stops by to see Signora Santona, a medium who predicted that Antonio would find

a job. He gently scolds his wife for her superstitions, but Maria holds firm to

her belief in the woman’s psychic ability. In a series intermittent domestic

scenes, Antonio is portrayed as a loving husband and an understanding father.

His warmth belies the stereotypically "macho" Latin male.  He helps his wife

carry heavy buckets of water and engages his young son Bruno as a reliable

helper, and trusted him with the preparation of the cherished bicycle for the

first day’s work.  Hired as a billposter, Antonio was required to affix looming

images of Rita Hayworth to the gray and ancient walls of Rome; ironically, he

juxtaposes Hollywood’s glamorous world vision to the stark realties of post-War

Europe. While Antonio struggles to smooth out the lumps under the

advertisement, a thief slips up behind him and steals his bicycle.  Antonio

chases him in vain, loses him in the rush of the mid-morning traffic. Thus

begins an unrelenting three day search for his stolen bicycle.  Accompanied by

Bruno, Antonio combs Rome to recover his property, which has come to represent

both his livelihood and any hope for a prosperous future. The police are of no

help; they cannot be bothered with such a trivial case. Enlisting friends,

Antonio and his son search the open air markets where stolen goods are

dismantled and sold, for a trace of evidence.  In a masterful montage of human

faces and bicycle parts -- frames, tires, seats, horns, and so on, De Sica

contrasts the world’s apparent abundance with Antonio’s desperate need.  The

camera takes Antonio’s point of view, panning right to left, it seeks

hopelessly for a "needle in a haystack." While waiting for a rain storm to

clear Antonio spots the thief talking with an old man.  Again, he chases but