Rent Bicycle Thieves (1948)

4.1 of 5 from 371 ratings
1h 29min
Rent Bicycle Thieves (aka Ladri di biciclette) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
'Bicycle Thieves' tells the story of Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani), a long unemployed man who finally finds employment putting up cinema posters for which he needs a bicycle. His wife pawns all the family linen to redeem their already pawned bicycle and for Antonio salvation has come, until it is stolen. Antonio and his son take to the streets in a desperate search to find the bicycle which is so crucial to his livelihood.
Actors:
, , , , , Giulio Chiari, Vittorio Antonucci, , , , Carlo Jachino, , Ida Bracci Dorati, , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Giuseppe Amato, Vittorio De Sica
Writers:
Cesare Zavattini, Luigi Bartolini, Oreste Biancoli, Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Vittorio De Sica, Adolfo Franci, Gherardo Gherardi
Aka:
Ladri di biciclette
Studio:
Arrow Academy
Genres:
Classics, Drama
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like Citizen Kane, 1949: That Ealing Feeling, A History of Cinemas in Films, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, Best Film Quests and Adventures, Cinema Paradiso's Euro 24 Film Festival, Films by Genre, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Marilyn Monroe, Getting to Know: Sophia Loren, Lions on the Lido, Oscars: Winners & Losers, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Satyajit Ray, The Instant Expert's Guide to Yasujiro Ozu, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Miloš Forman, The Instant Expert's Guide: to Tim Burton, The Third Man At 75, Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, Top 10 Cycling Films, Top 10 European Remakes, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Films of 1948
Countries:
Italy
Awards:

1950 BAFTA Best Film

BBFC:
Release Date:
20/02/2006
Run Time:
89 minutes
Languages:
Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Feature length audio commentary by Italian cinema expert Robert Gordon
  • 'Timeless Cinema': a documentary portrait of director, actor and screenwriter Vittorio De Sica
BBFC:
Release Date:
24/08/2020
Run Time:
89 minutes
Languages:
Italian LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Feature Length Audio Commentary by Italian Cinema Expert Robert Gordon, Author of BFI Modern Classics 'Bicycle Thieves'
  • 'Money Has Been My Ruin' - a brand new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns on Vittorio De Sica's career and filmmaking
  • Indiscretion of an American Film Producer - a brand new video essay by film historian Kat Eilinger on De Sica's relationship with Hollywood producers David O. Selznick and Joseph E. Levine and the version that never was
  • Original trailer advertising De Sica's films, featuring 'Bicycle Thieves' star Lamberto Maggiorani and Francesco Golisano presenting 'Miracle in Milan'

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Reviews (3) of Bicycle Thieves

Key Forties Film. - Bicycle Thieves review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
02/07/2012

Devastating Italian Neo-Realism, with non-professional cast, about the humiliations of a man who can't provide for his family. A totem of social film making, and utterly relevant today.

6 out of 6 members found this review helpful.

Compelling - Bicycle Thieves review by ND

Spoiler Alert
06/03/2017

I thought I ought to watch this as I'd heard of it as a classic and don't like to miss out on such things. The film begins slowly but soon you can gauge the man's desperation, then anguish which, although hard to watch, you can't turn away from unless you have a heart of stone. It's powerful stuff. The little boy, his son, turns in a bravura performance but then so do most of the cast members.

I'm really glad I've seen it now, I strongly recommend it to you.

6 out of 6 members found this review helpful.

Of historical interest only - Bicycle Thieves review by Alphaville

Spoiler Alert
29/09/2016

De Sica’s 1948 social drama is routinely regarded as a 5-star classic but surely only because it was the first example of Italian neo-realism, even to the extent of using non-professional actors. It’s hard to watch these days. Its influence on British cinema stretches from the kitchen-sink dramas of the 1960s to the unwatchable lottery-funded social dramas of today so it has a lot to answer for. For those who hanker after this sort of thing, there’s a surplus of slice-of-everyday-life dramas and documentaries on TV. We should expect something more imaginative from cinema. It’s enough to make you pine for some superhero nonsense. Ironically, such Italian films were lip-synched in post-production, making all dialogue tonally identical and destroying any semblance of realism. Truffaut rightly mocked the tradition in Day for Night. Thank goodness the French Nouvelle Vague arrived to reinvigorate European cinema.

0 out of 7 members found this review helpful.

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