Umberto D. (1952)

Umberto Ferrari, aged government-pensioner, attends a street demonstration held by his fellow pensioners. The police dispense the crowd and Umberto returns to his cheap furnished room which... See full summary »

Director:

Vittorio De Sica

Writer:

Cesare Zavattini (story)

Stars:

Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Carlo Battisti	...	Umberto Domenico Ferrari
Maria Pia Casilio	...	Maria, la servetta
Lina Gennari	...	Antonia Belloni - la padrona di case
Ileana Simova	...	La donna nella camera di Umberto
Elena Rea	...	La suora all' ospedale
Memmo Carotenuto	...	Il degente all' ospedale

Storyline

Umberto Ferrari, aged government-pensioner, attends a street demonstration held by his fellow pensioners. The police dispense the crowd and Umberto returns to his cheap furnished room which he shares with his dog Flick. Umberto's lone friend is Maria, servant of the boarding house. She is a simple girl who is pregnant by one of two soldiers and neither will admit to being the father. When Umberto's landlady Antonia demands the rent owed her and threatens eviction if she is not paid, Umberto tries desperately to raise the money by selling his books and watch. He is too proud to beg in the streets and can not get a loan from any of his acquaintances. He contracts a sore throat, is admitted to a hospital and this puts a delay on his financial difficulty. Discharged, he finds that his dog is gone and, following a frantic search, locates him in the city dog pound. His room has been taken over by the landlady and the now-homeless Unberto determines to find a place for his beloved dog, and ...

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Plot Keywords:

dog | landlady | servant | rent | prostitute | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

7 November 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

A sorompók lezárulnak

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,664 (USA) (17 May 2002)

Gross:

$74,308 (USA) (20 September 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rizzoli Film, Produzione Films Vittorio De Sica, Amato Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film has been restored by Mediaset (Italy's biggest private television company) and presented again in theaters in New York, Rome and Milan in 1999.

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Goofs

In the confrontation with his landlady after he returns with Flike, the position of the landlady changes between shots, so that a set of film posters appears behind her and her fiancé in the later shots.

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Connections

Remade as Un homme et son chien (2008)

User Reviews

There's hardly been a better film ever made

Umberto D. may be the single most powerful film ever made. It's pretty much impossible not to be affected by it, and I'd imagine only a monster could get through it without shedding a tear. It's not all sad, and certainly cannot be called unrelentingly depressing. There are plenty of beautifully funny moments. The main character, Umberto, is one of the greatest characters I've ever met at the movies. It would be simple to make him just a man to pity: he is a poor old man who is down on his luck. But the artists behind the film have fleshed him out into an incredibly human character. The supporting characters, even those who show up for just a moment, are just as well created. And the acting is godly. 10/10, without a second thought. It's one of the best films ever made.