Umberto D.

Out of the ashes of post World War II Italy, Neorealism became a tyle of film from which the poor and the working class are depicted with more sense and clarity.

Unlike the glamorous Hollywood films of the post World War, Neoralist films became a combination of films and documentaries giving us a view of the harsh living conditions of people devastated after the war.

One of the great films of that era is Vittorio De Sica's "Umberto D."
The film is about an old man named Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti), an old civil servant who seemed to have lost his place  in society and is in the brink of poverty.

He's retired and on a pension but it is not enough to pay for his furnished apartment kept by his greedy landlady who is bent on kicking him out on the street. He has a few acquaintances as seen on the beginning of the film, men his age whose problems mirror his own frustration of receiving a low pension. But his only real friends are the helpless maid (Maria-Pia Casilio) who got pregnant by one of the soldiers she was having relations with and his faithful dog Flike whom he loves the most. The film is without pretensions and is one of the few films that I have seen which is completely in touch with reality. De Sica who was said to have been born to poverty himself was able to emphasize the importance of basic everyday needs of a person, for this film a simple home is what Umberto needs to spend the remainder of his life. He is not really helpless, it is a fact that we admire his tenacity against almost hopeless odds.

His fear of losing his home forces him to sell some of his own belongings and even to beg on the street using his dog to avoid the embarrassment while he hides nearby. But still given his desperation Umberto still considers the dog his most beloved companion and he will not let Flike get embarrassed this way.

This old man Umberto who would do almost anything to keep his home and his self respect would treat Flike like his own son, he would not even let Flike live with a bunch of measley dogs to ease his troubles. De Sica was able to show hope coming from an old man who is facing almost impossible odds, this is the beauty of this film given the somber tone and heartbreaking moments. A film that is impossible not to love.


Grade: A+