Umberto D.
Tags: bleak, violence

Plot synopsis:
Police disperse an organized street demonstration of elderly men demanding a raise in their meager pensions. One of the marchers is Umberto D. Ferrari, a retired government worker.
He returns to his room, and finds that his landlady has rented it out for an hour to an amorous couple. She threatens to evict Ferrari at the end of the month if he cannot pay the overdue rent: fifteen thousand lire. He sells a watch and some books, but only raises a third of the amount. The landlady refuses to accept partial payment.
Meanwhile, the sympathetic maid confides in Umberto that she has her own problems. She is three months pregnant, but is unsure which of two soldiers is the father, the tall one from Naples or the short one from Florence.
Feeling ill, Umberto gets himself admitted to a hospital; it turns out to be tonsillitis, and he is discharged after a few days. When he returns to the apartment, he finds workmen renovating the entire place. The landlady is getting married. Umberto's room has a gaping hole in the wall; the maid tells him it is to become part of an enlarged living room. The maid was taking care of his dog, Flike, but a door was left open and Flike ran away.
Umberto rushes to the city pound, and is relieved to find his dog. However, when he makes a veiled plea for a loan to one of his friends who has a job, the friend refuses to listen. Unable to bring himself to beg from strangers on the street, Umberto contemplates suicide, but knows he must first see that Flike is taken care of. He packs his belongings, and leaves the apartment. His parting advice to the maid is to get rid of the boyfriend from Florence.
Umberto attempts to find a place for Flike, first with a couple who board dogs, then a little girl he knows, but the latter's nanny makes her give the dog back. Flike goes to play with some children, and Umberto slips away, gambling that one of them will adopt him. Despite Umberto's attempt to abandon Flike, the dog finds him hiding under a footbridge. Finally in desperation, Umberto takes the dog in his arms and walks on to a railway track as a speeding train approaches. Flike becomes frightened, wriggles free and flees. Umberto runs after him. At first Flike warily hides, but eventually Umberto coaxes Flike out to play with a pine cone. Still homeless and nearly penniless, Umberto scampers down the park lane with his dog.

Review: Throughout the movie, we see Umberto struggle to find money to pay rent to his horrible landlady, love his dog Flike, and deal with the loneliness and disillusionment of the postwar era."Umberto D" is a character-driven film.
As I watched Umberto D., by Oscar nominated actor and legendary Oscar winning director Vittorio De Sica, I knew clearly one thing for certain- Carlo Battisti, playing the role of retired civil servant Umberto Domenico Ferrari, is the most convincing non-professional actor in any given decade of European movie-making.
Therefore, one can see him, in a sense, for what he is- he's us, merely you and I at the end of our lines of life with one wrong step sent to us after another.Battisti's Umberto is retired, known fairly among his past employees, and living in a dank, infested one room who seems to be on the standard downward spiral for such a neo-realist effort (indeed, like The Bicycle Thief, many of the elements against him are from society's natural pitfalls).
This leads him out into the streets outside of Rome, where the film plays out like a Chaplin movie, without the humor and female companion- only with his best friend in the world, a little dog named Flag.By the 3rd act of this epitome of heartbreaker movie-making, a quote passed through my head that Michelangelo Antonionni once stated: The actor is a moving object.
An old man - his sole companion, a dog - tries to survive on a fixed, tight income while being mistreated by his landlady.DeSica brilliantly captures the despair of his protagonist and makes this film unforgettably powerful.
Umberto D directed by the master Italian filmmaker Vittorio De Sica is a sad albeit ordinary tale of the loss of human values in Italian society after the end of second world war.Everything about the leading character Umberto D is told in an ordinary indeed prosaic manner.It is rather bizarre but mention must also be made of the poor light in which women characters have been shown.This is due to the fact that in Umberto D,both the grumpy landlady and unmarried pregnant girl representing loss of moral values are women characters directly associated with the old man.The great thing about Umberto D is its canine protagonist named Flike who serves his master so well that he even prepares to die for his master's sake.In Umberto D, by showing a faithful dog who remains loyal to his old master,Vittorio De Sica has rightly depicted that animals are more truthful than some human beings..
