Shoot the Glass

Ladri di Biciclette (1948, Vittorio De Sica)

The Bicycle Thief is a simple movie — plot-wise anyway. It tells the story of Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani), an out-of-work father and husband, who desperate needs to find work. One day, he is given the job of plastering posters all over Rome. The catch though is that he needs a bicycle — or else the job will pass to someone else. Ricci used to own a bicycle, but he’s pawned it. To get it back, his wife gives him the linens off their bed to swap them for his bike at the pawn office.

But of course, as the title implies, his bicycle is stolen on his first day at the new job. Ricci and his young son set out to find the man who stole the bicycle, and get it back, a task that proves impossible in a city as large and bustling as Rome.

So, the premise is simple enough. It’s truly a story that is ageless; a man will always love his family and have a need to provide for them. Most people can empathise with that.

Maggiorani, who was not a professional actor, is startling in his depiction of Ricci and his desperation to find the bicycle. He sees, as do we, that it’s his last hope — if he can’t find it, he will be out of a job, and then how will his family eat? His young son, meanwhile, tags along and has to see his father’s hope run out. I thought these two performances were extraordinary in their honesty and simplicity.

And then Ricci finds the bicycle thief, and what follows is truly heartbreaking. The final scene is inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any less sad to see.

This movie is simple, heartfelt, true, and absolutely beautiful. I wish I had words to express how this movie got to me, but alas, I can only recommend you see it and pass on the beauty.

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