing impact. Some of the elements may remind you of "It's A Wonderful Life," but let's just say: Frank Capra it ain't! This work is uncompromising, and, as famed playwright Arthur Miller put it, "remorseless." It's a wake-up call, effectively arguing that good, sound minded people can be morally destroyed by obsession and despondency; that what is of no consequence to many is vital to some. Don't jump into buying this movie on the opinions of those who love it; it's not for everyone's taste. Rent it first. If you're looking for "entertainment," look elsewhere. But if you value artistically fine movies that address harsh realities, you will be bowled over by this poignant, involving look into one man's snowballing desperation. This film is a friend for life if you appreciate it!

This DVD version of an important film is terrible. Image Entertainment usually makes good digital transfers, and this disc is no exception. But the cause of my gripe isn't the transfer, it's the print used. The copy that Image offers on this DVD is in DESPERATE need of restoration. There are all manner of imperfections in this print -- blotches, streaks, jumps (sometimes for several frames!), scratches, etc. This makes for a visual and audio shadow of a great movie. As if this weren't bad enough, the subtitles are poor. Too many words are left out in the translation, and the subtitles sometimes come late in relation to the dialogue. On the other side of the ledger, the English dub is excellently done (except for a brief section late in the film, seemingly due to the print). The voices are expertly in sync with the lip movement, and dramatic consistency is achieved by what appear to be Italian actors.

Since there are no special features to speak of on the DVD, I'll share some facts about this film that aren't included on the disc. David O. Selznick (producer of "Gone With The Wind") is reported to have offered backing to "The Bicycle Thief," on condition that Carey Grant play the father. The star, Lamberto Maggiorani, was actually a steel factory worker. When he was done with the film, he went back to work at the factory. There he became somewhat unpopular with his co-workers, who were apparently envious of his newfound fame and fortune. Soon thereafter, he found himself unemployed. The little boy, played by Enzo Staiola, was discovered in a crowd watching work on the movie.