Clearing up the differences between yams and sweet potatoes is not as easy as one thinks.
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November 17, 2011
He was always raising money for his "little" films.
And then going broke making them:
“I've lost all my money on these films. They are not commercial. But I'm glad to lose it this way. To have for a souvenir of my life pictures like Umberto D. and The Bicycle Thief.”
Nice "souvenirs" for the rest of us too.
Vittorio De Sica didn't invent Italian neorealism; he made it art:
“It is not reality. It is reality filtered through poetry, reality transfigured...When we lost the war we discovered our ruined morality...the first film that placed a very tiny stone in the reconstruction of our former dignity was Shoeshine.”
His other great early film, besides "Shoeshine" is "The Bicycle Thief," "Ladri di Biciclette" in Italian, which means, “The Bicycle Thieves.”
A subtle distinction, lost in English, but becomes clear to us.
Speaking of finances, De Sica pitched the project to producer David O. Selznick who agreed to underwrite the film if Cary Grant would play the lead.
Fortunately for posterity, the offer was declined.
Set in postwar Rome, using mainly non-professionals, screenwriter Cesare Zavattini based the screenplay on a novel by Luigi Bartolini.
A simple plot, really.
The country was in ruins, finding a good job was difficult and required a bicycle.
Alas, stolen.
Antonio, played by Lamberto Maggiorani, spends the movie searching for it.
To replace it, he observes a lone bicycle outside a doorway, makes his move, but the owner and angry mob has other ideas.
His young son and plight touches the bicycle's owner and he allows the father to give it back; his son, understanding his father's humiliation, grabs his hand and they walk off hand and hand.
Playwright Arthur Miller said it is as if "the soul of a man had been filmed."
Everyday life becomes poetry.
Completely unforgettable.
I love De Sica. He was also a great comic actor. Unfortunately some of his gems are unavailable t...
-jmr
Nov. 17, 2011 11:40 AM
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Everyday life does become poetry.
Would that more of us would live in the moment -- instead of trying to relive yesterday and trying to leap ahead to live tomorrow before it comes -- and see and hear and record the richness of what is before us just now.
There is poetry in each of us.
Sometimes, though, it is shy and must be encouraged to come out and introduce itself.
When it does, it is helpful if there are those there to recognize it, appreciate it and welcome it.
Now that I look back on it, I rode my bicycle to independence.
And I have never stopped pedaling.
Lotlot, you just keep on pedaling the notion that we all need to have fun. I second the emotion. . There was another great bicycle movie,I don't just now remember the name,but it involved a young French lad, and a bicycle seat.....and more to today's topic, was another similar movie,of a solid gold Rolls Royce (if memeory serves)
OOPS~It was a solid gold Caddilac, and a great movie, circa '56, but in MY recollection, it had Roly fenders....ah well, I was young
RY, The Yellow Rolls Royce...1964 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEc6TlANrmI
JANE.......................I left a post for you the other night...............the topic before the seeing eye dog....................I have never heard of the movie you & RY are talking about........................good to see you.
Italian anything and it will be a great day...............................enjoy all....................
Poetry (and romance) of the everyday life...knew the words before I knew the meaning :)
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do,
I'm half crazy all for the love of you.
It won't be a stylish marriage -
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'd look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.
We will go tandem as man and wife,
Daisy, Daisy,
Ped'ling away down the road of life,
I and my Daisy Bell.
When the road's dark, we can both despise
P'licemen and lamps as well.
There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes
Of beautiful Daisy Bell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fkv2-mtgUU&feature=related
I have a framed picture on by bedroom wall, made by my son 5yrs at the time. It is titled "Edward Threw My Bike In The Brook." It tells such a story that no matter how many times I look at it, I smile or even laugh.
Lot ~ Re your first post; how beautiful; how true.
STONEY----Happy Anniversary to you and the luckiest woman in the world!!!
Sometimes big things come in small packages. Good ol' TCM play this and other classics. Caught the trailer not so long ago. Hollywood keeps thinking we can't handle dialog driven scripts and simple images. Newsflash! We can.
