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Summary: One of the best movies ever ...
Review: This film is extraordinary in so many ways: it's basic humanity, it's tastefulness, it's honesty ... I could go on and on. It is just a perfect film. Favorite part: the close-up of the son taking his father's hand after they have quarrelled. Not a word is spoken, but so much is said. Understanding his father's frustrating situation, the son's forgiveness ... this part never fails to bring a tear to my eye. This is one of the great moments in all of film.
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Summary: DVD is dubbed, not subtitled
Review: This is a great film, no doubt about it.The question is, do you want to buy it dubbed into English, rather than subtitled? This DVD is dubbed. Decide if that is what you want. I personally think most dubbing jobs make their films look unintentionally comic. -Rosa
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Summary: A Man's movie
Review: This is a man's movie. It deals with the most fundamental of all men's issues: his ability to take care of his family and how his society seems to conspire against this most fundamental need. If you're a man, this is the movie for you.
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Summary: One of the Best Foreign Films of All Time!
Review: This is easily among the best Italian films of all time. It's simplistic and lyrical but it has the power to move any audience. The acting is near perfection (the actors were not real actors, Enzo Staiola was a factory worker, etc.). Every film lover should see this movie. If you don't stand foreign films, this is a good way to start again. The movie is so well done that you can understand it even without subtitles. One of the All Time Greats. From a scale of 1-10 I give this movie a 10!
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Summary: The greatest film of all time? No, but close
Review: This is one of the greatest films I have seen in my life. I would recommend it to all people I really care about. I would recommend it to a stranger on the street. The simple, tragic fable is a great introduction to foreign cinema--the dirty, black and white cinematography is a beautiful depiction of Italy, and the acting is incredible. Despite all this, it is the character of the little boy that adds the much-needed warmth and sentimentality to the bitter, dirty world of grown-ups around him. This is a tremendous film in every aspect and should be in every film-lovers library.
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Summary: It is a very wonderful movie.
Review: This movie is definitely a classic. When I saw it for the first time, I was moved to tears. To watch Antonio go from being the happiest man on earth to being driven almost insane by a stroke of ill luck is to feel sympathy for the poor man. Existentialism and neorealism are very prevalent. Great acting on the parts of Antonio and Bruno, combined with a wonderful story make this an all-time great!
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Summary: A Wonderful Film
Review: This movie is one of my favorites of all time. The simplicity and Greatness of this movie is unmatched by any other. This is a must see film.
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Summary: One Family's Struggle with Poverty in Post-WWII Italy
Review: This powerful film must be viewed in the original version (with subtitles) to capture the essence of the feeling. Post WWII Italy, seen from the view of the "have nots", where everyone struggles and there are few laughs. A family man at last is offered a job, but to keep it, he must show up for work with a bicycle. He had pawned his bicycle, but by giving up the family linens, he gets it back, only to have it stolen on the first day at work. He, his son, and several friends go to great lengths to help the man find his stolen bicycle, without results. Eventually the man resorts to becoming a bicycle thief himself. I have never seen anyone so ashamed, as this man was, when his son witnesses the humiliation of seeing his father caught stealing and mobbed for his offense. I was also stunned by seeing the size of the pawnshop (it looked like an Amazon warehouse!), as well as a "bicycle fence yard" that was enormous. During poor economic times pawnshops and "fences" seem to be the only ones flourishing. This is a stunning motion picture achievement. The poor film quality (suffering considerably after some 50 years) only adds to the authenticity. "The Bicycle Thief" is one of the finest films I have viewed. It rivals "La Strada" for my favorite foreign film. This film receives my highest recommendation.*****
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Summary: THE GREATEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!
Review: Vittorio De Sica decided in order to give the movie a certain "real" feeling to it, he wouldn't use "real" actors. And to watch the movie you wouldn't be able to know. Lamberto Maggiorani who plays Antonio does such a wonderful job you'd think he was a professional actor. Everyone has his\her favorite movie, but, for me, no movie will ever be as good as this one. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of movies (how sad it that? lol) and nothing can compare to this one. I don't know if any has ever felt this before, but did you ever watch a movie and maybe even for a split second you became so taken with the movie, you forgot it was just a movie? Well, that's what happens to me everytime I watch this movie. Maybe I sound crazy to people who are reading this review, but, no movie has every managed to hit me at that personal level. To me, and maybe I'm wrong, this movie is perfect, I don't care what anyone says, I will always think of this as a perfect movie. De Sica's directing is great, and screenplay is wonderful everything fits together to make this movie what it is. De Sica has directing many great movies like "Two Women", and "Umberto D." but this I feel is his masterpiece. This is a warm touching movie, that is just as powerful as it was 50 years ago, and how many movies can we say that about? Very, very few! For those who still haven't seen this movie, who have to. I think many other will be just as touched as I was when I first watched this masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Wondrous
Review: Vittorio De Sica was asked to cast Cary Grant in the lead role of this stupendous film. He declined, on the grounds that he wasn't making a movie-movie, a film that reflected movie-reality. He was pressing as treacherously close to the REAL as he (and his script-writer Zavattini) possibly could. His reference was life in the world. The Way Things Are. His crowning achievement in film, 'Bicycle Thief' is so uncompromising, so movingly honest, and so selflessly compassionate, that its greatness could be measured by the sheer number of hearts it has broken in the last 50 years.
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