The Bicycle Thief (1948)

The Bicycle Thief (1948) ★★★★★ 5/5

Following World War II, Rome suffers greatly and poverty affects the population. Men gather in the morning to hear if they are selected to work. Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani) is chosen for a job to hang movie posters throughout the city so long as he has a bike. Accepting the job, he rushes home to his wife (Lianella Carell) and tells her of the news. Yet there is a problem, he doesn't actually own his bike. He had pawned it off for food. In order to get the bike back, his wife pawns their linens. It seems to be a good exchange as the income Ricci will bring in with his new job will greatly make up for it.




While working one day, hanging up a poster of Rita Hayworth, his bike is stolen. Panic striken he tries to chase the thief down with no avial. Devastated, not by losing his bike, but at the realization he has no way of bringing in any income and supporting his family, he retreats home where he meets his son Bruno (Enzo Staiola ) and the hunt for the bike begins.

Rizzo, with help from his son, spend the following day looking for the bike. They see it at one point and track down the man riding it. A policeman is summoned to search the home of the accussed while an angry mob threatens Ricci for his claims. Ricci leaves, lost and bewildered at the thought of not having his bike. Eventually he is driven to theft himself and unsuccessfully attempts to steal someone else's bike.

Lianella Carell has a natural beauty to her which makes her moments on the screen joyous and life like. While the family suffers extreme poverty, there is no denying the relationship between her character and Ricci comes off as very real, and very loving. Enzo Staiola as Bruno steals every scene he is in. In fact, the movie subtly shifts it's focus on the bike and infuses the relationship between Bruno and Ricci into your subconcious. There are a lot of issues at hand in this film and one of the strongest is that between Father and Son. In one day, the two experience several emotions. One of the most touching scenes is when the two splurge at a fancy resturant and Ricci tries to explain what finding the bike and keeping his job will mean. Bruno knows the hardships they face. Bruno's frugality in this scene is tender. Ricci hits Bruno at one point out of frustration and magically we feel the same frustration as the two characters. one being frustration and the other a betrayal of sorts. Ricci hears news that a boy is drowning in the river and our hearts sink as he runs to the victim with Bruno being nowhere in site. In the finale, when Bruno sees his Father caught with a stolen bike, it arouses so many thoughts. Ricci, without saying a word, tells us of his humiliation and his shame for letting down his son. Bruno compliments the scene by showing us the pride and love he has for his Father. It is beautiful, emotional and magical.

This is a simple film about a man trying to get his bike back. But the underlying themes of the film make it one of the most complex films when analyzed. The relationship between a Father and son as Bruno and Ricci bond. Employment issues and the fact that to make money, you need money. Without a bike, Ricci has no way to make money, and he can't get a bike without money. Rich vs poor. This is clearly an underlying theme as Bruno and Ricci dine in a resturant as a wealthy family eats at a nearby table. It also comes into play in the irony of Ricci hanging up glamorous posters of Rita Hayworth throughout the deteriorating city of Rome.



The film is a beautiful one and evokes much emotion, particularily in the scenes involving Ricci and Bruno. It is much more then the story of a stolen bike. It is the story of a bond between a Father and Son and the unconditional love, respect and admiration the have for one another.

The Paleface (1948)

The Paleface (1948) ★★★★★ 1/5

With no question this is the worst movie I have seen in my journey through 1001 movies you must see before you die. I almost couldn't bear to finish it. The Paleface stars Jane Russell as Calamity Jane and Bob Hope as Painless Potter. Potter is a completely dimwitted, moronic dentist who gets caught up with Calamity Jane in a Western adventure turned comedy.

While I always held high regard for Bob Hope for his musicals with Bing Crosby, his USO work and his unparallelled gigs as the host of the Academy Awards, his performance in The Paleface was a complete let down. If you took Jack Black and threw him into a 1940's movie, it would be no different then Bob Hope's performance in The Paleface. The comedy was forced, over the top, and in no way funny at all, although you can tell Hope thought he was hysterical. There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of this film was ad-libbed and everyone working on the set laughed out of obligation and they kept it in the film. It was so ridiculous. You can even tell just by looking at the poster for the film.

Jane Russell on the other hand was brilliant in the film. She plays Calamity Jane, or a very loose adaptation of her. She is strong, confident and independent. Her character and performance breaks the genre's stereotype of the women being either victims or weepy, lovesick romantics. The film opens with a jailbreak. Jane is the one being broken out. It turns out the jailbreak is orchestrated by the Governor who requests Jane's assistance in preventing the sale of firearms to Indians in exchange for a pardon from a 10 years sentence.

Jane is smarty, savy and cunning agent. She works to figure out the plan to smuggle the arms to the Indians, and to fight them off. In all of her conquests, Potter comes out looking like a hero with growing confidence that only increases the unnecessary one liners.

If it was not for Hope this would have been a great movie. I just couldn't get past the stupidity of his character and the humor which was not funny in any way whatsoever. Interestingly enough, the film spawned Hope the biggest musical hit of his career. "Buttons and Bows" was not only a huge hit for him, but it also ended up winning the Academy Award for best song. The musical numbers in the film are sparse and done so in a way that they fit. Singing and dancing segments do not just pop up at inappropriate places. Hope sings "Buttons and Bows" while they ride along on a wagon trail. So it is not like they just break out into song and dance which would be somewhat unfitting for a Western. On another positive note, I will say that the use of Technicolor in this film makes it easy on the eyes. the colors of the sets and costumes work well in the film.

This is a movie that does not need to be on the list. The only reason to see it is to become better acquainted with Jane Russell. Of course there will be more to come from her in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) - which incidentally does belong on the list.