the sherry end, pt. 7

(& I'm starting to feel like I almost can't keep up anymore; ya know what Interpol once said?,.."pace is the trick".)

has anyone watched one of these films? are you getting this? are these reviews informative? can you, red marker in hand, meticulously destroy my 3 1/2 paragraphs w/grammatical corrections?
an electronic blog destruction?
a kind of magic marker intensity?
a red swirl of hate proficiency?
a pompous swell of ignorant propensity?

any
old,

back to my brilliant (2nd) pick: GGAAWW! Bicycle Thieves, also known as The Bicycle Thief. A film from 1948 & widely considered one of the first, if not the first Italian Neorealist film. This straight forward film is set in Rome & directed by the legendary Vittorio De Sica. It underlines the hardships a man faces while searching for his stolen bicycle, which he needs in order to work in post WWII Italy. Among many critics & film historians, The Bicycle Thief is widely considered one of the top films of all time.

The films protagonist Antonio Ricci spends the majority of the film searching for the stolen bicycle with his endearing son Bruno (the bicycle signifies not just a mode of transportation, but something bigger, a gateway to work, a lifeline to a better life). Midway through, they actually locate the thief in a local neighborhood, but are unwilling to pursue any legal action with no proof of the crime.

The Bicycle Thief succeeds in giving a new sense of realism to cinema in a number of ways. (remember, this was the cinema of 1948) One: It's use of non-professional actors in it's attempt to show the hardships of the impoverished, Two: It's succeeding in the portrayal of simplistic, humanistic values & Three: the realistic portrayal of the cycle of crime. (at the end of the film, Ricci is himself caught trying to steal a bicycle & subsequently humiliated in front of Bruno)

As previously mentioned, The Bicycle Thief is a straight forward, yet heart-wrenching & at times frustrating look at life in post WWII Rome. A new Rome, one in which the depressed economy brought many hardships among it's proud people. The Bicycle Thief remains an incredibly touching film. Even after the 3 or 4 times I've seen it, it holds up particularly well & still has a fresh sense of relevancy in 2009. Enjoy or don't.