300-400 words
Vittorio De Sica’s “The Bicycle Thief” is revered as one of the foundation stones of Italian neorealism – the post-war Italian philosophy of filmmaking. Explain why “Bicycle Thief” is one of the crown jewels of neorealism with regard to narrative, location, actors, dialogue and camerawork.
While researching your response consider the following quote from “Bicycle Thief” screenwriter, Cesare Zavattini: "My fixed idea is to deromanticize the cinema. I want to teach people to see daily life with the same passion they experience in reading a book." Cesare Zavattini
(NOTE: Each response should be formal. Include your full name. Remember - you are not texting me. Capitalize appropriate letters. Use punctuation, spell check, etc. The assignment is DUE ON THURSDAY by 8 P.M. Any late entries will not be counted - you will receive a zero for the assignment. You can either post your assignment or you can print out a hard copy for me and hand it to me at lecture on Tuesday. I will not accept any hard copies at discussion on Friday.)
Alyssa O'Connor
ReplyDeleteIntro to Screen Studies
Blog Assignment #3
September 29, 2011
The Bicycle Thieves, directed by Vittorio De Sica, is a film surrounding a family living in poverty stricken Italy, and the story of the bicycle thief that results in the demise of the father's dignity. It is a classic, and acclaimed example of Italian Neorealism, as a result of the narrative and plot as well the technological aspects. It is a real example of what real life would have been like in post-War Italy and the execution of it reflects that immaculately. This Neorealism is reflecting in many aspects, for example, the film was shot with amateur actor's. The boy and the father were not intentionally mean to audition for the lead roles that they received, instead they were people with real life connections to the characters that they played, who were discovered by chance. This was also a production that really reflected the simplicity of the time. It was a cheaper production to begin with in all aspects, but the environment that was created by these sets and costumes really emphasize it. The costumes were very subdued, conveying the realistic and simple nature of the people's lives, as well as the bland and almost empty sets, though most of them very in fact shot on the streets. The dialogue, from screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, was also very simplistic and to the point. Used mainly for description and to give direction, the dialogue is vague, yet clear. The camerawork for this film does not draw away from the raw and natural feel of it. The shots are mostly straightforward, with a lot of long and medium shots that establish the context of this unfortunate tale. There are not many close-ups, probably because it is not just about this one man's struggle, but instead the struggles of a whole country. There are not many obscurities or artistic qualities to this film. Zavattini said that his “fixed idea is to de-romanticize the cinema”. They wanted to take away the glitz and glam of Hollywood cinema and reflect the reality of what life was like, not what the ideal life was. The Bicycle Thieves is a straightforward picture with the focus of depicting reality during post-War Italy and the problems that the lower classes during that time faced, which is the basic definition of Italian Neorealism.
The Bicycle Thieves is the film that defines Italian Neorealism since it reflects the reality of post war Italy. Cesare Zavattini achieved his goal of de- romanticizing cinema by presenting the story in a raw and realistic manner in a way that not only the glamorous can enjoy and understand. The film was meant to portray reality and to steer away from the glamorous Hollywood style of filmmaking. The narrative demonstrates the life of the lower class citizen and their struggle. The simplistic sets and the non- professional actors add on to the realistic and convincing portrayal of the working class. The dialogue helps demonstrate the interaction between certain classes and the amount of peril Italy was in during the time. The camerawork was paced perfectly; it followed Antonio in a simple yet carefully planned out way in order to let the viewer feel every moment of anxiety through out the film. The plot also presents an opposition with the famous Hollywood films. We don’t get a typical happy ending, what is received is an open ended ending which makes the story seem more authentic and it allows viewers to draw their own conclusions. The sets and the locations that the film took place in not only show the world that revolved around Antonio; it showed the economic, social and cultural world of most Italians during the time. The scenes in the church and in the theater give viewer’s small glimpse of the culture and it shows the level of poverty through different perspectives. The way that Antonio’s story is immersed in all this chaos gives the sense that you are part of the same community. Cesare Zavattini’s goal of making a film that teaches about daily life with the same passion as of reading a book was immaculately executed. The fact that the film was not glamorous allowed a certain level of concentration; as a viewer you are constantly making notions and drawing you own conclusions about this time period.
