Early Italian films focused on the life of middle and upper classes; these films were commonly known as "White Telephone Films." Italian Neorealism is a genre which places emphasis on the values of ordinary people. The Bicycle Thief is an excellent example of Italian Neorealism because it shows the working class without glamorous enhancements to the script or in the editing room and the production uses outdoor sets and natural lighting to enhance the realism. .
The Bicycle Thief is about a poor family in which Ricci, the father, is looking for a job. He finally finds one, however, he needs a bicycle for the job. He then gets his bicycle stolen from him. This basic plot is an excellent example of Italian Neorealism because the film shows a life of a poor family struggling to try and make it in the world. .
Italian neorealism moved away from "White Telephone Film" and started portraying life of working class people. An example of this can be seen in The Bicycle Thief. The film begins with a group of people outside the employment office all looking for jobs. When the time comes to hand out listings the office only has two. Unlike earlier films this does not have a silver lining; it is simply portraying life as it is with out the glitz and glamour earlier films added. .
Another element Italian Neorealism chaged was not breaking-up time and space. For instance, in The Bicycle Thief when Ricci tells his wife, Maria, that he got a job, but he needed a bicycle for the job. The shot consisted of them walking throughout the house just doing daily chores with times where no conversation is taking part at all. The camera is jumping to different shot not to displace time, but to continue what was previously happening in the prior room. .
Italian Neorealism came about during the Post World War II era. The film industries were attempting to cut back on their expenses. One of the ways they did this was to shoot on location and use natural lighting rather than building a set in the studio.