So why do I love this film so much when it causes me so much personal trepidation about my own future--and that of my dog's?Aside from a very talented Napoleone, who plays the dog Flike for all but two dog scenes and manages to steal the show in the process, the two main human actors, Carlo Battisti and Maria Pia Casilio, both remarkably appearing as amateurs, are excellent, which is a triumph in itself for the film's accomplished director, Vittorio de Sica.
This film is not only about the relationship of a man and his faithful little dog but about the love between Maria and Umberto in a world that seems to be void of compassion.There are too many memorable scenes in this film to describe in one review, but the one segment that leaves an indelible mark on me is the instance when little Flike, for good reason, momentarily loses faith in his human companion, but I won't reveal any other information about the scene.
This movie from director Vittoria de Sica is a heartbreaking story of a destitute pensioner named Umberto Ferrari and his pet dog.
A Man and His Dog. Called by some the best Italian neo-realist film of all time, "Umberto D." is a scathing critique of post-WWII Italy and its treatment of the elderly.
I'm not sure I personally think it's the best of its genre -- it's not better than, say, "The Bicycle Thief." But it's an affecting drama about one old man's struggle with being disposed of by his society as so much rubbish, his only companion a faithful dog, which is used to tug shamelessly at the audience's heartstrings in a recurring device that totally works even though we're aware of how manipulative it is.
Indeed, one of director Vittoria De Sica's best choices in the making of this movie is the parallel he draws between Umberto and his dog, and how he conveys that in many ways the dog has it better off -- it at least has someone who looks out for it and will come and rescue it from the pound when it gets lost.That scene at the pound, by the way, is in some ways the most arresting of the whole film.
He contemplates suicide but cannot summon up the courage to do so.The film brilliantly encapsulates the central character's plight through small details: the bed in his boarding-house infested with ants; the suitcase with one neatly folded suit and a pair of shoes, Umberto's sole worldly possessions; the way he tries to hold a hand out while begging and then clasps it to his chest, as if aware of the potential shame involved; and the medium shot of his boarding- house room, now with a large hole in the wall as the landlady wants to convert it into a reception-room.No one in postwar Rome wants to know about his suffering.
On the heels of all the neo-realism coming from Roberto Rossellinni and others during the mid-'40s to '50s, Vittorio DeSica gives us UMBERTO D, a film that tells the story of an aged man's devotion to his pet dog but no means of providing food and shelter for himself during hard times due to a small pension.
Their relationship is at the core of the sub-plot that runs through the simple story and is nicely handled.The scenes with the dog are poignant and tender moments that give the story some sense of depth, but DeSica ends his film on an ambiguous note after a heart-wrenching moment when the man tries to give the dog away to a happy child--and then almost takes his own life before an oncoming train when the dog manages to escape his clutches--and in doing, saves his life.However, the final scene of reunion between dog and master doesn't really resolve the situation and it's here that the film is a letdown for this viewer.
I'm bemused by several previous reviewers here who variously give the name of Umberto's beloved terrier as "flaic" or "flick."  My copy, taped from TCM's Italian film festival introduced by Scorsese's VIAGGIO, clearly identifies the pup as "Flag."That said, "Umberto D" is one of the greatest masterpieces by any Italian filmmaker and, with each viewing, comes ever closer to being my favorite European movie.The film is everything other posters have claimed: terribly sad, deeply moving, and yet with a gentle wisdom behind the tears which enables us to endure our human tragedy just another day.Umberto himself is a wonderfully realized character.
Embittered by his fall from the respectability of civil servant to the poverty, desperation and irrelevance of a needy old man in an uncaring world, he still has pride, and pride, along with his deep attachment to his nice little pooch Flag and his own real humanity, keeps him alive.Umberto is not always pleasant to be around: sometimes he is querulous and curmudgeonly, and you want to scream at the unbending pride which prevents him from directly asking for help from old friends, but who can blame him for being human?
