“You live and you suffer.”

Bicycle Thieves is the story of one man trying to recover his stolen bike which he needs for work, but on a larger scale, it is the story of a broken country trying to recover and an examination of what people are willing to do when driven by desperation. One of the leading examples of Italian neorealism, Bicycle Thieves uses amateur actors and on location shooting, giving the film a feeling of authenticity and personal connection to the subject matter.

The original title for the film was Ladri di biciclette, or The Bicycle Thief, but the title was later changed to Bicycle Thieves. Changing the title to be plural illustrates one of the main themes of the film, that if driven by desperation and the need to provide for one’s family, anyone can and will turn to crime. As the film progresses and we watch Antonio become more and more desperate to find his bike, we also see him stray further and further from the caring man and father he was when the movie opened. One scene which perfectly illustrates this is when Antonio and Bruno are crossing the street and Bruno almost gets hit by the car. Antonio does not even turn around to check on Bruno. He is so consumed with finding the bike, he forgets who he is trying to find it for.

By the time Antonio tries to steal the bike outside of the soccer stadium, we see how the circumstances in post-war Italy could lead any good person to resort to crime. It becomes clear that the man who stole Antonio’s bike initially was driven by a similar desperation which drives Antonio throughout the film. The final shot shows Antonio and Bruno walking away from the camera with a crowd of people. At the end of the film Antonio is just another bicycle thief, along with all of the other desperate citizens of post-war Italy.

The Third Man is a classic example of a film noir, a black and white mystery featuring a pessimistic American author named Holly Martins. Directed by Sir Carol Reed, the film is a tale of a struggling American (Martins) who arrives in Vienna after World War 2 with the promise of a job and housing from his childhood friend Harry Lime. Martins gradually becomes disillusioned with his friends’ character and decides to join the British government in their search for Lime.

The film utilizes Dutch angles to demonstrate Hollys warped perception of Vienna as he unravels the mystery of Limes death. Along with contrasting street lighting, Dutch
angles are used to dramatize the empty, cobbled streets of Vienna. Twice in the film Lime is revealed by stepping from the shadows into the streetlights. The only scene with extended dialogue between Holly and Harry, set on a Ferris wheel, with the camera elevating the men alternately according to the power dynamic through the conversation. This scene also demonstrates a pivotal moment for Martins in which the mystery of Lime is resolved, and he need to decide which course of action to take. When Harry decides to reveal himself to Holly, he is no longer able to hide from the camera until his death. Harry descends into the sewers, chased by the British and Austrian police. Dutch angles are once again used to highlight the maze-like nature of the sewer system, emphasizing the shadows. The maze which he was previously the only person to solve becomes a trap, as the police track him by the sound of his footsteps. This scene is dominated by diegetic sound; the flow of water, footsteps, gunfire, and dog barks in an absence of background music. Harrys actions are sped up to emphasize his urgency until he is shot in a confrontation with Martins.

The impact of the world war on Vienna is primarily demonstrated through the rubble in the streets, the penicillin black market to which Lime was involved, and the tension between the law enforcement of France, US, UK, and the Russians. Representatives from each government came to arrest Anna for a forged passport. The Russian officer is unpleasant and arrests her while the other three representatives are seen comforting her in turn. This scene highlights the actual political alliances and cements the British as protagonists against Lime before Martins confronts him.

The Third Man is a quality piece of work. The scenery features both lavish city buildings and postwar rubble, creating an interesting contrast between the wealth of the past versus the present. The editing is quick, and the view often switches from character to character as they talk, resembling the style of a typical 1940s drama. The cinematography easily creates dramatic atmospheres such as the height of the Ferris wheel scene, the tall-shadowed and echoey sewer chase, and the time loop-like effect of visiting Harry’s grave. And the soundtrack of zither music is ideal for the movie, creating a more intimate atmosphere than the cheesy string orchestra often used in these kinds of movies. Given the depressing postwar setting, it could even be considered comical.

Postwar Vienna is depicted in The Third Man as a city divided among countries and ideological lines, but as the plot progresses the lines between who is right and who is wrong start to blur. Beginning with the shocking death of Harry Lime, the protagonist Holly sets off to uncover the truth of his longtime friend’s sudden demise. Along the way he meets several characters connected to Harry in various ways, each with their own feelings about Harry that leave them conflicted at times.