Thanks for the good wishes.
Off to breakfast... extra credit for everyone picking up on the theme.
http://www.whitegullinn.com/breakfast.html
Have a wonderful day, Stoney & Mrs Stoney.
Happy Anniversary Stoney -- how many years?
I love De Sica. He was also a great comic actor. Unfortunately some of his gems are unavailable to American audiences. I've been searching for "Il tetto" and "It happened in the Park," but so far with no luck.
more on the honor rollFor those that haven't seen "The Bicycle Thief" or Thieves, do see it.
Greetings: I'm here but not gone ..or gone but not here ..something ...
Yesterday is just a memory. Tomorrow is just uncertainty. Today is a gift...that's why it's called the "Present". I try to remember that but it's hard.
I miss you-all
Happy 50th STONEY, to you and your wife.
You are very lucky people.
It's hard work staying together for 50 years.
Congratulations!!!
Last night PBS had a show about a man who raised wild turkeys from eggs.
He said they really know how to stay in the moment and enjoy every second.
Happy Anniversary - 50 years is wonderful. My parents are pushing 60....
Happy be-lated Birthday Ivan - I meant to post yesterday about the YAM and SWEET POTATO - don't care which - THEY ARE ALL YUMMY, but I got busy with work. I am in charge of the Company Thanksgiving Feast this Monday (left overs the rest of the week before the BIG TURKEY DAY!) Anyway, I hope you have 56 more wonderful years (just like you want!).
I have a tandem bicycle, a gift from my MIL when they stopped riding it. Needs to be spiffed up, but it is NO fun riding alone.
Never saw the movie - I will put it on my Netflix list....
Well, most of us want a story to have a plot, for action to resolve some problem, and for the ending to be satisfying, such as living a better life, getting married, or finding a happy resolution. Such "slice of life" stories a"The Bicycle Thieves" only emphasize the sadness and hopelessness of life. (The Italian is plural, thus the thievery of the original bike and the poor man's attempt at stealing one himself.)
In America we had "slice of life" writers too, such as Bret Harte with the very depressing "Outcasts of Poker Flat," and the nihilistic stories of Flannery O'Connor and others....Just ugly slice of life stories that show the uncaring side of human nature....similar to the sad saga of the fellow who has his bike stolen in the story Mr. P posted for us to think about. Yes, look no farther than Penn State athletic dept. to see the mean things humans can do to each other... and in the 6:00 news.....I prefer to dwell on the prettier side of life, birds, flowers, and good people......such a pollyanna, am I.
It's topics like today's that make me wish that
Karma Swim Swami or Dread Pirate Roberts will stroll back into the
village.
Here is the end clip from the film. A fine piece
of Italian film making.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lJbSJoIuw
Stoney and TMBWITW ~ Happy 50. May your slice of
life be continued happiness on a bicycle built for two.
Mooseloop~ I'm afraid I follow in yourPollyanna footsteps. Bret Harte and Flannery O'Connor always seemed to me to have found the bleakness but missed the single flower growing in the middle of the desert - those moments that make even the bleakest life find joy.
Stoney and your missus~ May today be a continuation of the 50 years of celebrating you have done together...Thanks for inspiring us young uns (8 years and counting...)
Never saw the movie, never stole a bicycle, never had one stolen. Guess I'm DQ'd.
Stoney-- Congratulations and Happy anniversary. My wife and I share the date with you, although our Golden must wait another 12 months. But I'm told by a nephew that the "modern traditional" gift for 49 is "Luxuries." We shall see.
STONEY: May You and All Your House Be Bless'd with Flawless, Godly Health, and Daily Increase of Every Good Thing ... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY !!! and Many More .......
I know it's a bit off topic (maybe a lot off topic), but Cassie's post at 12:45 reminded me of this, which I read so long ago in school.
Stoney, best wishes to you and your love.
It might help if I actually put the link in.
http://youtu.be/X1RrEAroZbw No brain, no pain.
