Seek out this De Sica gem

How do you top Bicycle Thieves and steal the title of perhaps the greatest Italian neorealism film ever made? Make Umberto D., that’s how. Amazingly, both pictures were helmed by Vittorio De Sica, with the latter released less than three years after the former. Written by Cesare Zavattini, Umberto D. is named after its title character, Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti), an elderly retired civil servant in postwar Rome who struggles to survive on a small pension. Faced with eviction from his boarding house and increasing isolation, his only real companion is his loyal dog, Flike. Maria-Pia Casilio plays Maria, the young maid who befriends the old man.

To listen to a recording of our CineVerse group discussion of Umberto D., conducted last week, click here. (If you get an error message, simply try refreshing the page.)

This work eschews melodrama for a quiet, humane focus on everyday struggles, particularly the overlooked plight of the elderly poor. It isn’t sentimental, mawkish, or emotionally manipulative. For proof, consider the scene where Umberto looks for his dog at the pound and sees all the confined canines who will likely be euthanized; the filmmakers certainly could have tugged at your heartstrings more here, but they don’t. They simply let the scene play out without manipulation.

It’s a bleak, warts-and-all character study that can be depressing and downbeat. There’s very little humor or comic relief, and few exciting things that happen to this man or his dog. And the lack of sentimentality can actually cause viewers to feel less or no sympathy for the protagonist. Per reviewer Glenn Erickson: “The story doesn't have cute kids, dreamy lovers, or crime thrills to distract the audience. Instead, we get the kind of grinding real-life problems faced by the honest poor. I can see less generous viewers reacting to Umberto's lack of options by deciding that his problems are his own fault. It's true: the average audience will accept social realities in their entertainment, but even an arthouse crowd wants to be 'entertained'. Umberto D. is an uncompromised neorealist experience.”

Contrary to other neorealist movies, Umberto D. doesn’t depict the struggles of the working-class everyman in or near the prime of his life; Umberto himself is a low-income, forgotten senior who lives a relatively miserable existence. He’s not rebelling against socioeconomic forces or seeking justice—he simply wants to exist alone and in peace. Additionally, the key social issues explored in this film are not necessarily economic injustice, man’s inhumanity to his fellow man, and postwar social challenges faced by most people; instead, the struggle here is to thwart shame and maintain dignity and decency in the face of old age. Truth is, this neorealism film has a much simpler and straightforward plot. The primary relationship here is simply between a man and his dog. Interestingly, the movie uses ample long shots that often show Umberto and his dog from far off, versus medium or close-up shots; the longshot effect evokes a feeling of distance, isolation from others, and loneliness.

What’s surprisingly effective is that De Sica employs real-time sequences and depicts banal everyday occurrences. Recall the maid’s humdrum morning routine or the old man’s attempts to go to sleep. It feels documentary-like, brutally honest, unscripted, and nontheatrical. This is 180 degrees from a sympathy-soaked melodrama filled with contrived conflict.

According to Roger Ebert, “Umberto D. tells what could be a formula story, but not in a formula way: Its moments seem generated by what might really happen. A formula film would find a way to manufacture a happy ending, but good fortune will not fall from the sky for Umberto. Perhaps his best luck is simply that he has the inner strength to endure misfortune without losing self-respect. It is said that at one level or another, Chaplin's characters were always asking that we love them. Umberto doesn't care if we love him or not. That is why we love him.”

Umberto D. reminds us that life is often not fair, and those who often need the most help find the least help. It masterfully depicts the struggle to maintain dignity and eke out an existence in a pitiless world where no one seems to care. Yet we are shown that even the most mundane existence devoid of excitement can still have meaning and resonance. As long as you have a single loved one who needs you and vice versa, life is worth living.

Similar works

• Ikiru (1952)
• Wild Strawberries (1957)
• A Man and His Dog (1952)
• A Dog Year (2009)

Other movies directed by Vittorio De Sica:

• Shoeshine (1946)
• Bicycle Thieves (1948)
• Miracle in Milan (1951)
• Two Women (1960)
• Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)
• Marriage Italian Style (1964)