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Summary: The most perfect work of cinema I ever seen
Review: This film is probably the unreacheable height of the world cinema. Showing the simple story of loneliness of the old man de Sica tells almost everything what is possible and impossible in this one and a half hour long film.
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Summary: umberto d.lost in the heart of life
Review: this is a real and simple story about an old man his dog and what life does to him,there is no fantasy here.this is a very emotional movie,it is very thought to watch at times,i am amazed of the simplicity of the movie in general and how much comes out of it,this was for me an enriching experience because it makes you apreciate the small things in a way.the main character (umberto d.) a simple,honest and noble man who after a life of bureaucratic work goes through though financial times at an old age,what will happens to him next is something that is difficult to explain because life happens to him,will he free himself,maybe ,but whatever happens (can't tell you ...)life guides you even when you lose all hopes and that's a message worth seeing.
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Summary: Look at the Texans
Review: This is actually about the reviews I read at amazon. Did you notice that only two reviewers used their space to surmonize about Umbarto's failure to make provisions about his old age? Further, did you notice that both the reviewers are from Texas? Add to this the third Texan Dubya and you will see Sam Houston's folly.
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Summary: Shattering study of the loneliness !
Review: This is the real masterpiece of Vitorio de Sica . An old man succumbes to the ravages of the age. An uncompromising denounce and a powerful reflection about the golden ages in the life of that lonely man , forgotten by all his most fellow friends .
The movie is extremaly haunting and poignant . You will face in all its harsh reality the last consequences of what this hard but sadly moment comes but it is so well written , tastefully directed and even better acted that you may consider this one as one the best italian films of this decade .
The anguish , loneliness and desperation have never better told and you should wait for forty years for another gem which deals with that related theme ; We are fine of Giussepe Tornatore .
A sumptuous and master film !
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Summary: One of the most touching films I have ever seen.
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD eiditon of the film.
Umberto D. is one of the greatest films I have seen. It follows the story of an elderly man, Umberto D. Ferrari, who is living off a pension that is running out quickly and his closest companion is his dog. His landlady is evil, demanding rent he cannot afford, rents his room out to prostitutes while he is not there, and is downright mean.
The acting is extraordinary. Especially since the actors in the film has no prior training and the film is the lead actor's only film role ever. The dog is probably the only professional actor in the film. Even so, the acting is better than many films with professional actors.
I find this film to be a very touching story and shows how close a bond a person can have with their animals. Umberto, though dirt poor, pays a very heavy fine to get his dog out of the pound after having run away. His dog even forgives him after a very cruel act his master committed while he was severly depressed.
The DVD has some fine special features also.
There is a documentary about the director titled, "That's Life: Vittorio De Sica," and interview with Maria Pia Casilio, who played the role of Maria in the film and also transcripts of renarks about the film by several well-known figures including Umberto Eco.
This film is a must for dog lovers!
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Summary: The touching side of Neo-realism!
Review: Vittorio De Sica is easily distinguished from other neo-realists like Visconti, Rossellini, and early Fellini. You can immediateley feel something human in his films and down to earth (rather populist). Though I prefer the style of Visconti (whose 'La Terra Trema' ranks as one of my favorites) - 'Umberto D' has a simplicity and beauty to it that will put you in mind of Bergman's 'Wild Strawberries'. Like Issac Borg in 'Wild Strawberries' - Umberto is a man approaching death with rather shabby relationships to hold on to in the world. He clings to his dog who he cannot bear to part with - this develops into a tear-jearking ending that will have even the most stoic serious men balling!
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Summary: Neorealism, compassionate and saddening!
Review: Vittorio de Sica, in another neorealist classic "The Bicycle Thief" brings us a saddened tale of an old man and his dog, their plight to avoid poverty and homelessness. Once a respected well-tailored business man, he now struggles to live on a meager pension. He makes several attempts to protest but ends with futility. It is about fighting the system, isolation and disparity. Umberto D lives in a house where the landlady earns more by renting his room out during the day to prostitutes and johns. From here, his fight for dignity continues as he sinks to the bottom of his soul for survival.
Most anyone with a pet can feel for an aging man about to be evicted. We look into the sad eyes of the old man and his cute little dog Flag reflects the same. The situations are painfully sad and tension mounts. Not only his is own survivability at risk, we grasp when Flag's life is in jeopardy a couple of times too. Neorealism is stark, grainy and gritty. It is filmed on streets that depict real depth and soul of life. It is about compassion, struggle, hardship, humanity, poverty, pride, etc. Non- actors generally role play with conversational dialogue rather than polished Hollywood scripts. ......A wonderful classic....MzRizz
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