Umberto D.
This neorealist masterpiece by Vittorio De Sica follows an elderly pensioner as he strives to make ends meet during Italy's postwar economic recovery.
Alone except for his dog, Flike, Umberto (Carlo Battisti) struggles to maintain his dignity in a city where human kindness seems to have been swallowed up by the forces of modernization. His simple quest to satisfy his basic needs--food, shelter, companionship--makes for one of the most heartbreaking stories ever filmed, and an essential classic of world cinema.
Ceasre Zavattini was nominated for 1957 Academy Award for Best Writing, and the Film was nominated for the Grand Prix at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
Running Time
89 mins
Year
1952
Kanopy ID
1112951
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Comments (6)
Heart warming yet tragic all mixed together but worth watching more than once.
I saw this some time ago and I will watch it again sometime in the
future....I don't know how today's Italians feel about the Italian neo-
neorealism time period,but the best ones (many by Di Sica) were some
of my favorites...Never been to Italy, but i can relate... Umberto ...Read more
I saw this some time ago and I will watch it again sometime in the
Read lessfuture....I don't know how today's Italians feel about the Italian neo-
neorealism time period,but the best ones (many by Di Sica) were some
of my favorites...Never been to Italy, but i can relate... Umberto D. remains my favorite by De Sica (perhaps because of the older
man's small dog..a sad sweet film)...likewise , Fellini's La Strada
...loved/loved loved the crazy little woman-child...Anthony Quin's
closing scene should tear anyone's heart out...
One of the most depressing movie I have ever seen. Perhaps the most. 5/5.
I had a laugh while watching this movie. Here's why. THe first time I watched it (which was VERY long ago) I was on tooth ache medication for my UEI. I interepreted the movie so differently that I was honestly shocked to watch the first ten minutes of it again. I'll have to finish it soon.
Boy does Mr. De Sica know how to make your soul hurt.
In Umberto D, viewers will find the same precise carpentry of pathos as in his more widely talked about work, Bicycle Thieves. In both films De Sica's attention follows faces we know to be real, in locations anyone might happen ...Read more
Boy does Mr. De Sica know how to make your soul hurt.
In Umberto D, viewers will find the same precise carpentry of pathos as in his more widely talked about work, Bicycle Thieves. In both films De Sica's attention follows faces we know to be real, in locations anyone might happen upon and lingers long enough to give us just the right amount of context to grasp the full despair and subsequent shame of strangers we might otherwise pass by. He is a poet of the highest order! Throwing our eyes over the crumbling of one's dignity! Rendering the combat of the human spirit's resilience against its own fatigue visible in the faces of others!
It it not enough that we see Umberto's attempts to find the cash to pay his back rent become more and more desperate, but that the people and circumstances which thwart him become more and more ordinary.
Perhaps Neo-Realism's greatest observations about the human condition came not from its elevation of the urchin's pity to tragic opera, but rather its revelation of our common callousness as the true antagonist of each story.
Also the dog is cute.
Read lessHeart warming. Those who love dogs and are retired will love this film. Bravo Vittorio De Sica.