Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Rated PG. Just a few S bombs, the kind of thing you can hear on TV these days.

The Next 130 Project takes us back to post-WWII Italy as we gaze at director Vittorio De Sica’s piece de resistance. The amateur actors (Lamberto Maggiorani and Enzo Staiola) are just as good as any longtime pros. Good God, their well-earned pathos! We’re treated to many shades of emotion (desperation, shame, loyalty and love) as our heroes battle to maintain their dignity…always dignity. The Ellises debate the movie’s title (“thief” v “thieves”) and compare bikes to the days when horses were an even more vital mode of transportation. It’s a short episode, but we cover a lot of docudrama-ish ground. Buy some grounds of coffee from Sparkplug Coffee. Don’t forget to apply your 10% discount at check-out by using the promo code “top100project”.

LINKS:

Coming Attractions Trivia Answers: ??? and ??? and ???

Rotten Tomatoes reviews

Sight & Sound lists

AFI’s Top 100 Lists

IMDb’s Top 250

1948 in film

1949 Academy Award winners & nominees

Links to: Rome, Open City and Shoeshine and The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre and The Third Man and Umberto D

Previously on the Next 129 Project: On Golden Pond

December 10th on the Next 131 Project: A Simple Plan