Bicycle Thieves Historical Context. Bicycle thieves de sica 1945 opening shots. Orson welles s citizen kane 1941 and vittorio de sica s bicycle thieves 1948.
Where citizen kane. Right from the start the film uses its realist aesthetic to foreground two key ideas. Viewed in retrospect much of modern cinema can seem to flow from twin fountainheads.
A long continuous take then dissolves into a tracking shot as a group of men gather hurriedly at the foot of some steps.
On his first day on the job the bicycle is stolen which leads him. Sometimes known in the united states as the bicycle thief is a 1948 italian drama film directed by vittorio de sica the film follows the story of a poor father searching post world war ii rome for his stolen bicycle without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family. Though separated by world war ii the two movies symbolize the cardinal impulses that came to captivate serious audiences critics and filmmakers after the war. The simple idea at the centre of the story of bicycle thieves a man s search for his stolen bicycle without which he cannot work is the perfect example of zavattini s claim to be able to create compelling drama out of a relatively insignificant incident in a crowded city.