Rating: 
Summary: An old pensioner despairs in De Sica's Neo-Realist Classic
Review: "Umberto D" is Umberto Domenico Ferrari, a retired civil servant unable to live on his meager pension. His landlady is always after him about paying the rent and threatens to evict him while she rents out his room to prostitutes during the day. His only friends in the world are Maria (Maria-Pia Casilio), the pregnant but unmarried housemaid, and Flick, his little dog. Despairing over his situation, the old man contemplates suicide. "Umberto D" is a classic of the Neo-Realist period in Italian cinema and arguably director Vittorio de Sica's finest work. The title character is played by Carlo Battisti, a Professor of Glottology at the University of Florence, who had never acted before (i.e., ideal casting for the Neo-Realists). This is not a movie filmed on a studio set but out in the real world, where such details as Maria's morning ritual of grinding coffee become somewhat transcendent. There are moments of humor in "Umberto D," but most of the scenes are heartrending and the film's conclusion creates an ambiguity that speaks to the soul of the viewer.
Rating: 
Summary: emotional vignettes at a (sad) point in time
Review: 'Umberto D.' is not in the same class as 'Bicycle Thief,' its artistic predecessor, for several reasons. Telling the story of the struggle with poverty in post-war Italy twice, from a changed perspective, has less of an impact. Moreover, it is less dramatic for an elderly man, with a dog being the only dependent, than another man in his thirties/forties, with a whole family to feed, not to make ends meet. Nonetheless, this film still packs enough emotional power to move its viewer. The protagonists' acting is superb though not so much so the acting in the supporting roles. All in all, leveraging non-professionals into maintaining the emotional tension, AND into borrowing the attributes of a documentary, is a concept wonderfully illustrated by the film. There is not much of a story to talk about in this film. A retired old man, former bureaucrat in the Mussolini's regime, has a hard time in keeping up with the new times: a pension smaller than the rent for a room in a house, people around him who either cannot help or do not care to, and the announced eviction. There is a mix of dignity and egotistical stubbornness that makes the viewer oscillate between empathy and reprobation towards this character. On the other hand, the young maid is representative for a new social trend: young, uneducated, compassionate, and, by comparison with the old man at least, with relaxed morals. Again, this film is about the complex emotions developing around the main character(s) and less about a story. As for the whole noise passing as commentary, coming from the left though not always, one may well ignore it. To this point, I found it interesting that, in real life, Maria Pia charged the producers 2 Mil. Lire in 1952, when she was only 15 years old, while the old man in the film could not come up with 15000 Lire for the life in him... And now a word about the director. De Sica, by catering to the mores of the new Italian politics and American cultural administrators, is the illustration of the new class while illustrating the decadence of the old. Talented nonetheless... Criterion meets the standards for the transfer and the like yet misses on the extras that are of minimal value.
Rating:
Summary: Best dog movie ever made.
Review: (...)
This is the best movie about man and dog ever made. It perfectly illistrates what we love best about dogs: Dogs joyfully live in the moment. The dog in this movie is not the biggest, bravest, smartest, prettiest, nor even involved in the old man's angst. Oh, sure, the old man is comforted by Flag (the dog's actual name in the movie), but the dog doesn't do anything. Flag is simply WITH Umberto. As the old man loses everything, he begins to take the dog for granted... an extension of himself... a burden. In the end, he discovers the dog has firm opinions and even an idea of "sin" (as in "wrong, wrong, wrong"). The dog teaches him the only thing really worth knowing.
Rating:
Summary: Humanism... and caninism
Review: A story of an old man and a dog? Sentimental and sweet? Hardly. This is DeSica's Neo-realism at its bleakest and most bitter because there is so much sweetness between the man and dog, which, however, is useless in PostWar Italy of have-nots and narrow-minded haves. Yet, even the meanest character in the movie--the landlady--is not without a certain dogged humanity. Desica says everyone has his or her idea of well-being and happiness, and it's all too easy turn away from others' misfortunes. It's for this reason--because we can't smugly judge this world in simple terms of good and bad--that the story of the man and his dog becomes all the more sad. They live in a world which justifies itself and perhaps is justified in turning its back to their plight. After all, what is an old man and a dog in a society with grand ambitions of renewal and prosperity. Heartbreaking.
Rating:
Summary: A Gentle Tragedy¿
Review: De Sica made this film in memory of his father, however, it could be about any old man that enters retirement with a limited budget. This story revolves around Umberto, a retired city administrator, and his financial predicament. The few that care about Umberto are unfortunately unable to provide help, which forces Umberto to find temporary fixes to his monetary problem. These decisions affect him and his beloved dog, Flag, as they struggle together through this tragedy. In post-war Italy, De Sica creates this neo-realistic story that offers much food for thought as well as a brilliant cinematic experience that the audience will not forget.
Rating:
Summary: moving
Review: First off, @ the Texas reviewers, there would be no story if the main character "had made provisions for old age." Would they have been able to at all, & if they had, would it have been enough in the postwar economy of Italy? And an individual is hardly deserving of punishment because of "wrong" choices in this regard. Hindsight is always 20/20. Second, the main character isn't perfect, and this is what the film attempts to show as well. Third, it should be obvious that the dog is a metaphor or symbol for the humanity Umberto manages to maintain in the face of his predicament. It wasn't "stupid" for him to have a pet. De Sica would appear to be saying that any society worth having allows for an old man to have a dog.
I haven't seen the documentary/interview portion, but the ending of the movie seems inconlusive: does he abandon Flike, & give up on life, or does he continue to try?
Rating: 
Summary: Relentlessly depressing
Review: I have rarely, if ever, had such a difficult time watching a movie to its conclusion. It's the depression factor that makes it so difficult to watch -- especially as this is purportedly an accurate description of life in Italy (for some) after the war. I would prefer to think the story was merely fabricated from de Sica's imagination... Besides the the movie's chronicling of human denigration and humiliation, please note: there are scenes that dog-lovers might find unbearable. (To describe them would give away the plot, insofar as there is a plot.) I know there is some fine film-making going on here, but I can't recommend the movie to friends: it depressed the ... out of me, and would likely do the same to them.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and Melodramatic
Review: I thought this was going to be a gritty, realistic, existentialist movie, artfully done. Instead, its full of melodramtic fifties music, slooow moving, and ends with you saying to yourself "is that it?". This movie is just boring. If it weren't so melodramatic, it may be possible to sympathize with the old man, which is the crux of the film to begin with.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I'm a hard-core indie filmmaker: if you don't show me blood, sex or any cussing it ain't good...but this black and white masterpiece made me cry like a 4 year old kid...wow!
Rating:
Summary: Dilys Powell's favourite film
Review: In 1980 I saw this film at Chapter Arts centre in Cardiff after a lecture from aged but legendary film critic Dilys Powell. She had Umberto D (about a man and his dog for goodness sake) down as her favourite movie of all time. And you've got to remember that she had sat through about 35,000 films in her lifetime. As you might imagine I was fairly intrigued at this prospect. The reality is that this film genuinely delivers like no other, if you like your heart shaken and stirred with something authentic. Now I cry fairly easily at movies when the going gets tough, but this one is truly in a class of its own. In fact the final scenes are so painful and poignant that even 20 years later I cannot recall them without emotion. But ironically this film leaves you feeling better than when you went in about the human spirit, and that's why I think it's ultimately so great.
|
