4 Minute Lecture: Professor Jon Sherman on The Bicycle Thief

Professor Jon Sherman, of Kenyon College's drama department, provides the internet world with much wisdom on the film The Bicycle Thief, including points on cinematography, perspective, and character analysis.

[@cormorant_on_arock7934]

maybe You're "desperate for him" to steal the bike, but I was begging him not to. To me, the bicycle was a symbol of his truest self, his soul, if you will. I think his son is an emblem of this, too, in a way; the old man paralleled his own father's state, and where he knows he could end up if he doesn't get his "bicycle" back, and the teen - whom he fights with - tells us that the mistake he made (that we all, or, most make) in life was made in his adolescence. That's the sense I strongly got in this film - that when he was fighting, physically (or, struggling) with the teenager - the bicycle thief - he was symbolically fighting with his past self. Like "why did you do that?!?! (, self - when you were a teen. So young and foolish, not caring about the future). … I didn't explain that well at all, as usual, but I hope some of it came through. Oh yeah, and another thing that made me interpret the message of the film this way, is that he hits his son right after losing sight of the old man. This rather vaguely gave me the sense that the brokenness, generally speaking, which Anotonio's father had passed onto him inevitably, had finally begun to be passed onto his own son. So we have Bruno, who is purely good and innocent, receiving the violence and frustration of the world, and then having to process it, to deal with it. That was my favorite scene and image of the film - it was really genius! and I am no longer using that word lightly in my opinions these days; it was absolutely brilliant/genius; it makes me swell with emotion just thinking about it briefly - when he is in the midst of dealing with that pain which his father so unjustly and carelessly passed to him, he is seen at the top of that stone staircase, by the bridge and river, his father down by the river, looking up at him. And when the camera gives us the father's point of view, Bruno is standing at the top of that stair, looking down, and it is as if he is a god of Roman mythology, like a statue carved by Michelangelo. Not that he literally, physically looks like such a statue, mind; but that same sort of essence of majesty and divinity is instilled in the scene by way of the subject matter - the theme of children being closer to the divine, and here we are given a reverent look into the psychology and spiritual side of the feelings which come from Bruno, so lovingly devoted to his father, when that father strikes out at him savagely. Masterfully done by De Sica.

[@Red-pv7kx]

Cormorant_on_aRock True. He lost me 30 seconds into the vid after he made that statement. Think he missed the point. Also, it’s bicycle thieves not “the bicycle thief” so made me have doubts going into the video in the first place.

[@gracehaven5459]

You have been fortunate enough to never been truly desperate to save your family if you do not empathize with this man's need to steal a bike. I envy you. Growimg up truly poor and experiencing sporadic malnutrition during various times growing up, watching this in film class brought me to tears from the memories of the most desperate of times. Sometimes morality is a privilege and it's one not everyone can afford. The implications at the end of the film are that they will all starve to death so yeah I hope that makes you happy.

[@bennyjets3445]

4 minute lecture that goes on for nearly 10 minutes...

[@neoepicurean3772]

Never heard of x2?

[@abooswalehmosafeer173]

Thanks.
To a Child, an Adolescent young Adult or whatever , a hard working poor father, Hero Shall Always Be. Like Mine Was.
And you know,I have always Dreaded of being A Fathet because it is simply awfully Tough especially if you are poor and weak in character.
Being A Father is not just a Biological Mission.It entails so much.
Similarly with Being a Husband, Bloody Tough.
Hard Work,when you are Poor.
No wonder the world is rotting away,poverty,homelessness,unemployment as the Rich enrich themselves more by hook or crook.
Some poor manage to climb the greasy poles by cheer toughness of character.
Some fail.
That is Life.
I almost cried watching this.
This is the Story of All Times.

[@akosimj9544]

This movie is what the power of a SIMPLE STORYTELLING can touch many imaginative souls.

[@damancandance1]

awesome analysis, learned so much about shots from this!

[@tonyclifton265]

instantly loses credibility by calling it "the bicycle thief" when the correct name is "bicycle thieves" and indeed the whole point of the film is that there is more than one thief!

[@wildfoodsaregood]

yeah the second last scene was a thriller...i was myself shouting at antonio, "Do it. Come on. Do it. You deserve it. Come on."
great review by the way

[@bharatbhushanist]

Excellent explaination Sir... 🙏

[@vagarwal9084]

Excellent interpretation. Mille grazie.

[@juliolopez8929]

This is a Master movie
It tells you how a 🚲 bicycle
Was taking their lives apart
They were becoming strangers with each other
At the end they were together brilliant.

[@leeannoleary1881]

So well done albeit so sad

[@davidadamvideo]

great review! thanks

[@yaseriqbal2794]

No doubt the best scene in history of movies, drama but there is much much more into this than explained

[@bokusworld9780]

Dude. Yes. Nailed it.

[@cratilofilmes1654]

Great! Grande!

[@DavidRice111]

I realized every one of your observations while watching the film, before I saw this "lecture" and clicked on it. Can't believe I let you waste my time on your "insight".

[@gavingerb]

You have a large brain!

[@DavidRice111]

@@gavingerb Smarter than the average bear, there Booboo!

[@メンヘラ-d7n]

Very sad movie I cry so much 😭🚴

[@AnalRampage]

thanks