cinematography, story and appeal aren’t as strong for me as bicycle thief. but everything dkp says is true . . .

Maria (a young maid who is the only person kind to Umberto D.) is a good character and well played. dkp also doesn’t mention Flike, the wonder dog.

Scene in the hospital is my favorite . . . more interiors than Bicycle Thief . . .

I’ve just finished watching this film by director Vittorio De Sica, who also made The Bicycle Thief. It’s a truly touching film, a description I don’t offer lightly, and a stunning example of Italian Neo-Realist cinema.

An overview of the film from the DVD: Shot on location with a cast of nonprofessional actors (this is one attribute of neorealism), Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist masterpiece follows Umberto D, an elderly pensioner, as he struggles to make ends meet during Italy’s postwar economic boom (another attribute). Alone except for his dog, Filke, Umberto strives to maintain his dignity while trying to surve in a city where traditional human kindness seems to have lost out to the forces of modernization (a common trope). Umberto’s simple quest to fulfill the most fundamental human needs—food, shelter, companionship—is one of the most hearbreaking stories ever filmed an an essential classic of world cinema. (I concur.)

Of course, this does not begin to cover what makes the film memorable, but it does offer a tantalizing summary. Let me just say that Umberto’s attempts to maintain his essential humanity in a world which is becoming more callous, one where he is increasingly invisible because of his age and economic class (the latter being another concern of neorealism), is difficult to watch. Scene after scene shows Umberto trying to reach out to others in his time of need, only to be rebuffed. There are fewer light moments than in The Bicycle Thief, which is not exactly a light comedy, and the end is as painful. (Indeed, I found it difficult to watch.) Yet there’s also a touch of hope in the film, one which is as beautiful as the cinematography.

One last word: some critics have leveled the charge of sentimentality at Umberto D. I disagree. I watch a lot of films, and I have very little patience with sentimentality (though I enjoy a good, classic melodrama). Whenever I feel its presence, I immediately adopt a critical stance. For this film, I did not do so. What’s more, I never felt the need to do so.

Watch this film. To paraphrase a line from a mediocre movie, “It will make you want to be a better person.”