Ladri di biciclette (1948)

Watched this last night with Andrea, at the recommendation of my friend Will.

The synopsis, A man and his son search for a stolen bicycle vital for his job, says it all and I found watching this amateur Italian actor scour the earth for his dignity rather compelling. The whole film was beautiful in it’s naivety and I’d suggest it to anyone wanting a crash course in film, storytelling, acting, and directing in 89 minutes. And I’m not alone:

The film is frequently on critics’ and directors’ lists of the best films ever made. It was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1950, and, just four years after its release, was deemed the greatest film of all time by the magazine Sight & Sound’s poll of filmmakers and critics in 1952. The film placed sixth as the greatest ever made in the latest directors poll, conducted in 2002.

Here’s my favorite scene (near the end) on YouTube. Thanks Andrea!