| Title | Death of a Cyclist (1955) |
| Runtime | 1 hr. 27 min. |
| Director | Juan Antonio Bardem |
| Country | Italy, Spain |
| Studio | Criterion Collection |
| Genres | Drama | Foreign Language | Latino |
| Description | Upper-class geometry professor Juan and his wealthy, married mistress, Maria José, driving back from a late-night rendezvous, accidentally hit a cyclist, and run. The resulting, exquisitely shot tale of guilt, infidelity, and blackmail reveals the wide gap between the rich and the poor in Spain, and surveys the corrupt ethics of a society seduced by decadence. Juan Antonio Bardem's charged melodrama Death of a Cyclist (Muerte de un ciclista) was a direct attack on 1950s Spanish society under Franco’s rule. Though it was affected by the dictates of censorship, its sting could never be dulled. |