Ricci Bicycle Thieves

The directors chosen camera technique, a simple two composition that progresses the scene a steady pace, forces the audience to feel a part of the awkward exchange; obviously, a quality of film that could not be as profoundly achieved through the narrative in the novel.

To see what they see, and compare our own thoughts with the evolution of the characters and the story. The dexterity of the images, and the impact that each scene has in portraying this theme, guide the viewer throughout the film with little use of dialogue and action. Our central character “Jeff,” is struggling with his casted imprisonment, his need for adventure is apparent as he watches outside his window. Conflicted with his girlfriend and conflicted with his theories, his character becomes more palpable, we begin to realize what is going on not only on the outside of him, but the inside of him as well. The aspects of the outside courtyard and the visual isolation of each apartment, help depict the humanity of each individual and sympathy for even the darkest characters. Hitchcock uses his camera, just as our protagonist does, to focus with him. The camera angles are depicted in a way to which we react with the character, rather than at the character, and eventually expose the minor elements of the story that bring to fruition the suspense of the movie and the thrills of discovery.

This technique momentarily suspends the omniscient gaze of the camera, and evokes the spectator’s—as well as Hitchcock’s—desire to “capture” the female protagonist as she escapes off-screen. In this context, the seemingly objective tracking shot may in fact reveal itself as a violent, subjective

There were a few close ups during the film, that appeared to only focus on the actors or actresses when they were to express some type of action or expression. One close up would have to be when Cesare woke up from his 23-year sleep which was also to appear to be a long shot. Combining the close up with the long shots during the film, created emotions that could be established with the audience. A good example of these two combined would have to be the ending of the film where the camera stays on Caligari’s face only for a

People that have lived their whole lives in the bad neighborhoods of the lower class, do not know how to provide for the new generation of kids that now will iherts the misfortunes of the adults. In many cases this kids that are force to live in neighborhoods filled with violence and drugs have a hard time developing normal social skill that would help them in the future. When the parents fail in helping the kids get a better future, the only thing a kid can do is look for guidance somewhere else and that is how kids fall into the wrong path in life. Much like Edwin Debrow a 12 year old kid who had to rely on the streets to get some guidance, but now he is in prison paying for the mistake he did. The article “The Prisoner” tells the story of the 12 year old killer who now faces many years in prison. The author if the article uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos to make the argument that kids that commit a crime should be helped with the way they are acting and get placed in a better care, then to keep pushing them to fight authority.

In the opening scene of the film ‘Gattaca’, camera work and the power of setting engrosses the audience and institutes conflicts. Close ups and wide shots are most frequent for camera work while colours and organisation represent setting.

In Citizen Kane, Orson Welles blends camera movement with the drama of the scenes. A good example is the introduction to El Rancho. This is where Kane’s second wife sings. The camera begins on a sign outside the restaurant and from there is moved with a crane towards the roof of the building. From there it is moved through another sign and approaches the skylight. When it reaches the skylight, the camera goes through the skylight and we are presented with a high-angle shot of the El Rancho. The shot establishes space and sets up the scene, but it does this in a plain and noticeable way.

Camerawork was the second of many techniques that Federico Fellini used for the production of 8 ½. The way Fellini used the camera to show close ups, long shots, images, frame within a frame, and montage were very eye catching to the audience. One example would be, the scene where Guido remembers when he was younger and how he was wrapped with sheets. Then suddenly he starts to fantasize that all the women who live in the house with him, where carrying him. Fellini focused on that specific scene where Guido´s face is far beyond noticeable on the camera and the viewer can clearly see his face expressions. The audience can almost feel as if they where there with Guido in that same house. Another good example of Fellini’s great camerawork would be the scene where Guido is in some sort of sauna with many men and women, and the audience can clearly see Guido’s facial expressions when he sees the woman in some sort of bath robe walking to her side of the women´s sauna. Guido rapidly, gets distracted

Vittorio De Sica started making films in the late 1940s, with The Bicycle Thief being one of his first films. De Sica was able to capture the struggles of a particular life, but also made it general enough for a multitude of people to be able to relate to the problems the characters face. De Sica is an example of a Neorealist filmmaker with his usage of nonprofessional actors as most of his character, as he felt they provided a certain authenticity to the films. He filmed on location, using natural light as their only source, in an attempt to make the film seem as legitimate as possible. All of his films covered topics of hardship of those living in poverty during the postwar Italy. One of his films that strays from his typical Neorealism style

The visuals by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro are stunning and include: a car ride through the snowy Italian and French forests, where the bloody assassination of Quadri and his wife is messily accomplished; a visit to see Marcello's incarcerated dad in a sterile white marbled insane asylum (suggesting an Oedipal conflict); a Paris dance hall scene where Giulia is seduced by the radicalized ballet teacher Ana to dance together; a visit to his mom's rundown estate (showing a hatred he has for his mom's decadence and morphine addiction); and the walk under the Rome bridge at the brink of the Fascist downfall, where Marcello walks hand-in-hand with the fascist propagandist blind poet Italo, the one who introduced him to the Colonel, and gets jolted back to the realization that there's no such thing as normality. I decide to pick some of the most visually outstanding scenes to analyze the cinematic magic in

In the earlier scene, when photographing the couple in the park, Thomas hops over the fence, placing himself outside of the frame. He positions himself as a neutral and objective recorder of the incident, as if he is a camera himself. Similarly, he is on the outside of the fence at the tennis court, watching a game in which he declines to participate (Film Site). Antonioni reframes what we have been watching by pulling the camera back, allowing the audience to be pulled out of the frame giving an illusion that we are the filmmakers.

Filmic landscapes in The Bicycle Thief reveal the reel and the real, the widespread social conditions and their social meanings for the working-class in desperate conditions. De Sica uses mise-en-scene to reveal poverty and mobility to underline the lack of movement of the poor. In the end, they steal from each other, an ironic misdeed, when the rich steals from them the most, specifically by denying them better economic opportunities. The ending is pessimistic but realistic: the poor have no one else but themselves, as they huddle to an uncertain

The main theme in this story is the old saying: ”You can't judge a book by its cover”. Through the whole story people are judging the Terrible Old Man by his cover. They are seeing an old, weak, poor man who is unable to do anyone any harm, or even to defend himself. And the truth is that he is quite dangerous and most certainly able to do others harm. In the end it is the mistake that the robbers make by judging the Terrible Old Man on his covers that leads to their deaths. And it is the mistake that the citizens make by judging him by his cover that leads to him getting away with

In the film The Bicycle Thief the audience is able to witness all the elements of neorealism. The use of non professional actors, to low class working characters, the flattening of scenes, and the location where it was shot at; are just a few of the essential elements that can be found in this film along with copious neorealist films. It is clear that the director used a variety of shots, angles, and set-ups in order to create certain emotions at very specific scenes in the film. From the start we are able to obtain a feel about the film’s tone as a result of the lack of color. The use of black and white truly helped the audience experience what Italy was like during the post World War 2. As a result of the depressing post war we are able to detect how the act of trying to improve oneself can sometimes lead to desperation.

While Rossellini’s Rome Open City portrays the struggle for freedom, De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves tries to find the human face. He discovered it not in the exceptional sorrow of war but in the misery of daily life where war is just one aspect of the human lot. Bicycle Thieves takes place at a specific time under a unique series of social conditions that shape both its narrative and its embrace of the Neorealist style.