ReplyDeleteShanthal Caba
ReplyDeleteVittorio De Sica’s “The Bicycle Thieves” is considered to be, not only one of the foundations of Italian neorealism, but also a classic in the history of cinema. The context of the film is post war Italy, they had just lost World War II, Rome was in ruins and there was wide spread poverty and misery all around the country. Most of the methods (in cinematography, lighting, casting, editing, etc...) present in this film were due to the very low production values available and would later become the recognizable characteristics of this movement. The film was shot mainly on exteriors, in the streets of Rome, without any stylized sets, as well as natural lighting provided by the sun. None of the actors are professional, just common people probably portraying their real life occupations or that were casted for the role by chance. The editing and camera work are very clean and simple, and are just used to keep the flow of the narration and progress in the story. The film is mainly composed of long and medium shots, to present the characters interacting with each other as well as to give emphasis to the decaying state of their surroundings. The dialogue is very simple and to the point, the tragic/dramatic feel mostly provided as result of actions occurring in the story. All these aspects mentioned before give a very raw, realistic feel to the film, something that was not common and completely opposed to the Hollywood glamorous aesthetic of that time, in fact this contrast is slyly presented in the movie when Antonio is hanging the Rita Hayworth posters in the street. The film is about the theft of a poor man’s only chance of supporting his family in an honest way, and finally his son’s disappointment and the lost of his dignity. Cesare Zavattini’s quote emphasizes the universality of the story, as people can identify and relate with the characters and their situation. The underlying intention and purpose of neorealism is that of social criticism by presenting daily life just as it is. The neorealism movement also holds a collective quality to it, the proletarians who struggle to support their family are represented through the character of Antonio Ricci. I think De Sica made an excellent job conveying the essence of the context, post war Italy, in the screen.
Name: Hillary Palmer
ReplyDeleteIn, Vittorio De Sica’s, Bicycle Thieves we see a new realism in the movies that was completely different from typical Hollywood movies. We get the chance to see basically what a poor man’s life is like right after World War II in Italy. They had just lost the war and this is a chance for viewers to see what life truly was like for these people in their struggling years after a hard loss. This film is a perfect example of Italian Neorealism, with many aspects from the actors to the sets and camera shots, we see a whole different side of film. First the setting. Most shots are shot on the streets or simple living homes. There is no big movie set and not many shots are not on the streets of Italy. Then the actors, none of them are professional actors. Most of the leads did not even audition for the roles that they were given. The father was discovered when he brought in his son to audition for the role of the little boy. They gave the father the part instead of his son. And as Noah said in class, they found the little boy in Italy, watching on the street, and they knew he would be perfect for the role. Then the costumes, not many of them looked like they were expensive and looked as if they were the same clothes that the actors would wear to their real jobs in real life. The lighting was mostly natural sunlight and not many other lighting aspects were used, not many scenes were at night. The camera shots were mostly medium shots with two characters usually conversing with one another. When I was watching the film, to me it just looked like I was there with them following their story. It was like I was there with them. The camera shots and angles made it as if the viewer is part of the story and we see different perspectives of each actor and that to me is what makes this movie more real than anything else.
David Hess
ReplyDeleteBlog Assignment #3: “The Bicycle Thief”
De Sica’s “The Bicycle Thief” depicts a very harshly textured reality right on the very streets of Rome. This was a very important movie for the Italian neorealism movement because it captured the very essence of its filmmaking philosophy. The story takes place in a very depressed post-war era, and the world it creates is one of angst and turmoil. It, in simple terms, held nothing of spectacle or wonder out for observation, only real-life drama with no embellishment. The narrative is quite a simple one for movies of the time and from the very beginning there is a very raw overtone that emanates from the scenery and characters. De Sica’s choices of actors and location really brings this production to the very place it wishes to encapsulate. This was a very unusual method that Italian neorealism began to employ in order to de-romanticize the subjects, the story, and the normal conception of what cinema was. It showcased the reality of Italy’s struggles and pains during the collapsed years after the war. De Sica also chose mostly no name actors who had not garnered mass appeal or great recognition in order to re-enforce the perception that the audience was watching a heartbreaking story of a man trying to provide for his family. This storyline is something that certainly was not romantic or glorified. The dialogue is sparse and to the point. None of it is used in witty or formulaic ways, for to look at the truth the movie meant to convey did not require dialogue to move it ahead or advance an understanding. This film was meant to boldly affect emotion by way of true human pain and the strife that existed in the world. There is a true and debilitating crises that is portrayed in such a trivial conflict. What unfolds in the story is the passion that Antonio harbors for his family, whether or not he can provide for them is extremely important to him. Human emotion and experience are what drive this film. It certainly can be referred to as a “cornerstone” for Italian neorealism.