General Cycling Discussion - Gotta see Bicycle movie

My kind wife rented a movie for me this weekend called "Beijing Bicycle". Man, what a delight. It is as if the movie was made just for me.

It is 100% bicycles and it takes place in Beijing, China. Virtually every scene has a bicycle. It also shows a little about the bicycle world of Beijing - incredible.

The story is about a country bumpkin who goes to Beijing to become a bicycle courier. He is painfully naive as Chinese country bumpkins can be and, yup, his bike gets stolen.

That is where the story begins. I won't tell you any more so I don't ruin it for you. I will just say that the bicycle theft does NOT lead the story to a Pee Wee's Big Adventure type plot.

As is often the case with foreign films, the story has unexpected turns and an unexplainable ending.

It is available at Hollywood Video. Check it out. It is a neat film for bicycle enthusiasts.

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/75/194475.jpg

Originally posted by mike

It is available at Hollywood Video.


That does not sound like an ordinary Hollywood picture:p

A.K.

sounds pretty good; nice change from the regular hollywood big budget connect the dots plot wedge in the actor du jour casting type bs that constitutes typical flick fare. on that note, I'm going to see LOTR-TT tonight, for which I've got high hopes. we're going to sneak in snacks and a bottle of wine!

cheers,

alex.

yeah...I rented it. It was cool but...I won't spoil the ending.


I does make you think though.

Cool! I saw it in Hollywood video a few weeks ago and thought about renting it. I'll probably rent it now that I've heard a good review of it. Thanks again!

:beer:

maybe if we all see it we can form discussion groups...like Oprah's book club!

:lol:



sleep deprivation leads to this kind of thinking. I think I'll go to bed now.

I almost rented it this past Sat.

I'll give it a looksie!

L8R

Here's some reviews.

Beijing Bicycle (http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=60022680&dmode=CUSTOMERREVIEW&nfso=60174178)

I saw the last part of an Italian movie about a man who had his bike stolen. :eek: Since he needed it to make a living (and bikes aren't cheap to Italians in the '60s) he tracked down the thief with his little son tagging along.

In the end, the police told him he couldn't prove anything. Despondent, he walked towards the station with his son to go home. On the way, he saw dozens of bikes parked outside a stadium.

This inspired his lust and desperation. After some hesitation, he stole a lone bike nearby outside someone's front door. Immediately, a crowd of villiagers chased him down. He made a valiant attempt to get away, but was caught.

As the policeman asked the owner if he wanted to press charges, the son appeared, crying out, "Papa, Papa!" The owner of the stolen machine (a commuter machine, to be sure) said, "Leave him alone, he has enough troubles."

FIN

Originally posted by Pete Clark
I saw the last part of an Italian movie about a man who had his bike stolen. :eek: Since he needed it to make a living (and bikes aren't cheap to Italians in the '60s) he tracked down the thief with his little son tagging along.

In the end, the police told him he couldn't prove anything. Despondent, he walked towards the station with his son to go home. On the way, he saw dozens of bikes parked outside a stadium.

This inspired his lust and desperation. After some hesitation, he stole a lone bike nearby outside someone's front door. Immediately, a crowd of villiagers chased him down. He made a valiant attempt to get away, but was caught.

As the policeman asked the owner if he wanted to press charges, the son appeared, crying out, "Papa, Papa!" The owner of the stolen machine (a commuter machine, to be sure) said, "Leave him alone, he has enough troubles."

FIN


"the Bicycle Thief" a great movie also

Originally posted by urban_assault



"the Bicycle Thief" a great movie also

The Bicycle Thief (http://www.netflix.com/MovieDisplay?movieid=11519642&trkid=73&dmode=CUSTOMERREVIEW&nfso=60174178)

Originally posted by Pete Clark
...bikes aren't cheap to Italians in the '60s...
Gosh, this movie was made in 1948!

So much for my memory...

Just a weekend reminder to put Beijing Bicycle on your rental movie list.

I've lived in Beijing for 6 years. That place is bikers heaven. I had a mountain bike, a road bike and a BMX for the different occasions. The roads for bikes are in most places are as wide as for cars. And there are bike roads everywhere, so it's really safe riding in Beijing. Everybody (at least in the 1990's) was using a bike to get around. Only taxis, buses and some foreigners used cars. Most bikes are really simple (no gears, no cables) and heavy, but durable. And people ride really slow, but for 50-100 km every day. They socialize (talk) while riding. It's really good exercise, cheap and environmentally friendly. If there were 10 million cars in Beijing I would've suffocated. The air is polluted in the winter anyway, because people use coal to heat and that makes a lot of smoke.

Has anyone spotted this on DVD anywhere?

I don't own a TV.... let alone a VCR.

Originally posted by iraszl
I've lived in Beijing for 6 years. That place is bikers heaven. I had a mountain bike, a road bike and a BMX for the different occasions. The roads for bikes are in most places are as wide as for cars. And there are bike roads everywhere, so it's really safe riding in Beijing. Everybody (at least in the 1990's) was using a bike to get around. Only taxis, buses and some foreigners used cars. Most bikes are really simple (no gears, no cables) and heavy, but durable. And people ride really slow, but for 50-100 km every day. They socialize (talk) while riding. It's really good exercise, cheap and environmentally friendly. If there were 10 million cars in Beijing I would've suffocated. The air is polluted in the winter anyway, because people use coal to heat and that makes a lot of smoke.

Very good description of the bicycle culture in Beijing, Iraszl. Especially about people bicycling and talking - that is a beautiful thing.

I am sad to report that things have been changing through the 1990's. Motor cars are taking a majority of the road space and the resulting air pollution is making bicycling difficult and dangerous. There are still a lot of bicycles in use, but it isn't like the old days. I encourage anyone who wants to experience a world of bicycles to go to China now. The China bicycle culture is coming to a rapid end.

I went to Blockbuster to rent it Friday and all they had were copies on DVD. The pimply kid came back and said he'd sell me a used copy on VHS for about a buck more than the rental.

Good deal.

Enjoyed the film.

I have sumed up the moral of the movie, but don't want to spoil it for anybody.

Netflix (http://www.netflix.com) has it on dvd, and more movies than blockbuster with no late fees.