Seeing Faces in Movies is a podcast where every month the works of a different director or cinematographer is put in focus. Each week a guest is invited on to d...
Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948) w/ Ryan Ritter (Pop Culture Historians Podcast)
Felicia is joined by Ryan Ritter to discuss the film that cemented the genre of Italian neo-realism in history; Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948).
We chat about De Sica’s ability to discover raw talent from non-actors and guide them to deliver unforgettable performances. Along with how relatable this story has been to audiences over the years.
This is the final installment in the De Sica series and it brought great warmth to my heart to revisit and discuss these films. I hope my guests and I have inspired you to seek out his later work as well.
Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]
Check out our previous episode with Ryan:
Klute (Alan J. Pakula - Gordon Willis D.O.P. 1971)
Follow Ryan here:
IG: @crittical_analysisblog
IG: @popculturehistorianspodcast
Twitter: @PCHistorians
Letterboxd: @ryanritter
Website: Crittical Analysis (crittical-analysis.com)
Spotify: @popculturehistorians
Apple Podcasts: @popculturehistorians
Sources:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6246-the-joy-and-pain-of-one-good-meal-in-bicycle-thieves
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3754-hou-hsiao-hsien-on-the-films-that-changed-his-life
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1538-remembering-suso-cecchi-d-amico
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1090-bicycle-thieves-ode-to-the-common-man
https://retrospectjournal.com/2024/03/24/bicycle-thieves/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/movies/bicycle-thieves-italian-neorealism.html
https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2020/cteq/bicycle-thieves-vittorio-de-sica-1948/
https://fourthwallwriting.com/2019/04/01/the-perfect-illusion-bicycle-thieves-as-pure-cinema/
https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/201-roger-corman-s-top-10
OUTRO SONG:
Bicycle Thieves by Alessandro Cicognini
FILMS MENTIONED:
Klute (Alan J. Pakula 1971)
Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman 1984)
Beetlejuice (Tim Burton 1988)
Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)
The Children Are Watching Us (Vittorio De Sica 1944)
Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952)
Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951)
Heart and Soul (Vittorio De Sica 1948)
Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese 1990)
Casino (Martin Scorsese 1995)
Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica 1963)
Il boom (Vittorio De Sica 1963)
Come and See (Elem Klimov 1985)
Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini 1957)
Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz 1945)
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1:01:26
Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952) w/ Geoff Thomas (Cinematic Memories Podcast)
Felicia is joined by Geoff Thomas to discuss the effects of capitalism on an old man and his dog in Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D. (1952).
We chat about this film as a bridge between De Sica’s as a neo-realist filmmaker and his move towards comedies. Along with the themes of questioning the moral compass of authority figures present in this film.
Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]
Check out our previous episodes with Geoff:
Diary of a Chambermaid (Luis Buñuel 1964)
The Silence (Ingmar Bergman 1963)
Follow Geoff here:
IG: @cinema_gnt
Letterboxd: @gnthomas
Website: https://cinemamemry.wordpress.com/
Spotify: @cinematicmeoriespodcast
Spotify: @dontdespisemepodcast
Apple Podcasts: @cinematicmemoriespodcast
Apple Podcasts: @dontdespisemepodcast
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110721100149/
http://www.ingmarbergman.se/universe.asp?guid=66DA7015-8017-4303-9A31-658D02296D45
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/292-seeing-clearly-through-tears-on-the-smart-sentiment-of-umberto-d
https://www.nytimes.com/1955/11/08/archives/screen-honest-realism-de-sicas-umberto-d-is-story-of-old-man.html
https://www.deepfocusreview.com/definitives/umberto-d/
https://cinemafromthespectrum.com/2017/02/24/umberto-d-review/
OUTRO SONG:
Umberto D. by Alessandro Cicognini
FILMS MENTIONED:
The Silence (Ingmar Bergman 1963)
Diary of a Chambermaid (Luis Buñuel 1964)
Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)
The Leopard (Luchino Visconti 1963)
Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa 1952)
Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)
The Third Man (Carol Reed 1949)
Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951)
Terminal Station (Vittorio De Sica 1953)
After the Fox (Vittorio De Sica 1966)
The Voyage (Vittorio De Sica 1974)
Sunflower (Vittorio De Sica 1970)
Two Women (Vittorio De Sica 1960)
Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica 1963)
Boccaccio ‘70 (Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, Luchino Visconti 1962)
Rebecca (Alfred Hithcock 1940)
Il boom (Vittorio De Sica 1963)
Anora (Sean Baker 2024)
Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman 1957)
Tokyo Story (Yasujirō Ozu 1953)
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44:51
Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946) w/ Jason Christian (Cold War Cinema Podcast)
Felicia is joined by Jason Christian to discuss the story of two young boys who just want to buy a horse but get sent to a juvenile prison instead, in Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine (1946).
We chat about De Sica’s ability to get natural performances out of children, and how important it was to explore the lives of orphaned children after the war.
Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]
Follow Jason here:
Website: https://jasonchristianwrites.com/
Letterboxd: @exilemagic
Twitter: @jasonachristian
Cold War Cinema Podcast on Spotify: @coldwarcinema
Cold War Cinema Podcast on Apple: @coldwarcinema
Sources:
https://www.film-foundation.org/rsr-november-2023
https://www.asharperfocus.com/shoeshine.html
https://postmodernpelican.com/2022/12/16/shoeshine-1946/
OUTRO SONG:
Shoeshine by Alessandro Cicognini
FILMS MENTIONED:
The Lawless (Joseph Losey 1950)
Night and the City (Jules Dassin 1950)
Body and Soul (Robert Rossen 1947)
Quicksand (Irving Pichel 1950)
Rosetta (Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne 1999)
Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951)
The Young and the Damned (Luis Buñuel 1950)
The Gate of Heaven (Vittorio De Sica 1945)
The Children Are Watching (Vittorio De Sica 1944)
Heart and Soul (Vittorio De Sica 1948)
Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)
Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952)
Sunflower (Vittorio De Sica 1970)
The Witches (Franco Rossi, Mauro Bolognini, Luchino Visconti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Vittorio De Sica 1967)
After the Fox (Vittorio De Sica 1966)
Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Vittorio De Sica 1963)
Il boom (Vittorio De Sica 1963)
Two Women (Vittorio De Sica 1960)
The 400 Blows (François Truffaut 1959)
The Kid with the Bike (Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne 2011)
Boot Polish (Prakash Arora 1954)
Where’s The Friend’s House (Abbas Kiarostami 1987)
I Was Born, But… (Yasujirō Ozu 1932)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (Todd Solondz 1995)
Good Morning (Yasujirō Ozu 1959)
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56:55
Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica 1951) w/ Bryan and Hannah Loomis (What a Picture Podcast)
Felicia is joined by Bryan and Hannah Loomis to discuss a film about hope and making the most out of the life you’ve been given in Vittorio De Sica’s Miracle in Milan (1951).
We chat about De Sica and Zavattani’s (his long time writing partner) communist ideals and how they translate to the importance of community and choosing your own family. Along with the mix of realism and fantasy to create a story that leaves the viewer feeling hopeful.
This is the series two opening film and I think this is the perfect example of how layered De Sica’s work often was, and how he could easily blend comedy and drama.
Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]
Follow Bryan and Hannah here:
Website: PODCAST | What a Picture (whatapicturepod.com)
Bryan on Bluesky: @bryanwhatapic
Bryan on Letterboxd: @bryan_whatapic
Catch up on our previous episodes with Bryan and Hannah:
All The President’s Men (D.O.P. Gordon Willis 1976)I Was Born, But… (Yasujirō Ozu 1932)
Sources:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7755-miracle-in-milan-it-is-goodness
https://www.nytimes.com/1951/12/18/archives/the-screen-in-review-miracle-in-milan-an-italian-fable-directed-by.html
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/01/beeban-kidron-miracle-in-milan
https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2020/cteq/miracle-in-milan-vittorio-de-sica-1951/
OUTRO SONG:
Miracolo a Milano (Suite) by Alessandro Cicognini
FILMS MENTIONED:
All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula 1976)
I Was Born, But… (Yasujirō Ozu 1932)
Shoah (Claude Lanzmann 1985)
Histories of Cinema (Jean-Luc Godard 1989-1999)
Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica 1948)
The Earrings of Madame De… (Max Ophüls 1953)
Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica 1952)
Shoeshine (Vittorio De Sica 1946)
Divorce Italian Style (Pietro Germ 1961)
Marriage Italian Style (Vittorio De Sica 1964)
It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra 1946)
The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström 1921)
Divorce of Lady X (Tim Whelan 1938)
Happy as Lazzarro (Alice Rohrwacher 2018)
Nomadland (Chloé Zhao 2020)
La chimera (Alice Rohrwacher 2023)
Yoyo (Pierre Étaix 1965)
Yi Yi (Edward Yang 2000)
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1:01:02
The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke 2001) w/ Jeanmarie Vargas
Felicia is joined by Jeanmarie Vargas to discuss Michael Haneke’s film about a woman just trying to live out her sexual fantasies in The Piano Teacher (2001).
We chat about Haneke’s shift in the 2000s to create more films focused on women and their struggles. Along with the importance of diegetic music as it relates to pushing the story forward.
This marks the end of the Haneke series, it was a pleasure (even when it was a displeasure) to revisit his films and watch them through multiple new lenses. He’s such a layered artist whose work will always remain relevant and I hope my guests and I have inspired you to watch more of his work (or maybe it’s time for a rewatch).
Send us your thoughts on the episode by sending us a message on any of our social platforms or by email: [email protected]
Follow Jeanmarie here:
Movie Friends Podcast - That’s Messed Up Series on Patreon: https://www.moviefriendspodcast.com/
Spotify:@MovieFriendsPodcast
Apple Podcasts: @MovieFriendsPodcast
Sources:
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4994-michael-haneke-on-the-art-of-the-erotic-long-take
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4965-the-piano-teacher-bad-romances
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6342-breaking-the-ice-the-beginning-of-desire-in-the-piano-teacher
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/nov/09/londonfilmfestival2001.londonfilmfestival1
https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/michael-haneke/piano_teacher/
https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2017/cteq/the-piano-teacher/
https://cinemafromthespectrum.com/2017/04/03/the-piano-teacher-review/
https://www.fearsomequeer.net/blog/film-retrospective-the-piano-teacher
https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/08/16/the-piano-teacher-is-a-psychosexual-masterpiece.html
https://www.austrianfilms.com/news/en/bodymichael_haneke_talks_about_the_piano_teacher_body
OUTRO SONG:
Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls
FILMS MENTIONED:
Funny Games (Michael Haneke 1997)
Caché (Michael Haneke 2005)
71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance (Michael Haneke 1994)
The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke 1989)
Code Unknown (Michael Haneke 2000)
Time of the Wolf (Michael Haneke 2003)
Benny's Video (Michael Haneke 1992)
Beau is Afraid (Ari Aster 2023)
Secret Ceremony (Joseph Losey 1968)
Seeing Faces in Movies is a podcast where every month the works of a different director or cinematographer is put in focus. Each week a guest is invited on to discuss a film in the artist's filmography.
Ireland