Like some of you others I am a confirmed Pollyanna, however, I do believe that there is a definite place in lit and film for well done Sturm und Drang. Pieces that make us think and grapple with issues we may never in actuality have to deal with help us grow our ethos as we discuss the film. Is it wrong to steal? Of course! But think of Jean Valjean (Les Miserables) and the hapless father in the film mentioned and countless others......they make us think and feel and develop. True, I'd really enjoy a good romantic/comedy with a happy ending and lots of popcorn, but I also like the challenge of a film like The Bicycle Thieves. And, I also like the fact that it is not in color, because the shades of grey of the film emphasize the shades of grey involved in the story.
Ahoy Captain Neptune!
Digger ~ Congratulations to you and your wife, today is the beginning
of your fiftieth year together, that's cause for another club car celebration. First two rounds are on me.
The maker was "Mercury" it was an upright model, by the weight probably made of cast iron, single speed, wicker basket to the front, to the rear a black leather tool bag behind a rock hard saddle, it was stolen during my last term (semester) at university. I didn't report it as stolen, I felt the sore, bruised ankles from the chain becoming frequently detached and the incessant horn honking of the taxi cab behind was sufficient retaliation to the perpetrator.
The maker was "Mercury" it was an upright model, by the weight probably made of cast iron, single speed, wicker basket to the front, to the rear a black leather tool bag behind a rock hard saddle, it was stolen during my last term (semester) at university. I didn't report it as stolen, I felt the sore, bruised ankles from the chain becoming frequently detached and the incessant horn honking of the taxi cab behind was sufficient retaliation to the perpetrator.
The maker was "Mercury" it was an upright model, by the weight probably made of cast iron, single speed, wicker basket to the front, to the rear a black leather tool bag behind a rock hard saddle, it was stolen during my last term (semester) at university. I didn't report it as stolen, I felt the sore, bruised ankles from the chain becoming frequently detached and the incessant horn honking of the taxi cab behind was sufficient retaliation to the perpetrator.
The maker was "Mercury" it was an upright model, by the weight probably made of cast iron, single speed, wicker basket to the front, to the rear a black leather tool bag behind a rock hard saddle, it was stolen during my last term (semester) at university. I didn't report it as stolen, I felt the sore, bruised ankles from the chain becoming frequently detached and the incessant horn honking of the taxi cab behind was sufficient retaliation to the perpetrator.
Oooops sorry for the echo
We call it "berting" here. Not at all uncommon.
My entire introduction to Italy was in black and white---from The Bicycle Thief(ves), to La Dolce Vita, La Strada...all those movies my Dad and I would drive into the city to see and yet when I first arrived in Italy as a 13 yr old I was not surprised at all by the utterly breathtaking beauty of the colors there--is there another sky that looks like it does in Italy? Or the colors of the buildings, every thing is in its own sort of Technicolor and somehow the black and white films had conveyed it.
Stoney ~ Fifty years, that's wonderful. Congratulations! My fifty will be this Christmas Eve, though no renewal of vows; I'm afraid he'll say 'no' -- I've become very high maintenance lately .
Berb fully excused, 28th.
Anniversary wishes to the "Stoneys" and the "Diggers". The day is yours and the best year is still ahead.
The movie I thougoht of when I read our topic of the day was The Red Balloon.
The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge) I saw the film in London in the mid-fifties, I was much the same age as Pascal, had many a dream of being carried over the city by a cluster of balloons.
To the Stoneys: you've got 9 years on me and Mr. P4. Nine more years of memories. May today be a five star day to add to those nine years. I don't think there's anything in the world I like better than Love, and Lovers...celebrate well, you two! p.
Funny you should say that, Rusty. I loved that film.
DASH, TO GROW A SWEET POTATO INSIDE, SHOULD i BUY FROM THE GROCERY STORE, OR FROM A GARDEN STORE?
STONEY AND BEAUTY, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. THIS YEAR MARKS FIFTY FOR US, TOO.