It's like the dust of Italy's destroyed cities planted the seeds of a new universal faith in human spirit  as if there was no creation without destruction, and no redemption without an action.My expectations were already high when the 'Scorsesian' journey halted in "Umberto D." and I knew the movie's reputation enough to figure that I wouldn't be disappointed by an Italian neo-realist film, probably in the same vein than the glorious predecessor from the same director, "Bicycle Thief".
And Umberto carries the tragedy of this fight for dignity in his tired eyes, avoiding by any means the dishonor or becoming homeless or a beggar, although what he does in the beginning looks like begging, there's a thin line between selling a watch and explicitly begging.1952 was a great year for foreign films, "Forbidden Games" was the classic French masterpiece about two kids playing with death during the War, and "Ikiru" a more similarly themed film than "Umberto D." featured a man in quest for dignity, eager to provide a meaning to a rather insignificant life.
The Italian linguist Professor Carlo Battisti (1882-1977) plays the main role, Umberto Domenico Ferrari, in this movie by Vittorio De Sica (1952).The film opens with a confluence of people who demonstrate against the low pensions that the state of Italy pays to its former long-standing employees.
Some people who had inherited such huge apartments with 10 or more bedrooms could make a fortune by renting them to ludicrous prices to the poor old people who fell victim to state's bankruptcy.The movie shows that poor old Umberto D., who has nobody but his dog left, cannot even afford to bring up his monthly rent, starts to sell his most private belongings, spends even one week in a hospital, because there he is nourished in food and spirituality (by a bigot but warm-hearted nun if you know the trick to ask her for a rosary), but in the end, everything goes down the creek.
While I am echoing the comments of many others here, I must add my voice to those in awe at the strength of the performance delivered by a man who was not a professional actor  an accomplishment made all the more remarkable as he was not 'playing himself'.With a little regret, I will arrest my review here, not because I do not wish to say more, but rather because in the particular case of this film I feel it is probably best for people to see it knowing less rather than more about the story.
According to various different DVD/video sleeve notes I have seen over the years, Umberto's dog is called Flaik or Flike (both pronounced to rhyme with the English word "like" - as in "I like that").This appears to be borne out by the pronunciation heard in the original dialogue.Great film, bordering on the sentimental at times, hence only 8, but still extremely powerful, and at times simply beautiful.The theme of alienation so crucial to this film would have felt achingly immediate for film-goers in 1950's Italy.
The landlady (whose greatest crime is that she wants her tenants to pay their rent) might as well have a top hat and a waxed mustache to twirl.This manipulation makes the old man's plight seem much less real than the poster-hanger's from TBT.Not that it's a bad film, except by comparison; it does have its moments, the best by far being the shot toward the end with the rushing train..
We watch Umberto struggle as he seeks to maintain some semblance of dignity and humanity, primarily through his relationship with the landlady's dark-eyed, disingenuous maid, and his one true companion and love, his pet dog, Flike.
As the movie progresses, we watch as Umberto becomes more miserable, desperate, and dejected, as society no longer has need of an irritable old man, and Umberto increasingly contemplates drastic solutions to end his suffering.Carlo Battisti, the eponymous character, emotes with a fussiness, irritability, and resignation that I know all too well in the faces of elderly people in my own family and community.
La Padrona has delusions of turning her tenement house into a place of class and high culture, plans that are frustrated by the presence of a dejected old man and his mutt.Maria Pia Casillo, discovered as a high-school student by De Sica, plays the landlady's maid, and is the closest thing to a human friend Umberto has.
These little, mundane human actions are what make the film for me, whether it is Maria dropping everything she's doing to watch the soldiers outside her window, or as an elderly man contemplates taking his dog from the pound or having him put down, and you can see the thousand different painful emotions playing in his hard, worn eyes.
An elderly man (Carlo Battisti) and his dog struggle to survive on his government pension in Rome.Ingmar Bergman cited "Umberto D." as his favorite film, which seems appropriate considering it stands with Bergman's "Wild Strawberries" as one of the great portraits of old age and loneliness ever brought to the screen.
