The Bicycle Thief (1948)

Set in Rome's post-World War II depression, The Bicycle Thief is the story of Antonio Ricci, a man employed to hang posters. Ricci is entirely dependent on his bicycle for his work, for it is a condition of his employment. Antonio on a couple of occasions leaves his bicycle unattended, and there are long camera pauses to suggest that, as the title of the movie would portend, the bicycle will be stolen - it is only a matter of time.

During his first job, Antonio's bicycle is stolen, and this unfortunate incident causes Antonio, his young son Bruno, and others to search for his missing bike.

The environment of the depression is so starkly represented when Maria, Antonio's wife, sells their bed sheets, part of Maria's dowry, to purchase Antonio's bicycle from the pawn shop. The return of his bicycle was Antonio's one hope to help feed his family, but now it has been stolen, and he cannot continue to hang posters without his bicycle. When Maria sells her sheets, we see the clerk pile them with the hundreds of other sheets that have been sold to help support other affected families.

Affluence residing alongside poverty is represented by the poster of Rita Hayworth that Antonio hangs. Another example of this coexistence of poverty and wealth is shown when Bruno and Antonio decide to have a meal after giving up all hope that they will find the stolen bicycle. Bruno sees in the restaurant a wealthy family eating extravagantly without thought. He understands that this is not his plot in life, but for the moment, he too will enjoy extravagance, even if this may be his last meal.

The overarching tone of this movie is one of desperation. Antonio is desperate to find his bicycle and we see him resort to things that he might not be very proud of and consider doing under ordinary circumstances.

Faith plays a major role in this film. Maria, Antonio's wife, goes to a fortune teller. She represents the faith of the movie. She understands that Antonio will find another job despite losing his last one, but Antonio fails to return home, at least from what we see, to gain this perspective. He is the doubter. He is so desperate that he talks during church service when trying to convince an old man to tell him where the person is who stole his bicycle. He plans to force the old man against his will to come with him to find the man. He has no consciousness of decorum in a church; he is without faith.

The real faith of this movie is in humanity. The neorealism of the film calls into question whether we as humans will act ethically in dire situations.

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Writer: Cesare Zavattini
Cast: Lamberto Maggiorani (Antonio Ricci); Lianella Carell (Maria Ricci); and Enzo Staiola (Bruno Ricci)

Point to consider: ALLMOVIE.COM points out that "the movie featured all the hallmarks of the neorealist style: a simple story about the lives of ordinary people, outdoor shooting and lighting, non-actors mixed together with actors, and a focus on social problems in the aftermath of World War II."

Mission Statement

"Of all the arts, movies are the most powerful aid to empathy, and good ones make us into better people."
Roger Ebert, The Great Movies

À bout de souffle (1960)

Jean-Luc Godard's classic film, À bout de souffle, takes place primarily in Paris, and is the story of a young couple who may or may not be in love.

Michel Poiccard is the antihero of the story. He serially steals cars and in a getaway from one successful attempt manages to kill a police officer. He, throughout the movie, is on the run. His mission is to go to Rome with the woman he loves, Patricia Franchini, a newspaper girl and sometimes reporter for the New York Herald Tribune.

Patricia is undecided on her love for Michel, and it takes the length of the movie to make up her mind.

Poiccard shares with Franchini a story whereby a man informs his love interest that he is a criminal and upon doing so, his girlfriend decides to help him in his illicit deeds. Poiccard is hoping that when Franchini learns of his misdeeds she will not leave him.

Dialogue in this film, like most Godard films, is hard to summarize as it resonates as profound but it only does so in small doses. Godard does not hit you over the head with pedantic philosophizing, but allows the insights to wash over you. He makes it a point to continue conversations without summarizing what has already been said, which can cause the forgetful person, such as myself, to strain to recall what the original context and statements referred to; this quality makes viewing the films more than once important.

In the beginning of the film, Michel speaks directly to the camera, which is a device used frequently in Godard's movies. This technique is criticized frequently, and reminds one of the Bertolt Brecht methodology of breaking the fourth wall in theatre.

Godard seems to be very proud of his Frenchness, and extols all of France in his films. In À bout de souffle he shows the French countryside as well as the city of Paris. Godard makes it a point to showcase the internationally known landmarks of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Trimphe. The use of these landmarks seems to be a little heavy handed as we know it is Paris for we are told we are in Paris.

During the course of the film, Patricia, an American, is unable to understand some of the idioms that Michel says. I wonder if this is because she does not understand the idioms in French for French is not her mother tongue, or if it is the case that these are not common phrases in either language. I think it might be that Michel is similar to the Beats and he is speaking a language that is not known to the masses. I think a comparison to the Beats is an accurate one for Michel and his coterie, and perhaps they were a great influence on Godard.

While Patricia and Michel are hiding from the police, they decide to see a Western. This later becomes relevant in the closing scenes of À bout de souffle. The final shots depict what one would stereotypically think of as a scene in a Western.

While watching the film, there is a point where the music becomes extremely important. What stands out about this music is not the music itself but what the music is played on: a clarinet. We later learn that Michel's father played the clarinet, and it is only music played on the clarinet that he enjoys.

Godard carefully crafts the elements that conspire to make a film. Anyone interested in understanding film should watch À bout de souffle.