TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

JSCradnall This is the best cinema can do. If you watch it and aren't changed, bettered, you weren't watching or can't be.

axapvov I absolutely hated "Ladri di biciclette" so I had my doubts about "Umberto D." but the improvement is noticeable immediately. The strokes of social, human commentary are much sharper, quicker, just better, and the characters far more memorable. After a couple of minutes I already knew I´d never forget the image of Maria fighting the ants, not to mention the Oscar-worthy performance of the dog. The tension slowly builds up as misfortunes keep happening to poor Umberto who´s a bit whining but full of charisma and dignity. De Sica surprisingly holds back his infamous taste for melodrama for quite a while and it all peaks in a predictable but inevitable scene lovely managed. At that point all my doubts had vanished and I was already questioning if this could be the best film ever about old age, or at least be a tie with "Make Way for Tomorrow".But then De Sica takes over. First there´s that zoom (are you serious, Vittorio?) then it´s just... He tries so hard to make everybody cry their hearts out it just didn´t work for me. He almost succeeds with the barking dog scene, I must admit, but yeah, my admiration went down a notch. Now, it really isn´t that bad, it´s still De Sica at his best. As one critic said "it´s cerebral and emotional, bleak but warm". It´s true. The final scenes are part of film history but I wish he had kept that simple itch until the end.

frankwiener Is my special appreciation for this film due to my status as a senior citizen who often feels that the only true friend in the world is a little, rescued terrier mix not named Flike but Peanut? This is a film that Robert Osborne should declare "an essential" on one Saturday night, if he hasn't done so already. Beyond the aspect of an elderly man and his faithful little dog, once a person is cast aside from the world of employment and a regular wage, who among us doesn't fear that one day he or she will meet the fate of Umberto D., a pensioner who discovers that he can't gather enough money in order to live? A retiree, such as myself, doesn't have to reside in a ravaged, somewhat hostile, postwar Rome for this movie to depict one of my worst nightmares, so why do I love it so much?Aside from a remarkable Napoleone, who played the dog Flike for all but two dog scenes and managed to steal the show in the process, the performances of the two main human actors, Carlo Battisti and Maria Pia Casilio, astoundingly both amateurs, were excellent, which was a triumph in itself for the film's exceptional director, Vittorio de Sica. The photography of post-World War II Rome by G.R. Aldo paired with the highly dramatic music of prolific film composer Alessandro Cicognini completed the ingredients for a remarkable cinematic success that has withstood the test of time.There are too many memorable scenes in this film to describe in one review, but the one segment that left an indelible impression on me for the rest of my life is the instance when little Flike momentarily loses faith in his human companion and for very good reason, but I won't reveal any other information about the scene. If that occasion alone doesn't break your heart, I don't know what will.One doesn't have to be in an advanced stage of life, such as myself, in order to fall in love with this movie. Umberto D's plight is one that should resonate with moviegoers of all ages and economic conditions. It could happen to any of us at any time. Over time, I have learned that nothing is ever guaranteed, so appreciate all that you have today, don't forget to kiss your precious, little doggie goodnight, and never lose his or her trust, not even for a brief moment in time. It will break your heart.

Rectangular_businessman I usually don't cry when I'm watching movies.I have seen many Hollywood movies that are usually considered tear-jerkers by the audience. And yet, most of them left me indifferent. I considered a couple of them to be pretty good, but I personally wasn't particularly moved by the scenes that were supposed to sad or emotional.However, this movie made me cry the first time I watched it."Umberto D." is a truly heartbreaking piece of filmmaking which I found to be even harsher in hindsight when I consider that a story like this could be happening in real life, at the same time when I'm watching this movie.And yet, despite being incredibly depressive, it is also immensely human.Vittorio De Sica doesn't exploit the misery of the main character in this movie. Instead of that, he is able to make, us the viewer, feel identified with him, see him as somebody close to our reality. And that's why this movie is so marvelous and have to be seen, even if it could a very sad and depressive experience.The ending is moving to enough to make any viewer cry.