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I just watched The Bicycle Thieves a few nights ago, and I thought it looked fantastic in motion. Some really great supplements on the disc. I don't have the booklet yet, but I'm looking forward to the whole package.

The Digital Fix on Bicycle Thieves:

The transfer has come courtesy of a restoration from the original negative and whilst not spotless, debris and dust on the image are rare, the contrast has not been overboosted and whilst edges seem sharper than previous home entertainment releases they avoid haloing. Generally, this is a good transfer where fidelity to the source is respected.

I hope this hasn't already been covered elsewhere, is the new blu-ray edition any different from the previous one, or just a repackaging?

Heralded as the greatest film ever made on release, winning an Oscar in 1949 and topping the Sight & Sound film poll in 1952, De Sica’s seminal work of Italian neorealism has had an impact on cinema worldwide from release to the present day, with filmmakers such as Satyajit Ray and Ken Loach claiming the film as a direct influence on their own.

Bicycle Thieves tells the story of Antonio, a long unemployed man who finally finds employment putting up cinema posters for which he needs a bicycle. His wife pawns all the family linen to redeem the already pawned bicycle and for Antonio salvation has come, until the bicycle is stolen. Antonio and his son take to the streets in a desperate search to find the bicycle. Bicycle Thieves is as much about the position of Italians in post-War, post-Fascist Italy as the relationship between father and son, told through the labyrinth of the cinematic city with De Sica’s arresting visual poetry.

Defining neorealism, a small period of filmmaking that focused on simple, humanist stories, Bicycle Thieves was one of the most captivating and moving. Now presented in a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative
• Original uncompressed PCM mono Audio
• Feature length audio commentary by Italian Cinema expert Robert Gordon, author of BFI Modern Classics Bicycle Thieves
• Money Has Been My Ruin – a brand new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns on Vittorio De Sica’s career and filmmaking
• Indiscretion of an American Film Producer – a brand new video essay by film historian Kat Ellinger on De Sica's relationship with Hollywood producers David O. Selznick and Joseph H. Levine and the version that never was
• Original trailer advertising De Sica’s films, featuring Bicycle Thieves star Lamberto Maggiorani and Francesco Golisano presenting Miracle in Milan
• Optional English subtitles
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vince McIndoe

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring writing on the film by film historian Michael Brooke, archival writings by Zavattini, De Sica, and contemporary reviews, illustrated with original stills and artwork

I thought this was the ugly covers thread

Is this Arrow’s first Blu-Ray rerelease?

No, they've double dipped on Lifeforce, City of the Living Dead and a number of Argento titles: Deep Red, Phenomena, Cat o'nine Tails, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

Oh right, duh!

It might be the first double dip of an Academy release.

Hopefully, they'll also upgrade Miracle in Milan, Ashes and Diamonds (with the rest of the trilogy) and The Conformist at some point.

Nope, we have a double dip of Cinema Paradiso already!

Drucker wrote: Fri May 22, 2020 4:52 pm Nope, we have a double dip of Cinema Paradiso already!

Just to be an annoying pedant, the first Cinema Paradiso BD from Arrow was from Arrow Films - Arrow Academy hadn't been launched then.

Both Bicycle Thieves and Cinema Paradiso were slated to get limited theatrical releases with new 4K restorations, so I guess a new release of the latter will be announced within the next few months.

Lovely - a new 4K restoration & release from Arrow Academy of BICYCLE THIEVES upcoming on 24th August...



This is a glimpse of the recent 2018 Cinema Ritrovato restoration, the details of which are found here.

Did Arrow lose the rights to the old extras?

The original camera that shot LADRI DI BICICLETTE and several other capolavori di neorealismo and beyond...

New 4K restoration on Arrow Academy bluray looking very nice indeed as I spool it through - some lovely grain, contrast & blacks...

Useful site putting the film in physical context - The Filming Locations of The Bicycle Thief or Ladri di Biciclette, a.k.a. Bicycle Thieves