THE BICYCLE THIEF (LADRI DI BIBICLETTE) BY VITTORIO DE SICA

1. The Bicycle Thief has been routinely chosen by critiques all over the world as one of the greatest films of all times.

2. Apart from being a sentimental journey of a father and son, it is also an well documented historical piece that highlights the struggles of regular life in post-war Rome.

3. It houses a powerful social message, and is credited with beginning one the century's most important film movements, the Italian Neorealism.

4. It deals with a simple subject - a man who needs a job and needs a bicycle to do the job, and the bike gets stolen.

5. The Bicycle Thief is beautifully done. You would find a delicate sense of control and balance in every scene.

6. Young Bruno (Enzo Staiola) is absolutely commendable, Antonio Traverso's production design is etheral , and Carlo Montuori's photography is outstanding.

7. The Bicycle Thief director Vittorio De Sica believed that everyone can play one role perfectly: himself. That's why he brought in Lamberto Maggiorani, a non-professional actor who does a phenomenal job in the film.

8. The film features one of the greatest camera shots of the century. At the end of the film, a single, two second shot captures Bruno's reaction to the fact his father has done something dishonorable. I will never forget that scene!

9. Bicycle Thief analysis lies in its effort to mirror realism, the ending is deliberately ambiguous and will keep you wondering what happens in the future.

10. The Bicycle Thief's influence is still very much alive in contemporary movie making. The Iranian film, Children of Heaven, One of Oscar nominees for best foreign film in 1999 is entirely about a boy who loses his sister's shoes.

The Bicycle Thief Lyrics : Boy At A Bus Stop

Hope you don't mind
If I just sit here a while
I've been off the beaten track
For a long long time
Don't know if I was misled
Or just got lost
But I know nothing's ever
Never gonna be OK again no how

'Cause everything is just closing in
I don't know that I have one single friend
Not one single friend

My mom thinks I need a religion
I think I need a shower
And something to eat
Can I bum another cigarette
And thanks for the listening to me
You know I don't like to steal
But I've got needs
And I know nothing's ever
Never gonna be ok again no how

'Cause everything is just closing in
I don't know that I have one single friend
Not one single friend
Not one single friend
Not one single friend
Not one single friend

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The Bicycle Thief is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica. One of the best foreign language films ever filmed, it tells the story of a poor man searching the streets of Rome for his stolen bicycle, which he needs to be able to work. It stars Lamberto Maggiorani as the poor man searching for his lost bicycle and Enzo Staiola as his son. The movie has been critically regarded as one of the best movies ever produced.

Umberto D. is a 1952 Italian neorealist film, directed by Vittorio de Sica. Most of the actors were non-professional, including Carlo Battisti, who plays the title role. It tells the story of Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti), an old man in Rome who is desperately trying to keep his apartment on a small state pension, but whose landlady (Lina Gennari) is attempting to drive him out to fit her social lifestyle.

Vittorio De Sica (7 July 1901 or 1902 - 13 November 1974) was an Italian director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement.

Born into poverty in Sora (province of Frosinone), near Rome, in either 1901 or 1902 (sources are divided), he began his career as a theatre actor in the early 1920s. De Sica is more well known in the UK for appearing in the TV Series The Four Just Men produced by Sapphire Films and distributed by ITC Entertainment, originally broadcast in 1959.

Vittorio De Sica was given the Interfilm Grand Prix in 1971 by the Berlin Film Festival

* Miracolo a Milano, Cannes Film Festival Palme D'Or Winner
* Umberto D., Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* Stazione Termini, Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* L'oro di Napoli, Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* Il Tetto, Cannes Film Festival OCIC Award Winner
* Anna di Brooklyn, Berlin Film Festival Official Selection
* La Ciociara, Cannes Film Festival Official Selection
* Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini, Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear Winner
* Berlin Film Festival Interfilm Award - Otto Dibelius Film Award
* Nastro d'Argento al miglior regista 1946 for Sciusci
* Academy Award 1948 Best Foreign film for Sciusci
* Academy Award 1950 Best Foreign film for Ladri di biciclette
* BAFTA (British Academy Award) 1950 Best film Ladri di biciclette
* Academy Award 1965 Best Foreign film for Ieri, oggi, domani
* Academy Award 1972 Best Foreign film - Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini
* Golden Bear at 1971 Festival di Berlino - Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini

The Bicycle Thief is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica. One of the best foreign language films ever filmed, it tells the story of a poor man searching the streets of Rome for his stolen bicycle, which he needs to be able to work. It stars Lamberto Maggiorani as the poor man searching for his lost bicycle and Enzo Staiola as his son.

The Decameron is a 1971 film by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini - definitely has its unique place in my top foreign films list. It's the first movie of Pasolini's Trilogy of life, the others being The Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone. Leone explains that "the killings in my films are exaggerated because I wanted to make a tongue-in-cheek satire on run-of-the-mill westerns... The west was made by violent, uncomplicated men, and it is this strength and simplicity that I try to recapture in my pictures."

Rocco and His Brothers is a 1960 Italian and French film directed by Luchino Visconti. Set in Milan, it tells the story of an immigrant family from the South and its disintegration in the society of the industrial North. A great saga that belongs to my list of best foreign films without reservation.

Umberto D is a 1952 Italian neorealist film, directed by Vittorio de Sica. Most of the actors were non-professional, including Carlo Battisti, who plays the title role. It tells the story of Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti), an old man in Rome who is desperately trying to keep his apartment on a small state pension.

Seven Beauties is a 1975 Italian language film written and directed by Lina Wertmuller. A masterpiece that certainly belongs to my list of top 100 foreign films without reservation.

Director: Lina Wertmüller, Cast: Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey

The night of the shooting stars (French: Le Mepris) The night of the shooting stars is a 1982 film directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. It is the night when dreams come true in Italian folklore. In 1944, a group of Italians flee their town after hearing rumours that the Nazis plan to blow it up and that the Americans are about to arrive to liberate them.

8 1/2 is a 1963 film directed by Italian director Federico Fellini. Co-scripted by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, and Brunello Rondi, it stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director. Shot in black-and-white by cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo, the film features a soundtrack by Nino Rota with costume and set designs by Piero Gherardi.