Review of Umberto D. (1952) by Eric D — 12 Oct 2005

[b]Unleashed[/b].

I was a bit afraid that this would just be crappy action scenes shot with that stupid 'edgy, gritty' shaky cam (COUGH [size=1]tony scott [size=2]COUGH), but to my surprise it was nicely shot, had very good action scenes and even had a great dramatic element.

A lot of the movie actually reminded me of [i]The Professional[/i], and since I really like that movie this is a good thing. In this however, there is more action which is very fun to watch. It's not really gun play, but more Jet Li visiously beating the crap out of peope like a, um..well an animal. Then there is the human dramatic componant which I didn't find cheesy [i]or[/i] manipulative. It felt genuine and Morgan Freeman brought a lot to the screen as well.

It was this balance between the two very diffrent elements that made the movie very worth while. It may have been a bit short, but it was a nice surprise. I definatly recomment this one to anyone heading out to the video store, especially if you are on the fence about weather or not to get this or Kingdom of Heaven.

[b]Kingdom of Heaven[/b].

This wasn't really a [i]bad[/i] movie, it was just average in almost everyway. There are certain charecters (that girl, whoever she was, for example) who were completely useless, and much of the plot seemed maniuplative and predictable. The action, paticularly in the end was good to watch though. I'm getting tired of the way these sorts of movies are shot however. Enough with the shaky cam and let us actually see what is happening! Ugh. Anyways, despite this I still sat up and turned the volume up during the battle, but other than the sheer entertainment from the end, the movie doesn't offer much more.

[b]Au Hasard Balthazar[/b].

I was really looking forward to loving this, but was major let down. I thought it would be a really sad, moving and emotional story, but instead it was almost entirely and inexplicitly emotionally dead and I felt no connection with any of the charecters at all. Not even the donkey. The charecters also seemed to have completely random motivations at times, the each subsequent scene had less and less to do with anything than the previous. Some people cry when they see this movie, but I was simply trying to figure out what there is to see in it the entire time.

[b]Umberto D[/b].

[/size][/size]Umberto D is what I believe to be the crowning achievement of the Italian neo-realism movement, topping even Bicycle Thieves. It is about an old, penniless man trying to survive in post war Europe with just his companionate dog. He is a bit of a grouch and has been worn down by life, but what I loved about Umberto D is was slowly grow to sympathize with him, despite the thick defensive walls he puts up around himself. But what really gets me with Umberto D is the message about materialism and ultimately about life. Does money [i]really[/i] matter?

No, it doesn?t. What matters is those you love and those who love you, and in that spirit, Umberto D has one of my all time favourite endings, which I also believe to be one of those moments in history that is [i]cinematic bliss[/i]. In this case because it was simply so heart-warming ? no twist, no revelation. Just touching. And since I have a strong affinity for animals, this film also tends to be very difficult for me to watch, as it at times can be quite heartbreaking just as it can be heart-warming. Basically, Umberto D is an emotionally powerful film, relying completely on characters rather than anything else, and it is enormously successful in this respect.[size=1][size=2].

[b]Up next:[/b].

Touch of Evil.

Vertigo (after Rear Window, I'm not looking forward to this).

Yojimbo (also very unsure of this).

Deliverance.

Dracula (Bram Stoker's).

Casablanca.

[b]In other news...[/b].

There goes my iPod. I do not recommend putting them through the washing machine, unless you want to melt them down and sell the plastic for a dime at your local recycling plant.

[/size][/size].