| Errors | Missing | Unverified | Supported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
In Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948), the narrative is driven by a singular, desperate mission that serves as a microcosm of the struggle for survival in post-WWII Italy.
The primary goal of the protagonist, Antonio Ricci, is to recover his stolen Fides bicycle.
This goal is not a matter of mere property, but of survival. After a long period of unemployment, Antonio finally secures a job as a poster hanger. However, the job is strictly conditional: he must have a bicycle. To retrieve his previously pawned bike, his wife Maria pawns their dowry bedsheets—the family’s last remaining item of value. If Antonio does not find his bicycle, he will lose the job that is the "salvation" for his wife, his young son Bruno, and their infant child.
Antonio faces a series of escalating obstacles that move from physical hurdles to systemic and moral barriers.
The initial theft is not a random act but a coordinated effort. While Antonio is high on a ladder pasting a poster of Rita Hayworth, a young man steals the bike. Antonio chases him, but the thief’s accomplices intentionally block Antonio’s path and mislead him, allowing the thief to vanish into the Roman traffic.
When Antonio seeks help from the police, he is met with apathy. The officer tells him that unless he finds the bike himself, the police cannot spare resources for a "mere" bicycle theft. This forces Antonio to take the law into his own hands, turning him into an amateur detective without the necessary power or authority.
Antonio and Bruno search the massive Piazza Vittorio and Porta Portese markets. Here, the obstacle is the sheer scale of the black market. They find a bike being repainted (a common tactic to hide stolen goods), but Antonio cannot prove it is his because the serial number has been tampered with. This highlights how easily a man’s livelihood can be dismantled and sold for parts.
Antonio tracks an old man who was seen talking to the thief. He follows him into a church service for the poor, but the religious setting becomes an obstacle; the ritual and the crowd prevent Antonio from questioning the man effectively. Later, when he finally locates the thief in a crowded slum, he faces a hostile neighborhood. The residents form a "human wall," protecting the thief and providing a false alibi. Because the thief suffers a (possibly feigned) seizure, the crowd turns on Antonio, treating him as the aggressor.
The most profound obstacle is the pervasive poverty of Rome. Antonio is surrounded by thousands of people in the same desperate situation. This creates a society where everyone is "out for themselves," and solidarity is reserved for one's own immediate neighbors rather than for justice.
As the day ends and all leads fail, Antonio faces his own moral boundaries. His final obstacle is his own conscience and dignity. In a moment of absolute despair outside a football stadium, he sees an unattended bicycle and decides to steal it. He is immediately caught and humiliated in front of his son, Bruno. This transforms the victim into a "thief" (explaining the film’s plural title, Ladri di biciclette), proving that the ultimate obstacle is a system that strips a man of his morality in order to survive.
The summary omits the scene where Antonio visits a fortune teller (Santona). This is a significant obstacle/beat representing his descent into desperation and superstition, contrasting with his earlier skepticism.
The summary mentions Antonio and Bruno searching the markets but omits Baiocco, the friend/garbage collector who helps organize the search at Piazza Vittorio.
The summary focuses on obstacles and omits the brief respite at the restaurant, which serves to heighten the emotional stakes before the final desperation.
The main character, Antonio Ricci, has one primary goal: to recover his stolen Fides bicycle, which is a mandatory requirement for his new job as a poster hanger. Without it, his family faces starvation. His obstacles include: 1) The coordinated nature of the theft (accomplices blocking him); 2) Police indifference (refusal to investigate a minor crime); 3) The vastness of the black markets (Piazza Vittorio and Porta Portese) where he chases false leads (including a bike with a non-matching serial number); 4) The elusiveness of the thief's associates (an old man who slips away in a church); 5) A hostile community in the thief's neighborhood that protects the criminal (who feigns a seizure); and 6) His own moral desperation, culminating in his failed attempt to steal a bike himself.