Mise-en-scene: The Bicycle Thief - Essay Example

Mise-en-scene Mise-en-scene: The Bicycle Thief Various aspects of the setting of a scene in a film contribute to its meaning andflow within a movie. Analyzing the various elements of a particular scene helps the viewer understand the meaning of some of the recorded events, how they are recorded and the meanings that each one has. This paper analyses the setting of a single scene in the film ‘The Bicycle Thief’ directed by Vittorio De Sica and released in 1949. The film’s setting is in the immediate post-World War II era of Rome, a city that has been destroyed by the war (Sica, 1948). Design Influences: Italian Neo-realism The film uses non-professional actors as can be seen in this scene. The main actor, Lamberto, who plays the role of Ricci, is a factory worker in real life. This scene shows the daily struggles of people in this line of work. They have to struggle to gain their basic needs. This fact is seen in the part where many people have gathered in the search of jobs, and some even claim that they cannot afford to wait any longer as they have suffered for quite some time. The people crowd at a place where they hope that they will be selected for various employment opportunities (Sica, 1948). The scene also shows the joys that people have in parts of their lives. At times, people receive what they have been hoping for, or more, and they get overjoyed. Ricci is shocked and amazed at the fact that he now has a job. This reaction is complimented by his smile and genuine happiness that is typical of a regular person who gets employed after a long waiting spell. Italian neo-realism is evident in this scene through the depiction of poverty and unemployment situations that were a characteristic of Italy after the 2nd World War. Many people lack jobs and are waiting for the slightest opportunities of getting employed. Some even claim that they can do jobs that they have not trained for. They ask the person calling out names for employment to change the category for which a job lies so that they can qualify for it. Moreover, they indicate that they have bicycles and that they can replace Ricci in putting up posters. One of them states that he might rot for lacking a job. The use of real workers of that time instead of professional actors to depict the group of unemployed people shows the limitation of the movie’s budget. In addition to this indication, it shows that the situation of unemployment is real. These workers bring out the reality of the unemployment and poverty rates affecting the people of Rome and Italy. They act just the way people looking for employment would behave at that particular time in Rome. Design – Set Construction Various physical elements of this scene have been constructed in a manner that they can deliver a message as intended by Sica. The construction of objects, buildings and infrastructure at a scene in a movie gives deeper meanings than what one just sees by watching the movie. One such prominent construction in the scene provided for the movie ‘The Bicycle Thief’ is the staircase or steps separating the person reading out jobs and employment opportunities and the people seeking jobs (Sica, 1948). These steps are constructed in such a manner that the one person issuing employment slips and selecting employees is raised above the people who are looking for jobs. As much as the distance between them is not big, they seem not to have the intention to climb the steps. This construction can be interpreted to mean the gap separating the different groups or classes of people in Italy in the years that followed the end of World War II. Italy was highly stratified during this period. There were many poor and unemployed people whose lives had been ruined by the war. Few employment opportunities were coming up. Only a few people got the chance to be employed. They were earning money that would mostly be directed towards feeding their families, and the surplus was quite minimal. In fact, most of the wages were not sufficient. A small number of people could go up the steps to the man dishing out employment slips. These are the people who were getting the employment opportunities. Ricci is one of such men, and he goes up, receives the slip and some instructions then leaves to prepare for his first day at work. The scene also has various flats in the background that are visible as Ricci approaches the crowd that is awaiting employment opportunities. These flats are an indication of the reconstruction that is taking place in the region due to the end of the war. They are realistic in that they are shot on the scene in the actual filming of the movie. The reconstruction of Rome is essential to the growth of Italy and the development of the place. The buildings in the scene are also used to show the increasing rate of population growth in the big cities of Italy. People are moving to these cities with the hope that they will get employed. They hope that the cities will provide a place for them to kick-start life after several years of battle. The buildings, however, are also used by Sica to show that employment opportunities can quickly be depleted due to an increased population. With the high population growth, young people who can work well in technical jobs have increased in number, and the available factories and companies cannot accommodate them all. Location vs. Stage or Studio Production This scene is shot on location, rather than having it moved to a studio or theatre. The producer chooses to shoot this movie in the open so as to make it more realistic. It captures life as it was, with everything going on as usual. Buses are moving on the roads, people are crossing streets, and young boys are seen playing around (Sica, 1948). The choice of on-location filming for this scene is important in that it economizes on the budget requirements of the film. The producer does not require the putting up of extra props so as to recreate Rome. Instead, he uses the real Rome and shows it to the viewers as it is. It also saves on the expenses that would have been incurred had he chosen to pay for the services of a studio or a stage. In the on-location filming, the non-professional actors feel free to express themselves and hence produce a great scene. Due to their lack of experience on stage or in studios, they play the role of bringing out the real environment in which people are exposed to life as it is. They seek employment opportunities, move about in the streets and experience the harshness of poverty. Conclusion The aspects of mise-en-scene are crucial in bringing out the meaning of a scene in a film. Moreover, they ensure that the message the filmmaker wanted to reach the viewers is properly passed. A good and successful film is determined by the ability of its settings to communicate. Its structural appearance and the mode in which it has been brought out has a great effect on the audience and their interpretation of scenes in the film. References Sica, V. (Director). (1948). Vittorio de Sicas the bicycle thief [Motion picture]. PDS :. Read More