Bicycle Thieves (1949)

Italy 93m, B&W
Director: Vittorio De Sica; Cast: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, Vittorio Antonucci

Heralded as one of the greatest movies of all time, the Bicycle Thieves is neo-realist film that stands in marked contrast to the larger-than-life films of Hollywood. Notwithstanding the originality of this film, some decent production values and good acting, this remains a simple well-made film, but which offers little in the way of drama or entertainment value – which is ironically its main strength and perhaps its only truly remarkable aspect. In historical context, Bicycle Thieves is an important point in film-making, which arguably marked the return of realism to the cinema (Klaus Ming June 2009).