They decide to split up and meticulously scan different pumps and tires. The following morning, Antonio, Bruno, Baiocco, and Baiocco's friends visit Piazza Vittorio, where they discover countless bicycles and parts. Baiocco tells Antonio that he should look for the bike at Piazza Vittorio, Rome’s largest square, as soon as possible. Instead, he seeks advice from his friend, Baiocco, who’s working on a rehearsal of an amateur stage play. The officer tells Antonio to search for the bike himself, to which Antonio replies, “Look all over Rome? What's the point of even filling out a complaint?" Because Antonio filed a complaint and the police received the bike’s serial number, the officer claims that they will be able to proceed with the investigation if the bike shows up, but there is not much more he or Antonio can do in the meantime.Īntonio is too ashamed to tell Maria or his young son, Bruno, the truth about his bicycle. Devastated, Antonio reports the stolen bike to the unsympathetic and useless police, who have Antonio file a complaint. In an attempt to chase after the man, Antonio latches himself onto a moving automobile, but he loses the thief in the tunnels. Later Antonio becomes so engrossed in his work, he fails to pay careful attention to his bike, and a young man jumps on Antonio’s bike and quickly rides off with it. In this case, it’s a poster of 1940s Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth. On Antonio’s first day, his co-worker instructs him on how to properly paste up posters. Though frustrated by Antonio’s outbreak, Maria is eventually convinced to return home without offering the seer money. Finding the whole encounter frivolous and senseless, Antonio says, "how can a woman with two children and a head on her shoulders listen to all this stupid nonsense? You must have money to throw away” to Maria. Since the fortune teller’s prediction was correct, Maria now feels obligated to give her some money. He discovers she’s seeing a fortune teller, and Maria justifies this visit by claiming the seer predicted Antonio’s employment. After a group of women approach Antonio and ask him where the “holy one” is, Antonio asks a child to watch his bike so he can investigate what Maria is doing there. His boss tells Antonio that he will begin his job tomorrow morning, much to Antonio’s excitement.īefore returning home, Maria wants to visit a woman at Via della Paglia. Antonio then shows up early to meet with his boss while fiercely clutching onto his bicycle. She reasons, “We can sleep without sheets,” and they later get offered 7,500 Italian lire for the linen, which is more than enough for Antonio to repossess his bike from the shop. He informs her of the job offer but says he can’t accept it, lamenting, “Damn the day I was born!” Maria dismisses Antonio's hysteria and pessimism she rationally decides to sell their bed sheets for extra money. Desperate, Antonio lies and says he is prepared to report to work as soon as possible with a bike.Īntonio then finds his wife, Maria. Because the job can easily be offered to another prospective employee, the unsympathetic officer unequivocally tells Antonio, “No bicycle, no job.” The other men begin shouting, declaring they have bicycles and can take Antonio’s job. Unfortunately, Antonio pawned his bike to feed his family and tells the officer that he will retrieve it in a few days. The job pays well, and the officer explains that Antonio will need a bicycle for the job. The employment officer miraculously offers Antonio a job hanging up posters around the city. Antonio, a family man, is desperate for work in the lackluster Italian economy. In post-WII Italy, a large crowd of men gathers around an employment office in Valmelaina.
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