IB Film, Textual Analysis Film Title: The Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948) Sequence Chosen: 1:21:25-1:26:25. Session May 2019 Word Count: 1748

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1 IB Film, Textual Analysis Film Title: The Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica, 1948) Sequence Chosen: 1:21:25-1:26:25 Session May 2019 Word Count: 1748 Introduction The film I have chosen is a classic 1948 Italian film The Bicycle Thieves or Ladri di Biciclette by Vittorio De Sica. The 5-minute sequence from this film that I will mainly analyze, takes place from 1:21:25 to 1:26:25. I will analyze this sequence in terms of the socio-political and economical context, and will use the following film elements of cinematography, editing, sound design and mise-en-scene, to illustrate how the director used these to convey meanings according to his intentions, vision and influences. Context of Film The Bicycle Thieves is a film set in Rome, as De Sica shows how a whole society works during the post-war era, by taking the audience on a tour around this city. Antonio Ricci, starred by Lamberto Maggiorani, is a working-class man who gets offered a job that requires him to own a bicycle. Unfortunately, on Antonio s second day of work, his bicycle gets stolen, he and his son Bruno Ricci, played by Enzo Staiola sets out on a journey to find it. The political stage of Italy during the post-war era was distinctively reflected in the film. During this time, Italy was a traumatized country raked by poverty, which relates to the socio-political and economical background of The Bicycle Thieves. Poverty and lack are part of the main themes of the film, other key themes explored are individuals in crisis, faith and neglect. Italian filmmakers at this time period, responded to these conditions by inventing a new and vital style of filmmaking called Neorealism. The neorealism movement produced a number of films characterized by stories set among the poor and working class, often shot on location using non-professional actors - Christopher Wagstaff (Italian Neorealist Cinema: An Aesthetic Approach). De Sica sees the meaning of neorealism in three simple words, poetry, lyricism, and a way of feeling - Vittorio De Sica (Italian Neorealist Cinema: An Aesthetic Approach). In the bigger picture, the social context of the film explores common elements of Italian neorealist films, including a plot that expresses poverty and the harshness of life for most of the citizens living in Rome at that time. In a smaller picture, it focuses on the issues of unemployment and crime, which are blamed towards the government, the middle classes, and capitalism. Selected Scene Description The selected sequence is located at the very end of the film. At the beginning of the scene, Antonio sees an excess amount of bicycles around him, as he attempts to steal one that is left lying on the side of the road. The sequence ends with Antonio getting caught by the owner of the bicycle, therefore does not succeed in his attempt to steal it. The reason of this scene being chosen is because it significantly changes the understanding of the film as a whole, as the protagonist finally decides to steal a bicycle which is against his moral compass. Most importantly, this scene reflects on the socio-political and economical position of Italy during the post-war era, which is portrayed through the technical elements and plot, also repetitively expressing realism throughout this sequence and the film as a whole. Page! 1 of! 5

2 Camera Shots & Blocking Carlo Montuori, the cinematographer of The Bicycle Thieves, uses specific camera shots to create depth to the understanding and interpretations of what s going on in the film. In the selected sequence, the scene begins with a medium close-up from a fairly low angle of Antonio s face looking towards an excess amount of bicycles laid across the road. This straightaway illustrates Antonio s consideration of stealing the bicycles to the audience, and his chaotic mindset of whether or not he should take the action, as it is against his moral compass. The medium close-up of Bruno sitting at the side of the road and his positioning reflects on his hopeless emotions towards getting their bicycle back. In this shot, Bruno is sitting down and at a static position, whilst in the background, people are walking and moving around. This again signifies the chaotic minds of both characters as they feel downhearted at this moment in the film. On the other hand, it could also create a contrast between the two characters who are the misfit to the rest of the citizens who owns a bicycle. This relates to the social and economical context of the film, more specifically it covers the concept of poverty, as Antonio is from the working class and must keep his job in order to support his family. Antonio could be seen as a representation of the ordinary Italians during the post-war era, therefore the Italian audiences could simply relate and put themselves in the protagonist s shoes. The dolly and panning shots during the chase sequence foreshadows Antonio s impending doom that his decision on taking the action of stealing will create consequences including societal ramifications of being a thief. The shots also builds up tension and excitement for the scene at this point, as the audience is able to follow the characters through the chase sequence and the chaotic setting. The objective camera view builds up a feeling of sympathy from the audience for the protagonist who is being chased. The people in the background walking again highlights the chaotic situation and also builds up tension, it portrays the realism of the film, as Italian films made during the neorealism movement, were filmed on location. The setting of The Bicycle Thieves seemed more natural than any modern films and also gives the audience a sense of realistic, therefore can again build up sympathetic feelings for the protagonist. Page!2 of!5

