It is happiest that way. And its influence isn't entirely in the past. In it there is a lovely passage where the father lifts his boy onto the crossbar of his bicycle and pedals to a rich neighborhood, looking for work. Such films stand outside time. A man loves his family and wants to protect and support them.
Society makes it difficult.
The Visconti film, based on James M. Cain's hard-boiled novel The Postman Always Rings Twice is often named as the first of the neorealist films, although even in silent days there were films that boldly looked at everyday life in an unvarnished way. De Sica and others often used real people instead of actors, and the effect, after decades of Hollywood gloss, was startling to audiences. Both screenplays were by Zavattini. Lianella Carell Directed by Vittorio De Sica. Written by Cesare Zavattini and De Sica.