Mayer-Burstyn 89 minutes
Still another realistic and moving Italian-language feature which has
already been acclaimed as the outstanding foreign film of the year. Less
dramatic than either "Open City" or "Shoe-Shine," recent
memorable Italian pictures, the story is simple and tremendously effective
and the production is a masterpiece of its kind. The publicity attendant
on its numerous awards, such as the National Board of Review and the New
York Film Critics, will insure strong grosses in art houses, despite the
absence of familiar foreign names. It can also play many downtown houses
in key cities and in neighborhoods where Italians predominate. Under the
superb direction of Vittorio DeSica, who also directed "Shoe-Shine,"
two film newcomers, Lamberto Maggiorani, as an unfortunate bill poster,
and Enzo Staiola, as a completely natural and appealing youngster, give
notable performances.
THE STORY:
In postwar Italy, Lamberto Maggiorani, out of work for many months,
is offered a job pasting up posters if he can use a bicycle. In order to
get the bicycle out of hock, his wife is forced to pawn her wedding clothes
and bedsheets. The first day on the new job, his bicycle is stolen and
the police advise him to try and find it himself. With his seven-year-old
son, Enzo Stailoa, Maggiorani goes into the black market section but they
find no trace of the bicycle. As night nears, Maggiorani spots the thief
and, after a chase, corners him. But a search of the thief's home reveals
no bicycle so the crowd starts to attack Maggiorani. He and his son then
return to their poor home.
CATCHLINES:
The Finest Foreign Film in a Decade... Acclaimed by Film Critics and
the Public Alike... A Cowardly Thief Stole the Very Bread Out of Their
Mouths... A Brilliant and Unforgettable Story of Postwar Italy.