BEAUTY, MOST FORTUNATE OF WOMEN, WED TO OUR DEAR STONEY -- WRITER, MUSICIAN, THINKER, COOK, MAGBET FOR FASCINATING FOLK, ALL-'ROUND GOOD FELLOW...I COULD GO ON, BUT YOU KNOW HIS ATTRIBUTES BETTER THAN ANY.
MAGbET? MAGNET, OF COURSE....
1961 was apparently a greatyear for marriages.
DIGGER, best wishes to you and your other half.
28TH: welcome and you're excused.
BERTING is the norm.
Haha! Welcome 28th with a multiple Bert burp.
Dig- perhaps for the next 12 months it should be Digger7x7 if my math is correct.
Yes, this movie reminded me of "Le Ballon Rouge" too! I remember seeing that when I was a kid. Thanks for the memories, and many years of long life, health, wealth, and happiness to those celebrating anniversaries. How sweet. ;-* Good for you.
~Spring~ Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage, But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two. Harry, Harry, here is your answer true. You're half crazy to think that I'd marry you. How can we have a marriage if you Can't afford a carriage? And I'll be dammed if I'll be crammed On a bicycle built for two. No offense to Mr&Mrs Stoney, and a very happy anniversary to you!
And does anyone have a good explanation on the difference between "movies" and "films"? I think someone once said that they are essentially the same, only films are "yummier". All I know is when I bring home a DVD and mention the word "film" (or worse, "subtitled") my beloved either rolls his eyes, or runs screaming into the next room. Mayhap he is a Movie Guy?
Smilesforever: Reference your question regarding films/movies. Depends which side of the pond one is from, as in does one speak Queens English or American English.
Thank you everyone for your kind words and welcome, I promise to try hard to not do another "repeat" performance.
Anniversary congratulations to Stoney and missus!
I'll never have a long anniversary....Married to the first husband 11 yrs., divorced, then to the second husband 14 yrs. before he died, and now single with a fine companion, but no plans to marry (too complicated at our ages)....so, no long anniversaries, but I do have respect for those who can stay together all those long years, and even more so if both are happily bonded! (I know some who are just together, but not brave enough to get out of it, and others who are together but not happy, but just putting in the time.) It is a great and wonderful thing when you can find someone you really love to be with 24/7...I wish that for each Eye member if and when it becomes possible!
Carol - Re: your 1:24 post about the impact of black and white films, remember the power of" Schindler's List" and the tiny flashes of color ( the little girl's red dress, the blue flame of the Jewish men's candles) in the black and white of that film....
(Yes," film" not"movie" ....Like others have said, film implies a bit of moviedom that has has some weight, some merit, and some thoughtful content, whereas, movie simply means entertainment on film, like we think of a "flick.")
smilesforever - I just realized that was your point in the film VS movie issue! Yes, I agree that film connotes something of merit, something of art, and possibly with subtitles or a foreign cast. Movie just says another Hollywood 2 hr. entertainment.
28TH, get it right, it's not "repeat" it's "REBERT". LOL!!!!
To the Nifty-Fifties, congrats and very best wishes to you and yours. You all must be very blessed, dedicated, and fortunate indeed.
Stoney and Rusty..... Lucky men for certain.
Georgia Peach.... Your husband is very lucky too to have caught your eye and heart.
Never having seen the film (or movie) The Bicycle Thieves, I'm not entitled to an opinion, but the fact that Red Balloon reminds several Neighbors of Bicycle Thieves tells me I'd like it, for I loved The Red Balloon. We've discussed The Reader, but it's been a while. I recommend that for a heart-wrenchingly fine film...set in Germany post WWII. Very different from any take you'll have seen on the subject. I want to see it again.
Netflix will send me tomorrow House of Cards, a British polituical thriller with Ian Richardson, wonderful...my third viewing in four years. It will change your life while it's breaking your heart. (Ralph Fiennes stars helps a lot, too.)
Earlier, when I told y'all this year marks 50 for us, too, The Big Editor wouldn't let me skip just two lines....now, he's making me write in italics. Ever feel you're losing control? Off to the club car...PL promised potluck supper.... then, g'night all.
n.b. anyone know the answer to my 'plant sweet potato inside' question? dash told us he/she does it, but didn't say whether from grocery or plant store....
