Bicycle Thieves

“In one interview Hitch alluded to having seen Bicycle Thieves with his housekeeper, who was half-bored. To the New York Times, though, he admitted to being impressed by a perfect double-chase: physical and psychological.”

Alfred Hitchcock

Director, Host, Producer

“This, to me, was the supreme Italian film and one of the greatest films in the world. When you see it, it seems so simple and effortless.”

Woody Allen

Actor, Comedian, Director, Musician, Writer

“Tied with A Man Escaped as one of my top picks right now.”

Benny Safdie

Actor, Director, Writer

“This is the holy grail, the ultimate filmmaking bible. It maximizes its use of father/son dynamics and trying, real locations, all while its pure emotional current is completely understated yet very felt.”

Josh Safdie

Director, Writer

“I was just so moved by the story and the feeling that I had that I was watching—even though it was staged—that I was watching real people, and I was getting some sense of how they acted and how they felt.”

Frederick Wiseman

Director

“What was important was to discover the strength of this Italian Neorealism and later on in the film school I watched this film several times and I think that somehow it became part of my education about making very realistic films.”

Cristian Mungiu

Director, Writer

“This film was one that Roy Anderson was talking a lot about when I was in film school, and it has been an important film to him.”

Ruben Östlund

Director

“I grew up in this urban environment. I didn't know that films that were about the real world existed. I used to sit in cinema thinking, 'Wouldn't it be great if you had a film where the people were like real people?'”

Mike Leigh

Director

“Bicycle Thieves — one of my four favorite films.”

Stellan Skarsgård

Actor