The Icicle Thief

Infobox Film
name = The Icicle Thief


image_size =
caption =
director = Maurizio Nichetti
producer = Ernesto Di Sabro
writer = Mauro Monti
Maurizio Nichetti
Maurizio Nichetti (story)
narrator =
starring = Maurizio Nichetti
Caterina Sylos Labini
Federico Rizzo
Heidi Komarek
Renato Scarpa
Carlina Torta
Massimo Sacilotto
Claudio G. Fava
music = Manuel De Sica
cinematography = Mario Battistoni
editing = Rita Rossi
distributor = Bambú, Reteitalia
released = nowrap|flagicon|USSR July, 1989 (MIFF)
nowrap|flagicon|Canada September 7, 1989 (TIFF)
flagicon|USA August 24, 1990
runtime = 90 min
country = Italy
language = Italian / English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0097702

"The Icicle Thief" ( _it. Ladri di saponette) is a 1989 film by Italian director Maurizio Nichetti, named in imitation of Vittorio De Sica's classic Italian neorealist movie, "The Bicycle Thief" (Italian: "Ladri di biciclette"). Some feel "The Icicle Thief" was created as a spoof of neorealism, which predominated Italian cinema after World War II. However, it is generally understood to go beyond this and to take a stand against commercialism as destructive towards art.

Plot

The film tells the story of a director who is drawn into a television set while watching one of his films. Like the television version, the action is cut at 11-minute intervals by commercials. Gradually, the cast begins incorporating the commercials into their own lines, entirely changing the original concept of the film.

Wordplay translation

The film's Italian title "Ladri di saponette", a play on the Italian title of De Sica's film, means "Soap Thieves"; it is justified by dialogue where a boy is told not to use up all the soap when washing his hands, and his mother wonders if he is eating it. For English-speaking audiences, the title was changed to "The Icicle Thief", playing on the English title of De Sica's film. This title was justified by changing the wording of the English subtitles when the characters talk about some chandeliers and one is stolen. In the original Italian dialogue they are said to sparkle like pearls ("pèrle") and drops of water ("gocce"), but in the English subtitles, they look "like icicles" (which in Italian would be "ghiaccioli").

External links

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* [http://www.moria.co.nz/fantasy/iciclethief.htm]