On the surface Bicycle Thieves and The Last Laugh have the same plot. In both films the protagonist either loses his job or will likely lose a job and in a desperate bid to restore that job they need to reacquire or even steal a precious object that symbolizes their position, a bicycle or a uniform, respectively. Furthermore, if we ignore the "happy ending" imposed by the studio on The Last Laugh, both protagonists end the movie defeated and depressed with seemingly little hope for a better future. Nonetheless, despite these similarities, these are different movies. In what way are they different? What is the social or moral message of each? What are each say about the society of their times (Germany in the 20's and Italy in the 40's)? How do they differ on questions of social mobility, morality or the family? Is one more hopeful or cynical?
Although both films follow the downfall of each of their main characters, The Last Laugh attributes this downward spiral to the gossip of others, while The Bicycle Thief blames the desperate economic climate of Italy at the time. Both films are very similar in the sense that they attempt to capture the ordinary life of an ordinary citizen; there is nothing special about the doorman nor Pucci in either of these films. Additionally, both films exclude extraordinary events from their plots, but rather focus on a more realistic life for their main characters (except for the ending in The Last Laugh, of course). However, the films differ in the social commentary they make through the downfall of their characters and the main themes each one explores. The Last Laugh is a critique of our society placing too much emphasis on deriving our self-worth from the validation of others. The constant criticism from others during the film is what sends the doorman into his misery. I am not very familiar with Germany in the 1920’s, but viewers can reasonably infer that this gossip is commentary on the country’s social climate at the time. In contrast, The Bicycle Thief portrays the poor political and economic climate of the country to be the cause of Pucci’s downfall. Instead of being alienated from his peers, Pucci seems to be in a very similar financial crisis to the other characters in the movie. The man at the end even lets Pucci off for attempting to steal his bike, presumably because he empathized with his situation. Though both follow a rather depressing downward spiral of their main characters, each film makes a unique argument and social commentary.
ReplyDeleteBoth The Last Laugh and Bicycle Thieves are similar because of the employment situations of the characters and the portrayal of their helplessness and defeat by the end of the movie. However, one striking difference between the two is the message each movie sends about the society that they are from. The Last Laugh is a critique on German work values and consumerism in the 1920s, while, Bicycle Thieves is a comment on the dire economic situation of the working class in Italy during the 1940s. In the Last Laugh the doorman held excessive pride in his job, because of the way people looked up to him. He was so focused on what the people in his community thought about him and his position, that he would do anything to maintain his job. Even if it meant going against morals on stealing and lying. On the other hand, in Bicycle Thieves Antonio Ricci does everything in his power to try to keep his job, because he has no other option to maintain his family. During WWII work was very scarce in Italy, and Antonio was extremely lucky to get a job that had so many benefits. Although stealing is not a great thing to do, Antonio’s intention on stealing the bicycle was for one selfless reason, his family. He stole out of pure necessity, not to impress the people of his community. Although, it is wrong to steal, Antonio’s morals change because of his situation, similar to the ideas in Les Miserables (stealing bread to feed ones family). Although, both movies are similar in the premise of people going through a lot to maintain their job and ultimately failing in the end, they are extremely different in regards to the reflections of society and in terms of morality.
ReplyDeleteWhile I already touched on the oftentimes detrimental nature of a capitalist society’s emphasis on individualism and job title in my blog comment for The Last Laugh, I wanted to continue the dialogue about poverty and the work force in this same video. Post-WW2 Italy, while transitioning out of the fascist dictatorship put in place by Mussolini, faced similar economic depressions as the majority of European countries engaged in the conflict. While they had transitioned away from the concentration of power at the top of the governmental chain, the economy stayed a capitalist model (whether that be in a somewhat free market as we see today or in the state capitalist models of the USSR and modern-day China). As seen as the beginning of the film, the main character, Antonio, is handed a job opportunity through either a state sponsored or private employment plan/operation, as seemingly the only route for him to collect money to keep his family alive. Due to the depression as well as the structure of the economy, there were nearly no safety nets in play for lower/middle class citizens to rely on during a time of job scarcity. With the main theme of the movie centered around the circular nature of crime in times of desperation, Bike Thief questions the common practice of demonizing criminals rather than trying to identify the source why the action was committed. In both The Last Laugh and Bike Thief, the protagonists commit acts of theft in order to protect themselves from the harmful aspects of a capitalist economic model. While The Last Laugh’s doorman faces the mental manifestation of poverty, Antonio and his family are confronted with the possibility of starvation. By highlighting different viewpoints on the harsh reality of living in poverty, both films help the cause of increasing empathy for the lower class, rather than creating stigma around job status or theft.
ReplyDeleteThe Last Laugh, and Bicycle Thieves. Two films that were crafted with a similar plot. Two stories that were composed within similar eras. And, surprisingly, two messages that are slightly different from one another. Despite the similar overlay of both films, analyzing them in a closer light reveals that at the end of the day, the messages that two portray aren't that similar. Starting off with The Last Laugh, the message or lesson that is meant to be taken from the film is that aging is a process that is inevitable. Not only that, but there is another message surrounding gossip, and how the perspective of it can change depending on the person. It is meant to be a sad film. One meant to evoke emotion and sympathy from its audience. Though that's not to say Bicycle Thieves is a stone cold tale. It is true that Bicycle Thieves is meant to evoke emotion as well, however the lesson that said emotion is meant to go to is different. Throughout this film, we follow a man and his son on their journey to track down the man's stolen bike. The boy is constantly dragged along and he's shown to put up with quite a lot throughout the day. However at the end, when the man hits an ultimate low point and attempts to steal a bike, the boy is shown to be the only one who still looks up to the man. This film is meant to teach us that at the end of the day when the system overtakes you, your family will be right there with you, and that you shouldn't take them for granted.
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