Review of Umberto D. (1952) by Adam R — 29 Jun 2011

In Vittorio De Sica's "Umberto D." we follow a senior named Umberto Domenico Ferrari. Ferrari is a very poor and lonely man, living with his precious dog Flike, which is the love of his life. Signore Ferrari's pension is very low, despite all the years he's worked for the state to earn his living. His social life is very limited. His only chance for real a conversation is with the landlady's teenage maid, who is pregant but with no "father" in the picture. There is only a matter of time before her pregnancy will be discovered and she'll be thrown out to live in the streets.The landlady herself intends to evict Signore Ferrari, since he doesn't really fit into her new plans of a higher class apartment.

Since Umberto is a very old man who has his days counted, he is very concerned of what will happen to his love, Flike.

"Umberto D." is a neorealist movie, which means that the actors are everyday people with no special acting experience. This may sound like a weakness for a good picture, but in neorealist movies the directors wants to obtain some sort of realism, which usually is harder if it's well-known actors. "Umberto's" social situation, and the location of the filming is also very typical for the genre. Though it's made late in the neo-realist era, this movie is very representative for it's style and manner. Definately one of the movies you should watch first, if you want to dig deeper into italian cinema treasures.

It's said that it was Ingmar Bergman's favorite movie, which perhaps says one thing or two.

There are few movies that have moved me as much as this one has. It goes right into one's heart, and is the sort that can change your whole day, after watching it. If you know of a more compassionate movie than this, please tell me.

Umberto D. won't left a single eye dry, towards the end!