A depiction of post World War-II mess

Islamabad
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Story: Luigi Bartoini
Cast: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola
After tremendous success with the screening of ‘Heer Ranjha’ last week, the Lok Virsa Film Club -- ‘Mandawa’ -- plans to show more Pakistani and foreign films regularly every week.
The all-time Italian classic -- ‘The Bicycle Thief’ -- directed by Vittorio De Sica (‘Shoeshine’ and ‘Sunflower’), would be screened on Saturday (August 8) at 6 p.m.
‘Bicycle Thieves’ (Italian: ‘Ladri di biciclette’), (released under the name ‘The Bicycle Thief’ in the United States), is a 1948 film.
It is Rome after World War-II where poverty, hunger and unemployment are everywhere. A father desperate for a job has to find his stolen bicycle, a vehicle to continue with his job. His plucky son steals the show.
The ‘The Bicycle Thief’ came out at a time when Italy was in a post-World War-II mess. This was no time for historical, romantic or action films. It was then time for neorealism with films made on location on shoestring budgets, made on location with real people without stars and production values.
Think how times have changed from then to now with ‘Avatar,’ ‘Titanic’ and ‘Jurassic World’.
Vittorio De Sica's earlier film ‘Shoeshine’ did not turn out to be a box office smash hit and became controversial for being too harsh, ruthless and close to realities of life. No studios were willing to finance the ‘The Bicycle Thief’ and De Sica had to depend on his friends and film lovers. Years later, De Sica was asked as to why he made ‘The Bicycle Thief’. "Uncovering the drama in everyday life," was his reply.
Some of the all-time favourite dialogues from film go as under:
"There's a cure for everything except death”. "You must plant your seeds in another field". "I mind my own business, I bother nobody, and what do I get? Trouble”. "You live and you suffer". "I have been cursed

since the day I was born". "Your mother and her prayers can't help us".
‘The Bicycle Thief’ is not just about poverty, unemployment and disastrous effects of WW-II. It is about human misery, the gap between rich and poor, the crime, the faith-healers, welfare, and soup kitchens for the homeless. The film also revolves on father-son relationship with love, but without cheap sentiments for tears from the audiences. It is a matter-of-fact relationship with bits of care and affection knitted in.
De Sica selected his cast from people on the street who had never worked in a film before. This added realism to their performances.
‘The Bicycle Thief’, first and last, is director's film and it is to his credit how a simple film becomes so powerful with staging events taking place during a single day on Sunday morning. The film moves at a swift pace with laughter and heart-moving sequences. The look of the film is like a documentary, close to life. It received an Academy Award (Oscar) in 1950 for Best Foreign Film. The film runs for 93 minutes.
The author can be reached at aijazzgul@gmail.com