Sorry to be upping old discussions, guys. Just new to the boards and looking back at old discussions.

Mista Mista Tom Hagen, it appears I'm singling you out, but it just so happens what your wrote makes for good discussion so far. I'm also jumping from page to page in no specific order.

Anyway, what you just described as "Bicycle Thief"'s aesthetic is the Italian neo-realist aesthetic. They sought to eradicate artifice and capture reality without embellishment resulting from a dialogue between the filmmakers and the environment.

WWII destroyed Italy's filmmaking physical infrastructure; thus, it was make do with what you got, which wasn't much. As a result, filmmakers shot on location and used non-professional actors and available lighting, which culminates in a rough/amateur look and feel compared to polished filmmaking or the norm. In terms of story, folks like De Sica and Rossellini focused on the poverty and harsh living conditions post-WWII.

The importance of "Bicycle Thief," seems to me, places in historical significance. If you look at the old Sight and Sound polls, it topped the list a few times and remained in the top 5-10 for a while. It has now dropped in evaluation, but not stature.

One of the problems the film's stature causes for it is the expectations it causes and the context. "Bicycle Thief" is nowhere near the wonder (in terms of scale, story, technical qualities) of what you find in most top 20's (the usual suspects: Vertigo, 2001, Citizen Kane, Rules of the Game, Godfathers). A top 20 film is usually associated with innovation, grandiose, wonder, excitement. But, there lies a tiny film in that bunch.

Its story hasn't aged well. Some people find the films' contrivances (seems to be the main criticism of the film)to be at odds with the Italian neorealist aesthetic.

Personally, its value lies in the fact that one doesn't need a $200 million budget to make a movie that has powerful moments.

I no longer like the film as a whole, but some moments remain poignant and the most touching I've encountered thus far.

Marty Scorsese's "My Voyage To Italy" is a personal documentary (on DVD) on his memories of Italian films of his youth especially Italian Neorealism. Nice info and enjoyable piece, but Marty spoils every single movie as he covers the endings and key plot events.