Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves) was directed by Vittorio De Sica in 1948. This Italian neorealist film is a harrowing depiction of life after the end of World War II, with beautiful black and white scenes of Rome and magical acting.
'Awarded an honorary Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and regularly voted one of the greatest films of all time, Ladri di biciclette is a simple, powerful movie about a man who needs a job. Like the great neorealist film that preceded it, Roberto Rosselini's Open City, Ladri di biciclette was shot on location in the streets of Rome using non-professional actors, giving chilling authenticity to the story of a man's desperate bid to provide for his family... A father (Lamberto Maggiorani) and his devoted son (Enzo Staiola) roam the streets of the capital in search of the bicycle that will deliver them from poverty.'
