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This Italian drama from the late 1940's is routinely ranked among the best films of all time. It's an Italian classic from filmmaker Vittorio De Sica, and makes a ingeniously simple plot incredibly meaningful. It was released in a turbulent period in European, and indeed global, history, with much of the world dealing with the fallout of the Second World War.
The soundtrack is wonderfully emotive, and serves as an ideal backing for the melodramatic events on-screen. There is a sombreness to the sounds that accompany the film, which helped to inform and emphasise many of the emotions playing out in each scene.
The narrative is incredibly basic on a surface level, but carries so much meaning beneath that. At its heart, there's a lot more going on. The film speaks of poverty and hardship in post-war Rome, Italy. It speaks about father-son relationships, and how fathers pass on attitudes and behaviours to their sons. It's a study in behaviour as much as it is a story about a stolen bike. It is just genius, in that sense.
Lamberto Maggiorani's portrayal of a down-on-his-luck man and father is just masterful. He is the picture of desperation, despair and determination. His facial expressions are so strong, and evoke so many emotions. He is the illustration of what it is to be a working class man in the late 40's in Italy.
Enzo Staiola was very amusing at times, especially with his physical acting. He was very good at being a little rascal of a boy, but also a sweetly innocent child who just wants to help his father. I really can't commend Staiola's performance enough, it was excellent.
Lianella Carell and Gino Saltamerenda provide the most compelling and notable performances of the supporting cast. I was particularly fond of Carell, whose natural charm really bled through the screen in abundance.
Overall, I would most definitely agree with the notion that this is an all-time classic piece of cinema. It is certainly among the best black and white films I've seen, and undeniably among the best foreign language films. It has so much bubbling beneath the surface which makes it so much more than a film about a stolen bicycle. It's just phenomenal.
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