The sad tale of an old man evicted from his home hardly sounds like a fun night at the movies and wouldn't set the box office on fire, but what we have here is arguably the greatest Italian neo-realist film ever.
The ending is ambiguous and while not hopeful for Umberto is somewhat inspiring in the youthfulness of his dog and in the sweet humanity of the maid Maria who shoulders her situation with alacrity while showing affection and kindness toward a bitter old man.I was not moved to tears as some have been in watching this.
All dog lovers will appreciate the love that Umberto feels for his dog and the love that is returned AND the gutty realism that the dog displays.The DVD includes a documentary about De Sica that I didn't have a chance to view, excellent subtitles, and a video interview with Maria Pia Casilio.I would almost say, see this for the dog, but do see this for Vittorio De Sica, one of cinema's greats, here at his best, and for Cesare Zavattini who wrote the compelling script.(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!).
Stunning, understated camera work, beautiful, subtle lighting, photographic crispness, a complete lack of Hollywood moralizing (except, maybe, the character of the landlady), an equal attention to what's NOT said or done, as opposed to making everything so bloody obvious, and, of course, the story.The ending seems to have been subsequently used after for other films like "Nights of Cabiria" (and the subsequent "Sweet Charity") in its ambiguity and lack of closure.The scenes at the dog kennel are so incredibly moving without trying to "tug at your heartstrings." and the scene with the train and the dog's immediate unforgiving nature really strike a chord.
The story is simple - one might even say sentimental - yet poignant; it tells the tale of a crumpled old man struggling to retain what he has left in the world, which consists of little more than an apartment run by a spiteful landlady and an affectionate young dog.
A viewer might point out that many find their inner selves 'plucked' and twanged by the movie, but this is because De Sica knows how to use those few moments of sentimentality a movie need, and thus the glorious moments when the old man leaves his sole friend the young maid or when he decides on life again and dances with the dog are all the more powerful.
***SPOILERS*** Touching and simple film about a 70 year old retiree from government service who's life falls apart when his greedy landlady decides to throw him an his pet dog out on the streets for non-payment of rent.Unberto Ferrari's, Carlo Battisti, pension can't keep up with the rising cost of the post-war Italian economy and for the first time in some 20 years has fallen back on paying his rent.
By the time the film ended it was Umberto who turned out to be by far the luckiest person in town by having a friend like Flike who was there for him when he needed a friend most.
See the way the woman dressed in furs looks at Umberto as she comes down the stairs after the party.See how even his former friends run away when he asks them for some money.But he will not beg.He tries but he cannot resolve.These scenes are sheer genius ,Italian neorealism at its absolute peak.The old man's friends are the humblest of the creatures:the young maid who plays around with soldiers and gets pregnant and mainly his dog.They are his brothers in misfortune :the young girl is an exploited person whom the landlady treats like a slave.Umberto's dog plays a prominent part in the tragedy:the dog pound where the hero finds back his faithful pet becomes a metaphor for his position itself.Later,when he wants to leave the animal to a couple's care,there's more to the picture of the tied up dog desperately barking than meets the eye .The shadow of death hangs over the entire movie.Suicide seems to be the only way out.Twice ,Umberto tries.As the "ladri di biciclette" finds solace in his child's smile,the old man can lean on his dog.The very last picture of the movie : children playing.De Sica's strength is extraordinary:being able to show some optimism after such depressing scenes is proof positive of his absolute command of the seventh art..
And watching this magnificent film, we can only hope that we are never pushed into a corner like Umberto, but if we were, that we too would possess that little bit of humanity left in us to coax that dog back to our side..
Towards the very end of the film, a man stops when he sees Flike begging for money, and it turns out to be an old acquaintance of Umberto's (although one we haven't met).
That the man has nowhere to go but the poorhouse, and that in going there he would have to give up his dog Flike, troubles no-one else except his landlady's sympathetic young pregnant and unmarried maid (played wonderfully by Maria Pia Casilio in her first screen role).That, essentially, is the plot of the film.