Bicycle Thieves Thesis

The Bicycle Thief

The socio-political statement in the film, The Bicycle Thief, is the story that the director chooses shows the desperateness of everyday life. It is a constant struggle of the haves and the have-nots. Those who are the lower or the middle class, always want more and there always is hope that something better will come along their way. Through the character of Antonio, we see the hope for better things to come and that one day he will not have to struggle. It is that hope that drives him and that allows him to move on in his quest to find his stolen bicycle. Perhaps this one thing, such as the bicycle, will make life better. It will allow him to truly live and not just survive. Most of the film takes place over the span
of one long day, which parallels the long days spent by the working class trying to get ahead. This working class is large and they all share the same struggle. We see this in the amount of linens which are stacked high at the pawn shop. We see this in the crowds that push to get into the autobus. We see this is the long line of people waiting for the advice from the visionary woman. And finally we see Antonio blend into the crowd in the final scene, just one of many who are going through hardships of daily living. There are no white telephones to make calls on, only silent faces in the crowd.

I feel that an especially effective scene in the film was the scene that took place in the restaurant between Antonio and his son, Bruno.
This scene is very touching as the two characters drink wine and snack on mozzarella. "Let's forget everything, let's get drunk," says Antonio to his son. "We'll eat and be happy for now." Through the food, drinks, and cheerful songs, the two try to forget their problems of the day. This is a scene that everyone can relate to; when you are having a bad day or a bad time in your life, you want to go out and just forget, even if it's for a moment. Bruno keeps looking self consciously at a rich young boy dressed in black who sits near by. This young boy returns his glances with a snotty look. "Eat, eat, don't worry," Antonio says to his son. This scene demonstrates that even in childhood, it is hard to escape from the current conditions. As we saw in the earlier scenes, Bruno is responsible for many things at a very young age. He helps his father clean his bike, closes the window for the baby, and remembers to say goodbye to his mother. Bruno is a character of the middle class. He is not as hopeless as the two children panhandling on the street; one who receives a swift kick from Antonio's fellow employee. However Bruno is not as well off as the young boy at the restaurant. He is stuck in the middle, which is very frustrating because slipping into poverty seems so easy to do while becoming well off seems so far
away.