Review of Umberto D. (1952) by Jim P — 11 Jan 2009

One of the great films of the Italian Neo-Realism era, and on par with DeSica's other great film Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di Bicciclette). Vittorio DeSica takes a slice of life, much like Ozu, in a film with no "proper" beginning or end: the viewer is thrown into a characters life for one or two days, and leaves him in whatever circumstance he is in. Like Dreyer and Bresson, DeSica also liked to use non-actors with great success. The characters are memorable and realistic which more often than not doesn't happen with familiar stars.

In Umberto D, we follow the plight of an elderly retired gentleman who is fighting a losing battle trying to exist with an inadequate pension. We never find out what happens to Umberto, but his pitiful efforts to exist in simple daily things create one of the most poignant films ever made.