I can now see where the inspiration and also core content for the movie “Beijing Bicycle” came from. While both deals with the bicycle forming the object of desire and desperation, there are considerable differences. Of course both the movie analyzes the social injustice and the realistic brutal world. There is fifty three years difference in the making of these two movies and yet the world seems to be same. Irony and tragedy I guess.
Now I severely criticized “Beijing Bicycle” that the movie shatters all the hopes of good will and the darkness so crude and cruel, which made me disapprove of the happenings towards the end. After that I had a long discussion with my friend Mathi. He was saying that the movie does not deserve so much sharp tongue of negativity from me. His point was there is nothing wrong in portraying an art with negativity. I said that I do not mind that but there should be a positive effect rather than a clueless reaction. We of course ended the conversation. Coming to “The Bicycle Thief”, there is not much deviance from “Beijing Bicycle”, but I still was happy with it. Director Vittorio De Sica materializes the father-son relationship out here which totally eclipses and moves away from the object, the bicycle. The characterization of the protagonist who is hard working as Gui in the Chinese movie but we get to know him better as a father. Gui rarely speaks and his only passion seem to be in possession of the bicycle. This is one of the major strength which is an old classic with a heart.
Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorini) lost his bicycle which he bought by the money his wife pawned using their wedding sheets. In post World War-II Italy, getting job is tough and the requirement is bicycle for him. He gets it and loses it on the first day of his job. Next day, the hunt for it begins initially with his friends and then with his son alone. He needs to support the family and losing the bicycle means, losing the job. With frustration, agony and desperation Antonio wanders all around the streets of Rome to find it.
What starts of as a hunt takes us through various social divisions, marketing of religion, superstitions, mob mentality and injustice. Vittorio De Sica strikes the first social backdrop when Antonio follows an old man whom he saw with the thief. The church is a place for people to give their prayers as an exchange for the food in Vittorio’s portrayal. Religion is used as a subtle desperation-exploitation of food and faith. From there the film takes off the pressure and blossoms this darling moment of father-son bond. Somewhere in this ordeal and total loss of hope, the momentum shifts into a lighter and profound emotion. Ricci’s son Bruno (Enzo Stailo) is the poor victim of his father’s anger. Ricci dejected diverts his rage on this sweet little kid. And young Bruno’s reaction and then the handling of Ricci are cherishing moments. Ricci realizes this is not the end. Life is more than a bicycle. He decides to live the moment, may be for a moment.
The social division is shown during the restaurant sequence. Bruno is all vocal, bold and interactive with his father till the point Ricci hits him. After that there is literally no dialogue for him. Everything is nodding, smiling, crying and lost emotion all over his face. Once Ricci is out of the moment and witnesses social injustice in front of a mad and angry crowd, he decides to do the unthinkable.
I do accept the ending is an execution of a soul, but a soul deviated towards the path of darkness. There seem to be a serious dark moment, but there is the illumination of untold hope in Bruno. Bruno does not look at his father as some one low in character, but understands him. The spur of the moment causes Ricci to cross the line and he cries for it. We realize he is begging to go back in time to erase it, yet he cannot. More than that he thinks his self esteem crumbled in front of his kid. But I guess Bruno understands and Ricci will get over it. Of course as Ricci says, “There's a cure for everything except death.”
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