Alexandria Lee: Response to Raising Social Consciousness Through Neorealism

Bicycle Thieves vs. The Icicle Thief

As mentioned, the era of neorealism rejected the glitz and commercialism of Hollywood and instead, aimed to raise social consciousness among the general public. Bicycle Thieves is perhaps one of the most iconic films of this movement, highlighting the everyday struggle of poverty and unemployment in a postwar Italy. 

Come 1989, Nichetti’s The Icicle Thief, a parody of De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, is released, mixing the world of Italian realist film and modern commercials. Although a postmodern comedy, The Icicle Thief in a way achieves the same message as an neorealist film. We are presented with a family gathered around the television, the presented film “The Icicle Thief,” and the director. What we see is a distracted middle class family, mixing of commercial characters and film characters, and director who loses total control control over his own creation. The situation becomes total mayhem as reality blurs into the television and we are left with a completely different film from Bicycle Thieves.

Film does not belong in television and essentially, reality does not belong in television. The supposed neorealist film to be presented was supposed to be a reflection of life in postwar Italy, something that is close and real to the people. Yet, that reality is interrupted at the most pivotal points, invaded by colorful commercials and spurs into an uncontrollable mess that even the director cannot control.

Bicycle Thieves and The Icicle Thief are different yet both achieve in sending out their messages. The Icicle Thief is a modern and lighthearted take of neorealism, illustrating how our modern society is distracted by products of commercialism, skewing our view of reality.

“People see the world only on television. And this is a social problem, is not only a problem of show business, no? If you change the channel quickly, you pass from fiction to reality, from reality to fiction. From advertising to news, from news to sports. And you have a great confusion in your mind.” And so his movie is “a real situation—is not so fantastic, no?” (WHAT A FEELING!).

Highlight:

The actual director of the film, Nichetti, plays the part of the director of the presented film within the film which is also titled The Icicle Thief.

Works Cited