3 The close-up in this scene of Bruno looking at Antonio being chased is significantly different to the shots of him looking at Antonio elsewhere in the film. This close-up is a single shot comparing to the close-ups of Bruno earlier in the film, which are mostly two shots with Antonio. This refers to the change in Bruno s perspective in how he views his father, also emphasizing on the the two characters starting to distant away from each other. As Antonio decides to go against his morality, Bruno realizes that his father has changed into someone that he is unfamiliar with. As Antonio has always been known by the audience and Bruno for his kind-hearted personality. On the other hand, Antonio tries to hide the harsh realities of the post-war because of the chaotic conditions Italy was experiencing during that era. He attends to avoid Antonio from participating in any act of crime or violence. For instance, in the Piazza Vittorio market, Bruno is sent to look for bells while Antonio engaged with the vendor, continuing in this scene, Antonio attempts to send Bruno home as he carries the act of stealing. As Bruno observes his father getting chased, the audience will notice that Antonio has been teaching Bruno Rome s biggest trouble, which is people pursuing their own agenda, instead of attending to their collective troubles - John Smith (Movies & TV Stack Exchange). This reflects on the social context of the film as Antonio could represent his generation and Antonio could be recognized as the future generation of Italy, it informs the audience that the previous generation failed at being a role-model and at teaching the children of Rome. Editing The editor of the film, Eraldo Da Roma highlights Antonio s inner thoughts by editing the beginning of this sequence in a way such that there were several mid-close ups of Antonio. Da Roma constantly cuts between the medium close-ups of Antonio and him looking at the layers of bicycles on the road, and another medium close-up of Antonio looking at the other side of the road where a single bicycle is left. The shot-reverse-shot here suggests that Antonio is constantly walking back and forth, which clearly shows the audience that he is indecisive and hesitating about whether or not to steal the bicycles. The overall slow-paced editing that Da Roma uses in this sequence and throughout the whole film, fits with the neorealism movement, as André Bazin always believed that reality is presented through invisible editing. By leaving long takes in the film, makes it seem more realistic and so the audience at that time would feel inclusive when watching the film or even feels more immersive and true to life. As De Sica stated that neorealism is a way of feeling - Vittorio De Sica (Italian Neorealist Cinema: An Aesthetic Approach), in the shot-reverseshot gives the audience a reflection of the how the protagonist is feeling. Linking to the post-war era, when most Italian audiences were in the same class as Antonio, the editing supports them to feel the same way as the protagonist is feeling therefore it resonated for them. Page!3 of!5

4 Sound & Music Design The overall purpose of the music score is to again demonstrate how the tone is shifted throughout the film. The music score here builds up tension and shows the audience how Antonio is desperate and which earns sympathy from the audience for the protagonist. In this sequence, the pitch of the music score is fairly high which may foreshadow that something bad is about to happen to Antonio or even getting to the climax of the film. The film overall begins with a sad tune with minor keys, which again foreshadows the series of issues that occurs further through the film. The tempo of the music at the beginning of the sequence is slow-paced and it gradually increases whilst reaching a crescendo. This is an effective and common way that filmmakers use in order to build up the tension in a scene. As the chase sequence occurs, the music score fits in with the dolly and panning shots, and supports the film to reach its climax and also ending point. Throughout the film as a whole, a calm and peaceful violin dominated score is played. The change and development of music in this scene shows the change in tone throughout the film. In the smaller picture, it may signify the contrast of Antonio s inner thoughts and actions between the beginning of the film to the end. The lack of dialogue towards the end also gives the audience a focus on the visuals. Without dialogue, tension is dramatically created in this scene, even the inner thoughts of the protagonist is reflected clearly through other film elements mentioned. Conclusion In conclusion, The Bicycle Thieves outlines and reflects on the themes of poverty and unemployment, which relates to the socio-political background of Italy post-war, it is done by leading the audience to have sympathetic emotions towards our protagonist, Antonio. Neorealist style of filming and mise-en-scne are highlighted throughout the film, which reflects on the political stage of Italy post-war, a period of time when the Italian films were highly relatable, such that the audience can relate themselves to. Italian audiences, it seems, were reluctant to respond without prompting to an indigenous neorealist cinema intent on exploring the post-war themes of rampant unemployment, inadequate housing, and neglected children, In alternately open-ended and tragic structures populated by mundane nonprofessional actors instead of glamorous stars - Bert Cardullo (André Bazin and Italian Neorealism). The Italian audiences are to be seen as acting in a reluctant way for the Neorealist Cinema. The audiences during World War 2 was often more open to the concept of escapism, as they had the desire to watch films that helped them escape reality and relieved their stress. Audiences were mostly in a similar position as the characters in the film, as the film heavily related to poverty, hunger, housing shortages etc, which were the main issues that most Italians unfortunately faced too. However, through the build up of complicated emotions between a father and son, De Sica created a film that highly expressing realism. Page! 4 of! 5

5 References Websites Movies Stack Exchange (2018). Why did Bicycle Thieves end so abruptly?. [online] Movies & TV Stack Exchange. Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Dreamicus.com. (2018). The meaning and symbolism of the word - Bicycle. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Encyclopedia online.net. (2018). Post-war Societies (Italy) International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1). [online] Available at: article/post-war_societies_italy [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Gradesaver.com. (2018). Bicycle Thieves Themes. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. JACK AARON EVANS. (2018). Film Analysis- The Bicycle Thief. [online] Available at: jackaaronevans.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/film-analysis-the-bicycle-thief/ [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Moviediva.com. (2018). Bicycle Thief. [online] Available at: reviewpages/mdbicyclethief.htm [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Podcasts MUST SEE FILMS. (2018). Bicycle Thieves (1948) PODCAST #054. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Books Wagstaff, C. (2008). Italian Neorealist Cinema: An Aesthetic Approach. University of Toronto Press. Cardullo, B. and Bazin, A. (2011). André Bazin and Italian Neorealism. Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Video Essays Adam Gohr. (2018). Bicycle Thief Last Scene Analysis. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Alexander Smith. (2018). Bicycle Thieves - Mise En Scène. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. The New York Times. (2018). 'The Bicycle Thief' Critics' Picks The New York Times. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2018]. Page! 5 of! 5