Bicycle Thieves -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 35)

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From Italian director Vittoria de Sica, it's the greatest example of "Italian neo-realism." It's the 1948 film "Bicycle Thieves."

I think Bicycle Thieves is a perfect movie that embodies a spirit of an age. That age is the post World War 2 era of poverty in major European cities, here in Italy's capital city of Rome.

The movie is about a poor man who needs a job. He has to have a bicycle for that job. When his bicycle is stolen, what will he do in order to feed his family?

In the video, I briefly discuss the problem of the individual versus the masses, of socialism in the mid 20th century, and of the question of what "neo-realism" might mean.

See joshmatthews.org for more great movie criticism.