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Umberto D
1952
The story of an old retired office worker whose lonely, impoverished life becomes unbearable to the point where something has to give. Italian dialogue with English subtitles. Read more
| Starring | Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Alberto Albani Barbieri |
|---|---|
| Director | Vittorio De Sica |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Umberto D
The story of an old retired office worker whose lonely, impoverished life becomes unbearable to the point where something has to give. Italian dialogue with English subtitles.
| Starring | Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Alberto Albani Barbieri |
|---|---|
| Director | Vittorio De Sica |
| Studio | NOUVEAUX PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 14 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | Italian |
| Subtitles | English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Sep 2004 Production year: 1952 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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“The ideal film,” wrote Cesare Zavattini, the theoretical father of neorealism, “ would be 90 minutes in the life of a man to whom nothing happens.” Shot on location, with a non-professional cast and an attention to detail that allows the viewer to discover the emotional or dramatic content of a scene, Vittorio De Sica's poignant study of an ageing civil servant, ostracised by the society he'd so faithfully served, comes close to fulfilling that vision. Fighting despair with dignity, Carlo Battisti is outstanding, whether coddling his devoted dog, Flike, or relishing his chats with pregnant maid, Maria-Pia Casilio. A sublime piece of humanist, observational cinema.
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Judging by his demeanour, the D stands for Deep Depression. But the old man at the centre of De Sica's famous film from... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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16 out of 18 people found this review helpful
Not that good
Not worth the trouble, mildly depressing really.
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Most recent members' review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
One of the best film I have ever seen...
I can safely say that this one the best films I have ever seen. Why? Because it is REAL. It contains a perfect blend of comedy, tender moments (the scenes with the maid), excruciatingly painful (the kennel scenes in particular) and yet manages to retain (amazingly) a great deal of optimism. All actors were non-professionals according to the principles of Neo-realism: Maria Pia Casilio was an apprentice seamstress when she was cast in the role of Maria, the kind maid. She went on to star in many Italian and French important movies (Pane, amore e gelosia by Luigi Comencini and Th?r?se Raquin by Marcel Carn? for exemple) as opposed to Carlo Battisti, a university professor who only appeared in this film. His performance is gut-renching. Amazing!
If you like 'wham-bam' American cinematic fodder, this movie is not for you. If you are more descerning, this movie will stay with you for a long long time. -
News and features
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Wendy and Lucy
- 02 Mar 2009
Maybe the best American film not to get any Oscar credit this year, Kelly Reichardt’s follow-up to Old Joy is a simple, poignant movie that will resonate as tough economic times cut deeper. It’s not what you would call a starry performance, but Michelle Williams is superb as Wendy, a young woman driving up to Alaska in search of work. Her car breaks down several hundreds of miles short in a thoroughly unexceptional Oregon town. She’s down to her last few bucks and Lucy is... Read more
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