Context: This is a paper I wrote for class comparing two scenes from The Naked City by Mark Hellinger and Bicycle Theives by Vittorio De Sica , enjoy.
Crime is a cruel mistress that perverts the minds and actions of the average citizen in a semi-structured society. As a farmer weeds his garden, society dies if it fails to cut crime. Film reflects reality as the inflicted individual or a systematic effort deals with criminal activity. Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica addresses crime as an everyday occurrence dealt with on a personal level by symbolizing crime as rain and describing it as a rippling cycle to discontinue; The Naked City by Mark Hellinger addresses crime through a systematic lens and suggests its reduction through investigation and pinpoint examination of suspects in a case regardless of their innocence or guilt.
Bicycle Thieves communicates on a personal level that crime is a usual occurrence driven in a cycle similar to rain. The film follows Antonio Richi, a struggling Italian father in post-war Italy, as he faces the theft of his work bicycle. The bicycle resembles his status as a working citizen who provides for his family’s welfare. Desperate to get it back, Antonio and his son Bruno investigate to find it. After a failed attempt, they decide to hitch a ride with a Truck driver. The scene I would focus on is Antonio and the Truck driver's conversation, as it communicates the film as a whole. The driver complains about his Sunday shifts as they journey through the rainy streets. He states, “You just can’t win. It rains every Sunday.” he is interrupted by a man running in front of the truck, nearly causing an accident. The driver swerves out of the way, insults the guy, and continues the conversation. “They jump out in front of you, and you end up in jail before you know what even happened. You just can’t win. It rains every Sunday.”
Rain is a metaphor for crime in this scene, as both may happen in inconvenient patterns. The driver personally accepts the rain as he comes to terms with the fact that rain will never go away. His reaction is to continue life as it progresses; if he were to react inappropriately, he would become a criminal. Through this notion, crime is seen never to leave and continues to impact innocent lives such as Antonio’s. Crime follows Antonio through a rippling effect; at the film's end, Antonio commits the same crime inflicted on him. Rather than pressing charges against Antonio, the bike’s owner pities him as Bruno cowers beside his father. Film critic Andre Bazin describes this theme in his essay "What is Cinema?" “In itself, the event contains no proper dramatic valance. It takes on meaning only because of the social and not psychological or aesthetic position of the victim." Antonio and the bike owner become victims of the same crime and respond differently to its aftermath. Antonio becomes desperate to earn a living for his family; he does not consider that stealing would put him on the same level as the original thief. The Owner, still possessing his bike, takes pity on Antonio for Bruno’s sake. He belittles Antonio to think about what he teaches his son and leaves in frustration. His comments resonate with Antonio and teach him that crime is solved not by repeating the cycle but by understanding that crime is vanity reflected by personal accountability. Grace would influence future generations through Bruno.
Continuing a fight against crime on a larger scale, The Naked City addresses crime systematically through investigation and pinpoint examination of suspects in a case regardless of innocence or guilt. The Naked City examines the murder of Jean Dexter, an ex-model whom an ex-wrestler named Willie Grazah killed. Lt. Dan Muldoon and Officer Jimmy Halloran are assigned to solve the murder. After their botched interview with suspect Frank Niles, the victim's co-worker, Ruth Morrison, enters the room. She reveals Niles lied about their relations to each other, clarifying being his fiance. The scene focused in this section consists of the police force at work as the narrator deconstructs the case and questions the audience's thoughts. One officer interrogates a stranger on the street, another places revealing information on a bulletin board for other officers to examine, and the narrator further deconstructs the case. He ends the scene with the statement: “Every murder turns on a hot, bright light and a lot of people, innocent or not, have to walk out of the shadows to stand investigation.”
The Naked City demonstrates to its viewers that crime is handled through a system of careful investigations that lead to certain examinations. Despite Niles’ attempt to destructure the case that led to Dexter’s murderer by withholding information crucial to the case, Morrison’s clarification not only revealed the truth of the case but also provided clarification and insight unseen to the officers. She fills the gaps in Niles’ story and ultimately supports more of the truth. As Un-American Hollywood: Politics and Film in the Blacklist points out that in film, anything could happen, and details create the story. “When I saw Rome: Open City, I said, ‘That’s the way we have to go.’ To use the documentary form to bring a city to life, to bring a thought to life, using what existed or what could exist (Dassin). The same applies in criminal cases; there is an idea of what could have happened, details are bound to live, and a case’s truth is realized as all parts of the puzzle are fitted together.
Simply put, Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica addresses crime dealt with personally by symbolizing crime as rain and challenging its inflicted victims to reflect on it rather than act haphazardly. Should the victim react inappropriately, consequences follow. The Naked City by Mark Hellinger addresses crime systematically and suggests its reduction through investigation and pinpoint examination of suspects in a case regardless of their innocence or guilt.
Works Cited
Bazin, André. What Is Cinema? 2: Essays Selected by Hugh Gray. Berkeley, Calif., University Of California Press, 71-72, 1971.
Rebecca Prime, and Et Al. “Un-American” Hollywood: Politics and Film in the Blacklist Era. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press, 2007.
The Naked City Mark Hellinger 1984
Bicycle Thieves Vittorio De Sica 1984
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