I too am a big fan of The Red Balloon as well as The Flight of the Red Balloon which featured Julliette Binoche.
Both are definitely films..... Or really good movies......or great flicker shows.
They all serve popcorn I hope
Peace out
There is a sacred way to Everyday. We speak of food a lot here. Food is sacred to me. It's the taste but also the aroma. Like the sea. I think of those pleasing smells that can not be captured on film but can be indulged in a walk through the kitchen or a drive through the country with the top back or the windows down. A few others are coffee in the morning, popcorn at the cinema, honeysuckle in the summer, a baby, a woman who has just stepped out of the shower, fresh baked bread, a fine cigar.. Then there is the connection between a pen and the paper and the way the words flow onto the page. And to topic the camera that captures a sacred bit of this and that in its own way best utilized when it operates just like a human eye of its maker, getting enough certainly but never quite everything- perfectly flawed leaving more to be desired.
Tommy.... Nice description of the elemental pleasures and magic of living, and being conscious of them.
The Movie Channel (TMC) always introduces it's Feature as Film, .......
if it is a fest, seems like it is always a film fest,... When I as growing up on the south-side,we always went to movie theatres to see feature films........ They used to put film into projectors that projected/moved the film so quickly that it became a movie.....now that it is digital.. What will they call it in the future
If i can strap myself in my seat and whatever is progected on the screen transports me into a good story, count me in no matter what it is called.
Speaking of TMC....... PA4' did you watch the Mae West-Cary Grant double feature last night?
I'm up for a Pink Panther Movie Fest inthe Club Car..... What' say you?
Peter, I think I have a correction unless there's another Rusty among us. I'm very female and not connected to Stoney except here on the Eye so am a bit confused by your 7:33 post. Digger has an anniversary, though.
I "wove" the Pink Panther." May I watch, too, if I bring a treat for Floyd?
Geeze..... I knew that....must have been another senior moment. Sorry 'bout that. Rusty.
Floyd's tail is already wagging. I'll provide the popcorn
Sticky Note to the Ol' Man (me)- Tomorrow build a bonfire for my daughter in the back yard. Watch her roast weenies and marshmallows with her friends. Be grateful for beautiful little girls that become remarkable women. Raise a toast to life and cry a little 'cause it just goes by too dam fast. PL- Thanks man.
PL - And when I was a kid in the South in the 50's, we called it "going to the picture show" or just " to the pictures," and you could see the double feature, get popcorn and a coke for a dollar and have some change!
Many a Saturday afternoon found me with friends at the pictures with 2 cartoons, a black and white Newsreel of world events, a short feature of some kind, then a Tarzan of the Jungle, and a cowboy (Lash Larue, Gene Autrey, or similar hero), all for less than a dollar. We'd ride our bikes, never fear for our safety, and have those experiences to discuss all week over marbles, kick ball, or the merry go round. Sometimes it makes me sad that our grandchildren will not know that kind of world, but instead be warned about molesters, drug dealers, and kidnappers.
CHEFD..................so, what I really want to know is did the Italian people make you swoon w/ joy? Their scarves, their leathergoods, their food, their films, the noses ( Sergio Castellitto..............................oh my................)................I know you were in heaven.........
STONEY................How wonderful! Congratulations................it's just really nice to be able to say that to you!
DDDDDDDDDDDPPPPPPPPPPPPPRRRRRRRRRRRRRR........................... where are you?????????????????????
... 28TH. : You KNOW, were just messin' witches .......
MOOSE: Pitcher Show ....... Definitely Pitcher Show ... Some things in the South never Change ... Not much DOES change in the South ... I guess we're more about Tradition ... thats is part of why it is so Comfortable and Inviting ... a Pleasing Familiarity, Decorum, Manners and Respect that envelopes one in a sense of Honor, that feels very Secure ...
TOMMY: You're Dead-On Bubba !!!