People are voting emotionally.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Saw this when i was a kid. Revisited it recently on a blu ray. In post-war Rome, Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) is offered a job of putting posters up in the city but that job requires a bicycle. Antonio hails from a poverty stricken class n he cannot afford to miss this job as unemployment is very high. Trouble is he had already pawned the bicycle to put food on the table for his family. His resourceful wife sells the bed linens in order to get the money to get his bicycle back. One of the most touching scene is when Antonio and his small son Bruno goes to work carrying their egg sandwiches. Antonio drops the kid at the gas station n so its implied that the kid works there, while he goes in the city to paste the posters n on the very first day his bicycle is robbed by a thief who manages to get away. Director Vittorio De Sica captured the working class lifestyle to perfection by avoiding professional actors and going for real, everyday people n real locations with the everyday hustle and bustle. The film succeeded in capturing the grim realities of regular working people and the everyday struggle. Lamberto Maggiorani being a non professional actor did a terrific job. We as audience empathize with him n his struggles n in the final act in spite of him doing a wrong thing, we want him to succeed. Another noteworthy thing is the small kid. The hotel lunch scene was also very touching. The dialogues before the lunch scene, lets go down in style & everything has a cure except death by Antonio to his son is really encouraging. This film is relevant today due to people living in ghettos.

It is the exuberance of the dramatis personae of the movie that exhort me to say that despite having no element of piquancy, this is assuredly a masterpiece of profound ingenuity.

Filmmakers should learn from Bicycle Thief. Learn what can be achieved economically without ridiculous budgets. Tens of millions of dollars were not necessary to create what is one of the best films in history.What a beautiful film it is! The innocence of these characters even with their faults due to their desperation after their livelihood is shot with the loss of their bicycle. This is a human story about the human struggle as father and son walk all over the city to find their stolen bicycle. As simple as the film is, it's highly emotional, particularly the final, famous scene. My favourite moment was in the restaurant as the son is wary not to spoil his father's budget, and the father is too concerned with his plans, to notice anything else. The boy can't help being distracted by the rich boy beside their table. Genius filmmaking by by De Sica.

Bicycle Thieves is an older Italian classic from filmmaker Vittorio De Sica. The film centers on a struggling working class father and husband who recently landed a job only to have his bicycle stolen and can no longer carry out his assignment. First of all this story is extremely simplistic. It's one of the most basic and easy to understand stories I've ever seen and that has its profound benefits. The lack of convolution allows the audience to feel the emotions of the circumstances these relatable characters go through while still maintaining a feel of rhythm and pacing for the thin plot. Most people watching these struggles can most likely empathize with the character about job hunting, providing for loved ones, being an example to children, and dealing with a chaotic environment that is both unmerciful and unpredictable. Performances were honestly wonderful from every performer (the child especially was surprisingly brilliant). Thankfully with the straightforward narrative, the audience is allowed to see the full range these actors can deliver. Another solid positive is the score. I found the music incredibly emotional and beautiful to hear. Having seen it, I see how the style of filmmaking has influenced other more popular and widely seen Italian releases like "Life is Beautiful" and "La Dolce Vita". Any disappointments I have with Bicycle Thieves inevitably fall under the expectation shattering category. I admittedly expected a more positive and hopeful vibe with an ending that felt optimistic. Both of which were untrue so these "negatives" if I can call them that, are more self- inflicted than one would care to admit. Despite the "depressing" and realistic approach the film takes to handle its story and subject matter. I found Bicycle Thieves a truly great film and would recommend it to anyone. Especially for those studying film and foundational Italian art-house filmmaking.