Initially Holly is relentless in his search for the story of Harry’s death, talking to everyone he can and disregarding the risks to others of bringing their often-illegal habits into the light. But as he digs deeper the consequences of his actions begin to stack up: Anna is exposed as an illegal citizen, the evasive Porter is found dead in his home, and most importantly, he learns that Harry is still alive. Meeting Harry at the Ferris wheel begins to make Holly regret his actions, and although he initially sympathizes with Harry, a walk through a hospital full of children affected by Harry’s black-market dealings changes his mind. Nearly every scene in the movie prompts the viewer to question what the characters do, up to the very end where a dramatic sewer chase leads Holly to kill his friend. Did Holly do the right thing? Were Harry’s actions justified? The movie provides no answer, only an image of a city restrained by occupation and financial hardship alike.

In the movie the female lead actor known as Susanna came back from her concentration camp to start a new life and rebuild her country. When returning she finds the male lead actor known as Dr. Hans living in her house and they decided to share the place until he found another house. The real story began here when they started to stay together. Susanna’s intentions were to help him since she saw that he was emotionally and mentally damaged because of the war more than anyone else because he was there during the war.

The movie was made to show how and what people had to go through during that period. It was a very devastating situation for the people there. A lot of people had to fled out of their country and lots of lives have been taken and so on. In this movie we had 2 main leads that showed different view and spirits after the war. One side of the view was all about how people want to contribute and help in rebuilding their country and had a vision of a good future by working together and had hopes of meeting their family and relatives that had fled during the war. The other view people had was that there is nothing that can be done. It was as if life was over for them.

In general, this movie coveys the message that there is still hope and that they should move on and think of how to rebuild the country instead of being stuck in the past and live miserably.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. This movie has a lot of twists and turns that I really liked. This movie has two important main characters. The first main character is Susanna Wallner. She is a very nice young lady retuning from a concentration camp that she was in. She was in the concentration camp for 3-4 years. She returns back from the concentration camp and she finds a Doctor living in her apartment. She came back to help the country and help the rebuild. The other main character is Hans Mertens. Hans was a Doctor who stayed for the war, while Susanna fled. This was common for this time in the war for some people to flee and return to reconstruct the country or we have the people who stayed to fight or aid the country after the war. While Susanna was in a concentration camp, Hans was a Doctor in the war. He saw horrible things, he saw tragedy’s and most importantly he experienced war. Dr. Hans was broken and finished. Inside he was dead.

I believe the main message of this movie is to forget the past and focus on the future. Susanna wants to focus on the future and rebuild, Hans can’t forget what he experienced in the past. During the movie and towards the end of the movie they work together for a rebuild. We see Dr. Hans personality change throughout the movie. From becoming a sad and worthless Doctor to becoming a positive and bright Doctor ready to help anyone. From my perspective the message of the movie is to stick together and forget about the past and focus on the future. I know this does not sound easy but it’s what you have to do after a devastating war. To see these two main characters overcome that and change throughout the film is magnificent.

Rome, Open City exemplifies the growing genera of Italian Neorealist filmmaking. Director Roberto Rossellini crafts a story to show the Italian people’s struggle and resistance to the Nazi occupation during the Second World War. Filmed in the year after Rome was liberated, Rossellini used documentary-style shots and long, drawn out takes of dialogue to immerse the audience in the crafted world of Rome in the Nazi occupation. A world in which Rossellini was able to create a united Italy in defiance of Nazi Germany.

Two of the main characters featured in Rome, Open City: Giorgio Manfredi and Don Pietro. The Former is a partisan communist who leads the resistance against the Nazis, and the ladder is a catholic priest that is recruited to help move information and people for the resistance. While apprehensive at first Don Pietro aids the resistance and he and Manfredi eventually grow tor trust and respect one another and are united in their common cause against the German occupation. Outside of Rossellini’s vision of Italy this partnership is very unlikely because in reality the secular communist parties and the Christian democrat parties were often in conflict with one another. In the years leading up to the Fascists rise to power it was the Catholic church’s suspicion of the secular communists that led them to at least tacitly support Mussolini to prevent the communists from taking power. Following the war, the Christian democrats and the socialist/communists parties remained at odds trying to control Italy’s parliament. Rossellini tries to present the embodiments of these ideologies as united and working together towards a better Italy.