Sorrentino, "The Great Beauty", 2013
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Bicycle Thieves: Fighting Against the Crowd
Upon first viewing the film Bicycle Thieves, which I only first did yesterday, I was immediately struck by one key aspect of the film: the sharp dichotomy between the crowds and the independence of Antonio. The opening scene of the film in fact depicts Antonio finally getting a job, breaking free of the masses still looking for work. He and his son, Bruno, then continue with the rest of their deeply personal, yet comparatively small, story independently, with crowds only serving represent regression to a life doomed to go nowhere. One scene in which this can be seen perfectly is when Antonio goes to get help from Baiocco at the union hall. Individually, Antonio is able to be shown compassion and understanding, with Baiocco offering to help him look for his bicycle. However, when a crowd of other union workers appear, the individual tragedy of Antonio is lost among the group mentality of the workers. In A History of Italian Cinema, author Peter Bondanella mentions that "In De Sica's universe, economic solutions are ultimately ineffective in curing what is a meaningless, absurd human condition" (87). This "condition" is the welfare of these people in a post-World War II Italy. No one, not even Antonio's fellow laborers with similar plights, is able to help and sympathize with him. At the end of the film, Antonio is not only disgraced in the eyes of his son when he steals a bicycle and becomes a thief himself, but his struggle is also seen as even more meaningless when he regresses back into the crowd that he tried so desperately to escape throughout the film.
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I never realized these connections when watching the film, and I like the fact that you were able to catch on to these subtle, but significant moments in the movie. I like how you used a quote from Peter Bondanella in order to further your claim that the relationship between Antonio and the rest of the workers was very divided, and this was due to the fact that Antonio did not want to associate with the rest of them. The fact that the crowds were unable to sympathize with Antonio made the audience feel more guilt for Antonio's situation, as well as gave us more insight on the economic crisis depicted in this film itself. Overall, your perspective on the movie is very thoughtful, and I agree with all of your statements.
ReplyDeleteI think Joe brings up a really interesting point about the conflict between the crowds and the independence of Antonio in the film. While I was watching the film, I certainly noticed this tension and felt Antonio's isolation from the masses from the very beginning when he got the job over them and their envy and hostility were very apparent. Like Cece, I felt very sympathetic towards Antonio partly as a result of this. The idea of this man vs. society conflict relates back to our discussion today on the foundations of neorealism. It is interesting that neorealism typically strives for a sense of human solidarity but this does not exactly come through in the movie, as Antonio is depicted as at odds with the masses at multiple points. I think this reflects a larger theme about society and human solidarity and the different ways it can manifest itself, particularly here in a desolate environment where tension and hostility interfere with any aspiration of harmony between man and society.
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