In Objet d’Art, we take a look at the use of inanimate objects in film and music and their changing meanings, aesthetics and emotional purpose in different contexts.
The bicycle is a potent, versatile symbol of freedom. It’s a symbol of the freedom of unconfined, joyful movement – in The Muppet Movie, the miraculous freedom from puppet strings. In Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves, it represents financial freedom, the opportunity to support one’s family, while for The Kid with a Bike, that bike promises the false freedom of autonomy. Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda has a bicycle as its focal symbol, but while it is indebted to De Sica’s neo-realist classic in imagery and aesthetic, the way it recontextualises the bicycle’s symbolism over the course of the film provides insight into the idea of freedom in modern Saudi Arabia.
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Great commentary, as always. Completely agreed that the bicycle’s symbolism shifts ever so slightly, in some powerfully subtle ways.
One of the many reasons I love this movie!
Thanks man. I actually threw this together quite last minute, as I originally intended to talk about the blue box in Mulholland Drive but realised I was biting off more than you could chew. So I’m glad you liked it!