Cyclical Nature of The Bicycle Thief

Vittorio De Sica’s The Bicycle Thief is the quintessential neo-realist film. It is probably the most referenced work in the genre, and is grounded in politics and rebellion against fascist theatre, yet is told through such a simple story. A man needs his bicycle so that he may have a job and provide for his family. His bicycle gets stolen, thus devastating that chance, and sends him in search of it, but does not find it. The man, in his desperation, attempts to steal a bike as well, thus adding to the cyclical nature of the tale, and the point of the film. The point is to show the needs of the people, and that crime leads into each other, yet every man is only trying to provide a living. Someone steals his bike, so he tries to steal one, and if he had succeeded, that man may have tried to steal someone else’s bike later on. Their basic needs as a people are not being met, and so it just leads into further desperation. The main purpose of this is originally a rebellion of the repressive cinematic rules in italy, but also to show the needs of the people, and what needs to change. The choice to make this tale so simple was brilliant because it keeps the characters in the hearts of the everyman, making them relatable to everyone, yet telling everything that needs to be done in society.