Stolen bicycles and exploited children: Italian cinema and its relation to the cinema of independent...

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>The years that follow the end of World War II mark a unique historical-political situation shared by India and Italy. The debate in both nations looks at cinematic neo-realism as the regenerating force capable of leading towards a renewed cultural life after the events of decolonization and partition on the one side, and the disasters of fascism and the destructions of the war on the other. Neo-realism is seen as the best possible choice for intellectuals and film-makers in both countries. The new role of the artist suggested by the works of Italian neo-realism (especially Bicycle Thieves [De Sica, 1948]) is perceived by Indian intellectuals as the right solution for the renewal. This article searches for references and stylistic echoes found in the complex body of Indian cinema. The methodological approach of the article, therefore, relies both on intertextuality and on the analysis of some writings where one finds reference to views and concepts on cinema clearly inspired by the strategies and the ideology of Italian neo-realism.</jats:p>