To go from deep reality to complete fantasy . . .

It's a terrible tragedy that cinematographer Aldo Graziati died so young. This film along with Umberto D, Il cielo sulla palude, Domani e troppo tardi, Stazione Termini, and La Provinciale all reveal his rich, complex and distinctive take on the new realism. His last film, Senso, was outstanding in its mastery of lighting and color.

i have to disagree... i found this film totally amazing!!! and i liked ladri di biciclette too, just so you know...

"I speculate that De Sica was looking for a commercial successs to enable him to continue in the movie-making business"

I think you are completely wrong here.
If anything, it must have a taken a certain measure of courage steering away from the style of his two earlier successes.

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You've proven you can't connect to anything outside your comfort zone; strangely enough, you comfort zone seems to be misery and angst. I have nothing against it, but there's more to life than just bleakness. I loved this fairy-tale. But then again, I'm also a fan of Life Is Beautiful.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

According to Manuel di Sica the film was going to be called 'The Poor are a Disturbance'. It was hardly going to be escapist in order for commerciality.

I thought the film reminded its audience consistently of the lot of the poor and all to whom they are prey, including their own material desires. Their song was a political leitmotif and by the end it moved me to tears, though I didn't cry.

Why do you refuse to remember me?

My interpretation is that it was all a day-dream of the main character from the point where the wind starts blowing early on in the film, as the train goes by. There's no such thing as miracles. 9/10. Excellent film.


"Your sacrifice has completed my sanctuary of 1000 testicles."

The whole thing was pretty grating from the moment our hopelessly dim (which is to say, apparently retarded) hero arrived amongst this miserable, poverty-stricken homeless community... who, despite all filthy hardship, somehow seemed to maintain a bizarrely upbeat attitude - thusly reminding of this show pitched in The Fisher King, by a bunch of ignorant farts, about a group of happy-go-lucky homeless folks who triumphantly revel in the freedoms afforded by the lowest rungs of horrible poverty. That like. I mean, I'm not really sure I "got" this picture, but what I saw, seemed off-balance and not really making any coherent or relevant point. An unpleasent instance of "magical reality"... or whatever.



"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan