Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 17, 2016

Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the documentary film "Working with De Sica"; a program on the history of Italian neorealism; and documentary film about legendary screenwriter Cesare Zavatini directed by Carlo Lizzani. The release also arrives with a 34-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Godfrey Cheshire's essay "A Passionate Commitment to the Real", reminiscences by Vittorio De Sica and his collaborators, and technical credits. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Antonio

The power of this legendary Italian film is indisputable. It immediately brings one into the harsh world of its protagonists and one begins to experience everything that they do -- the short moments of pure joy, the massive disappointments, the overwhelming fear that there may not be a way out of the misery they have been forced to endure. It is one of those very rare films that, once seen, can never be forgotten.

The film is set in Rome where the poor middle-aged Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani) has been trying to find a job -- any job that would help his family make ends meet. Eventually someone hires him, but warns him that he needs a bicycle. At home Antonio’s wife, Maria (Lianella Carell), quickly rolls up their bed sheets and he brings them to the pawnbroker who quickly gives him back his old bicycle. Antonio and Maria are convinced that better days are finally coming.

On the following day Antonio heads to the heart of the city and begins hanging posters, but a thief steals his precious bicycle. The short scene where the camera zooms in and shows how his heart sinks after he sees the thief disappearing in the crowds is amongst the greatest in all of cinema.

Accompanied by his 9-year-old son, Bruno (Enzo Staiola), Antonio begins looking for the thief, but the more time the two spend on the busy streets, the more he begins to realize that it would be easier to find a needle in a haystack.

Vittorio De Sica’s neoralist masterpiece looks grim and quite rough at times. Now it may seem appropriate to say that it has the appearance and vibe of a documentary feature, but many great documentary features have actually directly copied its visual style and tone.

The drama on display is the type that hits hard and right in the heart. Absolutely nothing that Antonio and Bruno do while trying to track down the thief looks rehearsed. They choose where to go, what to say, and how to react -- the camera is there only to observe them. The movement of people around them and their reactions do not seem choreographed either.

The city is captured by the camera in exactly the same manner Antonio and Bruno are -- unmasked and unprepared, always looking unglamorous and authentic. One can easily sense how cheap life is in the poor neighborhoods where the thief might be hiding. There are bystanders who look genuinely surprised and some even annoyed that a camera would dare to come this far and expose their miserable existence. These are simple yet incredibly powerful visuals, absolutely impossible to forget.

The film won an honorary Oscar in 1950 and since then many have argued that it carries a strong political message. (Its legendary screenwriter, Cesare Zavattini, was an outspoken leftist). It seems incredibly dishonest to speculate that it does because it is precisely its purity and untainted integrity that have placed it amongst cinema’s all-time greatest masterpieces.

Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Scanity film scanner from a 35mm safety fine-grain master made from the original camera negative. The restoration was performed by Digital Film Restore in Chennai, India. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX4.

Colorist: Lee Kline/Criterion, New York.
4K scanning: Sony Colorworks, Culver City, CA."

The film has looked quite rough on previous DVD and Blu-ray releases. Fading and stability issues, in particular, have been quite prominent. While some unevenness remains during transitions where it is easy to see that time has left its mark, overall balance and especially fluidity are greatly improved. Many close-ups look cleaner and crisper, while the large panoramic shots are better balanced. During the darker/nighttime footage the improvements are quite substantial, though shadow definition can fluctuate because of inherited limitations. During the daylight footage brightness levels are more convincing, with areas where sunlight is prominent now looking much stronger. Grain is rather well distributed and resolved, but minor fluctuations can be spotted. Some corrections have been applied to rebalance the image as best as possible, but its integrity isn't affected. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Debris, cuts, scratches, stains, and damage marks have been removed as best as possible. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

It immediately becomes clear that various stabilization enhancements have been made. The high-frequencies remain somewhat weak -- at times it is easy to tell where some light distortions have been minimized as best as possible -- but clarity is improved. Balance is also better. The overall range of nuanced dynamics remains limited, but the film's original sound design is hardly impressive.

Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Working with De Sica - in this documentary feature, screenwriter Suso Cecchi d'Amico discusses her professional relationship with Vittorio De Sica and the production of Bicycle Thieves, film scholar Callisto Cosulich discusses the genesis of the film and the socioeconomic environment in which it emerged, and actor Enzo Staiola recalls how he was cast to play the young Bruno Ricci and talks about his interactions with the director. The interviews were conducted in 2005. In Italian, with optional English subtitles (23 min, 1080i).

• Life as it is: The Neorealist Movement in Italy - in this video program, film scholar Mark Shiel, author of Italian Neorealism: Rebuilding the Cinematic City, discusses the cultural and political environment in Italy before and after the war, the key themes and films that defined the neorealist movement, the reception of the neorealist films at home and abroad, their influence, etc. In English, not subtitled. (40 min, 1080i).

• Cesare Zavatini - this documentary film takes a closer look at the life and legacy of the great Italian screenwriter Cesare Zavattini. Included in it a clips from archival interviews with Bernardo Bertolucci (The Conformist), screenwriter Tonino Guerra (L'Eclisse, La Notte), actor Roberto Benigni (Down by Law), and director Marco Bellocchio (Vincere), amongst others. The documentary was directed by Carlo Lizzani. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (56 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - 34-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Godfrey Cheshire's essay "A Passionate Commitment to the Real", reminiscences by Vittorio De Sica and his collaborators, and technical credits.

Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves is one of the simplest and most powerful films ever made. It tells the story of a desperate father and his young son who begin looking for an elusive thief in a city overwhelmed by poverty and hardships. It is grim and quite rough at times, but it oozes warmth and hope that touch the heart in a very special way. The film has been recently restored in 4K and the current presentation is indeed the best one that I have seen to date. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.