In the film of Bicycle Thieves 1948, it has strong
characteristics of Italian Neo Realism. This is because we are looking from the
aspect on mise-en-scene that proposed by Rick Altman. Through mise-en-scene, we
are looking on the setting of the film, and it shows that the shooting location
in this film is on the post war ruins situation. This characteristic shows in
the scene when Ricci gets his job and then on the way he runs back to his
house, obviously you can see those building are new built and there are some
shot shows the mixture of architecture. For example, Ricci’s apartment, the
place that he lives is just build by the authority and when he is on the way to
go back to his house, the road that he passed by was undeveloped. In addition,
there is also no water supply in their house. This scene was explained by his
wife where she has to carry the water from other place. This show that, the
shooting location is on post war situation, meaning that, after World War II, the
background of the shooting location is form by a lot of new and undeveloped buildings.
People are lining up for water.
One of the location of undeveloped building.
In the mise-en-shot
aspects, basically is referring to the shooting angle in Bicycle Thieves 1948, the tight shots taken all the part when Ricci
is in the house. The space in the house was tight. Besides that, there is
actually has only limited space for the thieves to lives. For example, they
don’t have a kitchen which is separate with the rooms and the living room. They only have a room, which is just enough to fix the bed and limited space for
them to move. Besides that, we can see there are no long shot especially in the
scene about the argument among Ricci and the thieve in the thieve house.
In Bicycle Thieves 1948 there are a lot of medium shot in the whole film. The environment of the houses and the building was built in a very pack form. The back street within the building was narrow to shows that actually in the Italian Neo Realism film, there have only limited space to shoot every scene.
Antonio Ricci's house, narrow hallway.
The thieves' house.
The thieves' house where we can easily see all the space available
In Bicycle Thieves 1948 there are a lot of medium shot in the whole film. The environment of the houses and the building was built in a very pack form. The back street within the building was narrow to shows that actually in the Italian Neo Realism film, there have only limited space to shoot every scene.
In Bicycle Thieves 1948 the director used grainy stock to perform it
as an Italian Neo Realism film. The resolution that used in this film was not
pure black and white. A lot of scene that being used in this film look gritty
is to enhances the aesthetic of neo realism. It is a characteristic of Italian
Neo Realism. Besides, the imperfection of grainy stock in this film is to
enhance the people’s life were not perfect after the war. For example, everyone
in the film was suffered from the poverty and jobless people are everywhere.
Italian Neo Realism is to emphasize the real life of the people after the war.
The economy was slow and down, poor people remain poor, and rich people remain
rich which you can see from the scene when Ricci and his son dining in the
restaurant. Other than that, the customers in the restaurant are dresses in a
proper way which shows that they are afford to go to the restaurant, dining at
the high class restaurant during post war era.
Customers that dresses in a proper way, dining at the high class restaurant.
Besides that, one of
the characteristic of Italian Neorealism is socially conscious and humanistic
point of view (POV). Social consciousness is to be defined as social awareness
been face by the society .In the movie Bicycle
Thieves (1948), we can see that the director focus on societal issues such
as poverty. The movie is direct at 1948 during post-World War II Rome where
societies are having difficulties in searching for jobs and supporting their
life. At the beginning of the movie, a group of men stand around waiting for
jobs. When Antonio Ricci lost his bicycle on the first day of his work, another
man quickly took his place. People during that time are desperately finding for
jobs because they need to earn money in order for their living, plus there not
many jobs available during that time. Additionally, there is also a scene
showing many people were at the pawn shop trying to sell their belongings in
exchange for money.
The director evokes the audience sympathy towards the
character Antonio Ricci and his son Bruno. When his bicycle has been stolen and
his determination in getting back his bicycle, audiences is sympathy towards
them throughout the whole process. Furthermore, the movie also presents
melodramatic aspect whereby the movie is dramatic sad. The whole process of the
movie involve tension and desperation growing as chances for recovering the
bicycle, and with it, their dashed hopes, fade the grainy stock, background
music and soundtrack will affect your mood in watching the movie. The film has
a grainy that will affect the audience mood. There is one scene where Antonio
Ricci lost his bicycle and starting to search along the road, the music make
the audience feel sad with him when he lost his bicycle. Moreover, the last
scene where Antonio and Bruno walk slowly off amid a buffeting crowd, Bruno
hands his father the hat, crying as Antonio stares dazedly ahead. That music
and scene really successfully make the audiences feel touch toward them.
Situation in the pawn shop; people are pawning nearly everything.
The ending part where Antonio and Bruno Ricci held hands tightly with grainy effects to affect the audience mood.
Tragic failure of the human condition; people are ganging up on one man.
Italy's move from
individual concern with Neorealism to the tragic failure of the human condition
can be seen through Bicycle Thieves
(1948). To struggle against the absence of human solidarity and to against
the difference of society towards suffering. They are a word in favor of the
poor and unhappy. Italian Neorealism view this as an unconditional importance
on the ordinariness of the present of what is happening to the people now or
today. It is also to emphasis on emotions rather than abstract ideas where the
scenes may seem to unfold in an order void of logic. However, it seems to leave
the interior of the characters unrevealed.
The Neo-realism wasn’t
reality but it was arguably closer to reality than anything that had come
before. The film is reference to national experience which happened after WWII
and of the immediately post-war period. The characteristics are shown in a
poverty status is to deliver a newsreel look to show the emotion of the
character’s situation and point of view during the period. For example, we will
feel the same way as when the protagonist’s bicycle has been stolen, and it is
more difficult for him to live in this situation. In Bicycle Thieves (1948), it can be observed that normal people
living especially those from poor family background are relying in
superstitious beliefs, fortune tellers. Besides, the government bureaucracy,
the church and political parties, neighborhoods, the family, and soccer have
revealed that the living of national experience of the poor ones. With some
additions of the religion and culture of the background it has brought up the
entire situation of the characters where they are living in poverty. Additionally,
in order to earn money, the workers have to own their own bicycle in order to
work. It is a painful realization, however, not without its own controversy.
Long queue happened in the house of the fortune teller.
The film offered no
slick solutions and so fell between the firing lines of the country's
ideological debate so to conservatives it was impermissible to show society's
flaws so brazenly and it lacked analysis and a clear agenda for social change.
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