This film had factory worker as hero, journalist as heroine, no trained actors or top stars, still became huge hit

The neorealism movement in cinema began sometime in the 1940s in Europe. French and Italian cinema were at the forefront of this new wave of filmmaking, which focussed more on showing real emotions and people over the melodrama that had prevailed in films till then. Among the seminal neorealist films from Italy is the 1948 cult classic Bicycle Thieves, originally titled Ladri di biciclette. The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and is certainly one of the most influential. But the story of its making is just as interested.

The film with no professional actors and a factory worker as hero

Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Bicycle Thieves is the story of a poor father in post-World War II Rome, who is trying to find his stolen bicycle, without which he would lose his job. The film focuses mainly on the protagonist Antonio Ricci, his wife Maria, and son Bruno. Adapted from Luigi Bartolini’s 1946 novel, the film had all newcomers in the lead roles. Antonio was played by Lamberto Maggiorani, a factory worker with negligible acting experience. Lianella Carell, a journalist who had interviewed the director earlier, was cast as Maria. While the director found young Bruno in 8-year-old Enzo Staiola when he spotted him selling flowers on the street with his father. De Sica shot only on location without any studio or sets and cast only untrained actors. He wanted some actors' roles similar to their lives off screen to add to the realism.

The Bicycle Thieves’ legacy

The film was released in November 1948. Made on a budget of $133,000 (around Rs 4.4 lakh then), it was a success at the box office, earning $428,978 (roughly Rs 14 lakh). Initially, some Italians were critical of the film, claiming it showed the country in a negative light. But over the years, it developed a cult following both in the country and worldwide. It has been featured in several Best 100 Films lists around the world and won over a dozen international awards, including an honorary Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. It is cited as a film that influenced several other classics in various languages. Back in India, filmmakers like Satyajit Ray and Bimal Roy used influences from this film in their classics such as Pather Panchali and Do Bigha Zameen.

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