Re: [CR]Bikes in the Cinema

Since this message might be of interst to other classic-bikin' movie buffs, I'm posting it to the list.

Aldo:

Though we've never met or even corresponded on-line, I thought of you yesterday evening while wathing a rental from the local Blockbuster (booo!). Based on your home page, I see you're a movie lover and I know you love bikes and that perhaps you have a special affection for older Italian bikes. If you haven't already seen it, you should check out the film "Malena". Italian coming-of-age in WWII film... anyway, in the opening scene the central character is taking delivery of a new-used bike. It's a flat-barred bike with a ladie's frame (like all the men ride in Italy, it seems). As the shop keeper is handing it over he says in Italian, "the bars are Ambrosio, the frame Bianchi, the fork Legnano, the changer Vittoria Magherita (sp?)..." What's funny is that the English subtitles read, "the seat is from England, the brakes are from Germany, ..." These are not exact citations, but that was the general idea. I just thought it was funny that the translators were kind enough not to "bore" us with cycling history even after the people who made the movie had taken the trouble to get the details right, or close to right.

BTW, would the Magherita have been used on a utility bike in 1940?

Tom Dalton