Bicycle Thieves [Criterion Collection]

Overview

"Vittorio DeSica's Ladri di Biciclette is one of the cornerstone works of the Italian neorealist movement, and had a profound influence on both European and American filmmakers for decades after its original release in 1948, so it's no surprise that the cineastes at the Criterion Collection went out of their way to give the picture a definitive presentation in this two-disc DVD edition. Bicycle Thieves (as it's called in this package, rather than the less accurate but more common English translation The Bicycle Thief) has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the image looks better than it ever has before on video; while there's nothing flashy about the film's visual style, this edition certainly pulls a new wealth of detail from Carlo Montuori's cinematography, and the source materials are pristine. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, and two soundtracks have been included -- the original English language version, and a dubbed English language track, both of which sound quite good for the period. Optional English subtitles are also included. The bonus disc contains a number of relevant extras, including two original documentaries -- Working With DeSica, in which screenwriter Suso Cecchi d'Amico and actor Enzo Staiola share their memories of working on the project while critic and historian Callisto Cosulich discusses his meetings with the legendary filmmaker, and Life As It Is: The Neorealist Movement In Italy, essentially an illustrated lecture from Mark Shiel on the history and impact of this vital subgenre. Also featured is a 2003 television documentary on Cesare Zavattini, who helped write Ladri di Biciclette and became a major force in Italian filmmaking as well as one of DeSica's most trusted collaborators. Along with the two discs, Criterion have also included a beautiful 78-page book with essays on the film from DeSica, Zavattini, Andre Bazin, Sergio Leone and many others. Quite simply, it's hard to image a better or more thorough presentation of Bicycle Thieves than the one Criterion has offered us with this package, and it's worthy of one of the most important and powerful motion pictures of its era."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/12/2007
UPC:	0715515022224
Original Release:	1948
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:29:00
Sales rank:	57,250

Special Features

Disc one: The film; New, restored high-definition digital transfer; Optional English-dubbed soundtrack; New and improved English subtitle translation; Disc two: The supplements; Working with De Sica, a collection of new interviews with screenwriter Suso Cecchi d'Amico, actor Enzo Staiola, and film scholar Callisto Cosulich; Life as It Is: The Neorealist Movement in Italy, a new program on the history of Italian neorealism, featuring scholar Mark Shiel; A 2003 documentary on screenwriter and longtime Vittorio De Sica collaborator Cesare Zavattini, directed by Carlo Lizzani; Plus: A book featuring new essays by critic Godfrey Cheshire and filmmaker Charles Burnett, remembrances by De Sica and his collaborators, and classic writings by Zavattini and critic André Bazin

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lamberto Maggiorani	Antonio Ricci
Enzo Staiola	Bruno Ricci
Lianella Carell	Maria Ricci
Elena Altieri	Kobieta z organizacji charytatywnej
Vittorio Antonucci	Z¿odziej
Gino Saltamerenda	Baiocco
Giulio Chiari	Lekarz
Mario Meniconi	Actor
Sergio Leone	Actor
Carlo Jachino	A Beggar
Michele Sakara	Secretary of the Charity Organization
Emma Druetti	Actor
Fausto Guerzoni	Amateur Actor
Lianella Carrel	Actor
Giulio Battiferri	Citizen Who Protects the Real Thief
Ida Bracci Dorati	La Santona
Nando Bruno	Actor
Eolo Capritti	Actor
Massimo Randisi	Rich Kid in Restaurant
Memmo Carotenuto	Actor
Checco Rissone	Guard in Piazza Vittorio
Giovanni Corporale	Actor
Peppino Spadaro	Police Officer,Actor
Alessandro Cicognini	Composer

Technical Credits

Vittorio de Sica

Cesare Zavattini

Oreste Biancoli

Adolfo Franci

Suso Cecchi d'Amico

Luigi Bartolini

Gerardo Guerrieri

Vittorio de Sica	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Cesare Zavattini	Screenwriter
Oreste Biancoli	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Adolfo Franci	Screenwriter
Umberto Scarparelli	Executive Producer
Suso Cecchi d'Amico	Screenwriter
Luigi Bartolini	Screenwriter
Gerardo Guerrieri	Screenwriter
Giuseppe Amato	Producer
Biagio Fiorelli	Sound Effects
Bruno Brunacci	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Though not the first Italian Neo-Realist film seen outside of Italy (or even Vittorio De Sica's first Neo-Realist work), The Bicycle Thief (1948) is considered the seminal film of the movement, alongside Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1945). Following the guiding Neo-Realist precept of drawing stories from the daily life of post-war Italy, De Sica and writer Cesare Zavattini carefully interweave a wider view of Italian culture with a portrait of the bond between a father and son, revealing the impact of poverty and bureaucratic absurdities on one of many struggling families. Shooting on location with non-professional actors in the two leads (well-coached by actor De Sica), De Sica's mobile camera transforms moments of Antonio's odyssey into poetic images of isolation and despair, while never losing sight of the gritty hardships of quotidian experience. An even greater international sensation than his first Neo-Realist film (Shoeshine (1946)), The Bicycle Thief earned a special Oscar for Best Foreign Film and became a signature work for a movement that also included Bitter Rice (1948), Luchino Visconti's La Terra Trema (1948), and De Sica's Umberto D. (1952). Inspiring filmmakers across the world as an alternative to expensive Hollywood fantasy, The Bicycle Thief revealed the potential power of combining local concerns with an unflinching cinematic style.