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?
Societal views and moral obligations greatly impact life choices and personal thoughts but for different motives in the German 20’s and Italian 40’s. Both films are different movies filmed in different time periods. They are both different in regards to how society views the characters as people. This is in part due to the time periods of German Expressionism and Italian Neorealism. The doorman’s view of himself is greatly influenced by society and what others think. This is a big part of German Expressionism. The Bicycle Thief is less about how Antonio sees himself but more about how the viewer judges the morality of his decisions. These decisions reflect the struggle and tougher times of Italian Neorealism. Moreover, both films have a direct connection to the viewer. The Last Laugh has the viewer sympathizing with the doorman wanting him to get his job back while the Bicycle Thief has the viewer wanting to see Antonio succeed despite his greedy motives. In the end, the opposite of both of these things happen, showing lack of success and accomplishment for both protagonists. Both protagonists are similar in the sense of having things that are important to them. The doorman loves his city and hotel, and revolves everything around this. Antonio sees his entire life through his job and a bicycle. Much of the doorman’s happiness comes from the respect he gains from other people due to his uniform. This relationship is self oriented. The doorman loves his job because of the other people and how they make him feel. These outside factors influence his inner feelings, a common trait in German Expressionism. Antonio however gets happiness from the idea of having a job to help his future goals and monetary aspirations. This is more of an Italian Neorealism concept that deals with economic and moral difficulties. This shows great contrast to Germany in the 20’s vs Italy in the 40's. The films show how Germans are focused on exploring themselves and what influences their feelings while Italians are merely trying to scrap and get by. In summary, the different time periods of German Expressionism and Italian Neorealism contribute to the various views on priorities and purpose in life.
ReplyDeleteThe films Bicycle Thieves and The Last Laugh both detail the tragedy of a common man, but the former asserts that the cause for woe is that of spiritual error meanwhile the latter presumes it is due to material social conditions. Both films tell the same story because they were created under nearly identical historical conditions but see almost completely opposing lessons to be found in their struggles due to the prevailing ideology of their times. In post-World War I Germany and Europe as a whole, there was a budding romantic right; it was Mario Palmieri in Italy itself who said, “The goal of life is not better bridges or wider roads but the spiritualization of man.” While it would sadly fall to the sinister forces of racial idolatry, there was a brief spark in interwar Europe whereby the spirit was placed before the material, the soul before the body. The Last Laugh details a recognition that to improve society, to reclaim glory for Germany, and ultimately to reach eudemonia, a spiritual battle had to be waged. The door attendant suffers from his own visceral pride, he does not care for the material conditions from which his job offers him, he cares only for the fame and honor that he enjoys. The story serves as a powerful reminder that pleonexic hubris kills the spirit of man and no amount of social policy will ever solve that. Bicycle Thieves on the other hand reeks with the liberal materialism that became popular in post-World War II Italy. At the very beginning of the film, Antonio losses his Fido bike, which translates to faith. The movie thus follows his inability to reclaim his faith in, the Church, the State, and ultimately authority itself. The state is portrayed as ineffectual and unable to provide for the people. At the Mass Antonio should believe the real body and blood of the Logos incarnate are present, yet he is too busy chasing a bike to care save for one almost satirical genuflection. The film ends with a high angle shot of Antonio and Bruno without faith, marching onward, nearly powerless; it diagnosis spiritual death and total loss of faith as nonterminal thus rejecting the immaterial in favor of the flesh. Furthermore, it was society and its inequality that corrupted Antonio causing him to steal a bike, not man that corrupted society like in The Last Laugh. From the usage of average mise en scene and actors to the rather ordinary dialogue, the movie and neorealism as a whole denies the romantic and hails the lackluster, the disturbingly real, and the gnostic demiurge.
ReplyDeleteWhile both "The Last Laugh" and "Bicycle Thieves" provide a criticism of capitalism by representing the plight of a common man, a key difference between the two is less hopeful nature of "The Last Laugh", which represents a more cynical national psyche than in "Bicycle Thieves". Both films are set in similar economic and historical conditions, and provide a criticism of capitalism by outlining the struggles of the main characters. In "The Last Laugh", this critique places a lot of emphasis on the importance of social status in a capitalistic society, as the doorman steals his old hotel attendant's uniform after he is fired to maintain the status that comes with his uniform; after his community finds out about the fact that the doorman was fired from his job, he is riduculed and shunned by his family due to his loss of social status. By showing the collapse of the doorman, F.W. Murnau draws the viewer's attention to an unjust society that places too much emphasis on money and status. "Bicycle Thieves" also criticizes capitalism by showing the struggles of the main character, although in a slightly different way. For Antonio Ricci, the bicycle is viewed as something that he needs to provide for his family; thus, when it is stolen from him, him and his son Bruno do anything they can to get it back. This culminates in Antonio stealing another person's bicycle after realizing the futility of his efforts to catch the thief, losing his morality in order to prevent the imminent loss of his job. The film criticizes a system in which a job and many of its attached items (such as the bicycle) are needed to survive, and are thus indispensable; this is why Antonio and Bruno spend so much time looking for the bicycle, as Antonio needs it to provide for his family. Additionally, it criticizes the idea that immoral actions can often lead to personal gain under such a society, which emphasizes money and materialism as a means of survival. This is shown when the thief gets away scot-free for his theft of the bicycle, and is the reason why Antonio is forced to steal a bicycle at the end of the film. However, the two movies represent two completely different attitudes when it comes to hope, which is paralleled by their nation's respective condition at the time. "The Last Laugh" represents a complete collapse of the doorman's role in society, as a man who initially takes great pride in his uniform and status is reduced to a social outcast after the loss of his job, with nobody left for him except for one of the workers at the hotel. This parallels the post-WWI attitude in Germany at the time, due to the military restrictions on the country affecting the Prussian militarist culture that emphasized military uniforms and social status, and how the economic collapse and unemployment of many veterans at the time led to many in German society feeling like the doorman at the end of the movie: hopeless and without purpose. In this way, the hopelessness of the initial ending mirrored the hopelessness of German society and the German economy at the time. "Bicycle Thieves", however, is slightly more hopeful in the ending; while Antonio has lost his bicycle and his opportunity to have a consistent source of money for his family, his son Bruno is still with him and he still (ostensibly) has the support of his family. This represents the destroyed, but hopeful Italian national psyche at the end of World War 2; while a brutal civil war had left the country destroyed and divided, there was still hope to rebuild the nation under American guidance, as the United States influence in the country would help guide Italy towards democracy and provide economic support through programs such as the Marshall Plan to rebuild the destroyed nation. In this way, while Antonio may have lost his bicycle (and thus, his job) at the end of the movie, he still has is family, and there is still some hope that he can get another job or support his family after the end of the film.
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