Stock Photo - Jan 01, 1953; Rome, ITALY; The seminal figure of the neorealism movement, VITTORIO DE SICA turned to directing during WWII, with his first efforts typical of the light entertainments of the time. With the end of the war, De Sica's films began to express the personal as well as collective struggle to deal with the social problems of post-Mussolini Italy. Shoeshine in 1947, Bicycle Thieves in 1948 (two heartbreaking films which both won Honorary Academy Awards before the category of Best Foreign Film was established) all combined classic neorealist traits-working-class settings, anti-authoritarianism, emotional sincerity-with technical and compositional sophistication and touches of poignant humour. (Credit Image: © Keystone Press Agency/Keystone USA via ZUMAPRESS.com)