Reviewed June 4, 2004

Probably every film buff has seen and appreciated this film so this review is for those who have not before experienced this gem. The film was made in 1948 in grainy black and white. It has been called "perfect" and "a masterpiece" and the "best film ever made" by the cognoscenti and I have to agree.

What happens in this film? It is a simple story of a lower class Italian trying to find work in a situation where many are unemployed. He finds a job that requires him to have a bicycle, retrieves his bicycle from the pawn shop and starts out on his first day's work. His bicycle is stolen and the rest of the movie follows him in his efforts to regain the bicycle. He is joined in his search by his small son, a boy of about 8 or 9 years old. The story is so well told, so clearly depicted, that a child could watch this film. Although it is so accessible, it is at the same time a genuinely profound and deeply moving work of art.

Generally I rent dvds or watch films on cable tv, seeing as I find that the vast majority of films are not worth watching twice. However, "The Bicycle Thief" is making me re-evaluate this strategy. It is a film I expect to watch again at least several times. It is a film that has made the meaning of tragedy and its liberating power clear to me once again. A great film - see it as soon as possible - it will enrich your life and make you re-define what cinema can do.

(Review by Brian Horne - all rights reserved.)

In the USA