Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette) (The Bicycle Thief) (1949)
96%RT Audience Score: 94%
Awards & Nominations: NA
An Italian neorealism exemplar, Bicycle Thieves thrives on its non-flashy performances and searing emotion.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel all the feels, Bicycle Thieves is the way to go. This Italian flick is all about the realness – no fancy special effects or over-the-top acting here. Just raw, emotional performances that’ll leave you feeling like you’ve been punched in the gut (in a good way, we promise). It’s the kind of movie that’ll make you want to hug your loved ones a little tighter and appreciate the little things in life. So grab some tissues and get ready for a ride – this one’s a tearjerker.
Production Company(ies)
Produzioni De Sica
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Citta Valmelaina, Via Salaria, Rome, Lazio, Italy
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1949
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Italian, English, German
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Country of origin:Italy
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 24, 1948 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 12, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Lamberto Maggiorani, Lianella Carell, Enzo Staiola, Elena Altieri, Vittorio Antonucci, Gino Saltamerenda, directed by Vittorio De Sica, written by Luigi Bartolini, Cesar Zavattini, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, drama, Italian neorealism, box office gross $332.9K, reviewed by Richard Winnington, Bob Thomas, Christy Lemire, Kate Muir, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Don Druker, Brian Eggert, André Bazin, Sarah Brinks, Mike Massie, Merl Edelman, MPAA rating N/A, produced by Vittorio De Sica
Worldwide gross: $436,655
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,232,344
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,106
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 679,645
US/Canada gross: $371,111
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,296,840
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,786
US/Canada opening weekend: $25,377
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $362,204
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,482
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $133,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $1,898,299
Production budget ranking: 2,032
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,022,234
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,311,811
ROI to date (est.): 113%
ROI ranking: 888
Lianella Carell – Maria
Enzo Staiola – Bruno
Elena Altieri – The charitable Lady
Vittorio Antonucci – The Thief
Gino Saltamerenda – Baiocco
Director(s)
Vittorio De Sica
Writer(s)
Luigi Bartolini, Cesar Zavattini, Suso Cecchi d’Amico
Producer(s)
Vittorio De Sica
Film Festivals
Berlin
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (67) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (1)
Bicycle Thieves is a wholly satisfying film in that de Sica has so simplified and mastered the mechanics of the job that nothing stands between you and his intention.
February 2, 2021
Richard Winnington
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
This gem tells the story of a frantic search bv a man and his son for a stolen bike which provided for the family’s existence. It is told with the usual Italian realism, but with unusual excitement.
March 29, 2019
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Decades later, you can see the influence of Bicycle Thieves everywhere, in a variety of genres and languages.
February 27, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
Christy Lemire
ChristyLemire.com
TOP CRITIC
Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves is tender and immediate, a simple tale of a man whose bike is stolenwhen his job and life depends upon it.
August 13, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The work of screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, director Vittorio De Sica, the nonprofessional actors, and many others is so charged with a common purpose that there’s no point in even trying to separate their achievements.
January 14, 2013
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Undeniably the most important neorealist film after Rossellini’s Open City.
January 14, 2013
Don Druker
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
At its most essential, the film cries out with humanity, establishing its place of renown in the highest ranks of international cinema.
February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
[Bicycle Thieves] does not depend on the mathematical elements of drama, the action does not exist beforehand as if it were an “essence.” It follows from the pre-existence of the narrative, it is the “integral” of reality.
December 8, 2021
André Bazin
Esprit
The story of Bicycle Thieves is simple but the film isn’t simple at all. I love that at its heart it is a film about the limits of a man’s morality and his relationship with his son.
March 29, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
Deceptively simple, Vittorio De Sica’s cinematic masterpiece features unequalled, authentic performances by non-actors.
August 3, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
So immediate is the reality of its experience that the audience seldom notices the excellence of its directorial craftsmanship.
January 24, 2020
Merl Edelman
Los Angeles Free Press
If there ever was a picture whose impact left one realizing that men who are tortured are the same in any country — this is the movie.
October 30, 2019
Robert Ellis
California Eagle…
Plot
Antonio Ricci, an unemployed man in the depressed post-WWII economy of Italy, finally gets a job hanging up posters, but he needs a bicycle. But when his bicycle is stolen,, he and son walk the streets of Rome looking for it. Antonio finally manages to locate the thief, but with no proof he must abandon his cause. But he and his son know perfectly well that without a bike, Antonio won’t be able to keep his job.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Bicycle Thieves features non-professional actors in its lead roles, including Lamberto Maggiorani as Antonio Ricci and Enzo Staiola as his son Bruno.
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