To the disappointment of some family members, I returned to the “old bike movie” genre recently and rented “Beijing Bicycle.”
The story centers around a stolen bicycle, just like “The Bicycle Thieves,” but this is hardly a Chinese pirated version of the Italian classic.
Granted, central character Guei desparately needs his bicycle for his job as a messenger, but the real complications don't arise until he actually relocates it. Imagine, finding a stolen bicycle in Beijing.
I suppose the real story of the movie is about the clashing cultures and ideals of the urban Chinese and the rural immigrants to the big city, just like the theme of “The Bicycle Thieves” had to do with poverty in post-war Italy.
But for me, I enjoyed the fact that all the action revolves around this Merida bicycle, one of the finest on the street in a country where the Flying Pigeon held sway for so many years. The mountain bike is truly coveted by two young men, who both need it to fit in. (Here's a history of the Taiwan-based Merida bicycle company.)
Also I enjoyed being immersed in the dusty streets on the wrong side of the tracks in the Chinese capital for a couple of hours.
Just like “The Bicycle Thieves,” it seems that swarms of people are riding bikes in this movie, and to not own one is to be out of step with society. It isn't until the final scene in “Beijing Bicycle” that that camera pans back to show the city crowded with cars.
Released in 2001 and subtitled in English.
Some other pearls from the “old bike movie” genre I've checked out recently at Bicycling Movie Page.
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