Seeing Clearly Through Tears: On the Smart Sentiment of Umberto D.
By September 04, 2012
Umberto D. is perhaps the most astringent film ever made about a poor old man and his dog. Read more »
Film Info
- Italy
- 1952
- 88 minutes
- Black and White
- 1.37:1
- Italian
- Spine #201
This neorealist masterpiece by Vittorio De Sica follows an elderly pensioner as he strives to make ends meet during Italy’s postwar economic recovery. Alone except for his dog, Flike, Umberto struggles to maintain his dignity in a city where human kindness seems to have been swallowed up by the forces of modernization. His simple quest to satisfy his basic needs—food, shelter, companionship—makes for one of the most heartbreaking stories ever filmed, and an essential classic of world cinema
Cast
| Umberto Domenico Ferrari | Carlo Battisti |
| Maria | Maria Pia Casilio |
| Landlady | Lina Gennari |
| Man in hospital | Memmo Carotenuto |
| Flike, Umberto's dog | Napoleone |
Credits
| Director | Vittorio De Sica |
| Screenplay | Cesare Zavattini and Vittorio De Sica |
| From an original story by | Cesare Zavattini |
| Produced by | Giuseppe Amato, Vittorio De Sica and Angelo Rizzoli |
| Sound | Ennio Sensi |
| Cinematography | Aldo Graziati |
| Editing | Eraldo Da Roma |
| Production design | Virgilio Marchi |
| Assistant directors | Luisa Alessandri and Franco Montemurro |
| Music | Alessandro Cicognini |
Disc Features
- New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- That’s Life: Vittorio De Sica, a fifty-five-minute documentary about the director’s career, made for Italian television in 2001
- Writings on Umberto D. by Umberto Eco, Luisa Alessandri, and Carlo Battisti (DVD only)
- Interview with actress Maria Pia Casilio from 2003
- Trailer
- New English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A new essay by critic Stuart Klawans and a reprinted recollection by De Sica (DVD and Blu-ray); a reprinted recollection by actor Carlo Battisti (DVD only)
New DVD cover by Lucien S. Y. Yang, new Blu-ray cover by Sarah Habibi
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Umberto D.
By March 05, 1990
Commercial Italian filmmakers of the early post-war era didn’t put much stock in the few crews . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Seeing Clearly Through Tears: On the Smart Sentiment of Umberto D.
By September 04, 2012
Umberto D. is perhaps the most astringent film ever made about a poor old man and his dog. Read more »
Film Essays
Umberto D.
By March 05, 1990
Commercial Italian filmmakers of the early post-war era didn’t put much stock in the few crews . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Seeing Clearly Through Tears: On the Smart Sentiment of Umberto D.
By September 04, 2012
Umberto D. is perhaps the most astringent film ever made about a poor old man and his dog. Read more »
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Film Essays
Umberto D.
By March 05, 1990
Commercial Italian filmmakers of the early post-war era didn’t put much stock in the few crews . . . Read more »
