Review of Umberto D. (1952) by Matt M — 07 Jan 2014

Umberto D represents the most human and touching side of the revolutionising cinematic movement known as Italian neo realism. Directed by one of its main exponents Vittorio De Sica and written by one of the best screenwriters of the period Cesare Zavattini, this is the painstaking story of an old man with all kinds of problems from health to financial and who struggles to survive the overall bleakness of his existence.

This wave of realism is full of humanity but does not spare the viewer from the dark side of the faithful portrayal of its settings and its characters. De Sica is great at making sure that all the elements of the story and of the production are in perfect harmony with one another, from the music to the cast entirely made up of real people from the streets.

Umberto D. is gerenally rightfully considered De Sica's best work alongside Bicycle Thieves and certainly a powerful age defining and influential and haunting representation of the everyday struggle of the people that society tends to forget and the people whose existence is all too blatantly ignored by society.