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Bicycle Thieves

1948 film by Vittorio De Sica

AI overview

"Bicycle Thieves" is a 1948 Italian film directed by Vittorio De Sica about a man searching for his stolen bicycle in post-World War II Rome. The film is widely considered a masterpiece of neorealist cinema for its realistic portrayal of ordinary people struggling with poverty and its use of non-professional actors and actual locations rather than studio sets.

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Film · TMDB

8.2

Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.

Released: 1948-07-2189 minDir: Vittorio De SicaDrama

Cast

Lamberto Maggiorani as Antonio
Enzo Staiola as Bruno
Lianella Carell as Maria
Gino Saltamerenda as Baiocco
Vittorio Antonucci as Alfredo Catelli, The Thief
Giulio Chiari as The Beggar

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Key dates

Published: 13 December 1949

Article

Bicycle Thieves (Italian: Ladri di biciclette), also known as The Bicycle Thief, is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor father searching in post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family.

Adapted for the screen by Cesare Zavattini from the 1946 novel by Luigi Bartolini, and starring Lamberto Maggiorani as the desperate father and Enzo Staiola as his plucky young son, Bicycle Thieves received an Academy Honorary Award (most outstanding foreign language film) in 1950, and in 1952 was deemed the greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound magazine's poll of filmmakers and critics; fifty years later another poll organized by the same magazine ranked it sixth among the greatest-ever films. In the 2012 version of the list the film ranked 33rd among critics and 10th among directors.