On the heels of all the neo-realism coming from Roberto Rossellinni and others during the mid-'40s to '50s, Vittorio DeSica gives us UMBERTO D, a film that tells the story of an aged man's devotion to his pet dog but no means of providing food and shelter for himself during hard times due to a small pension. The indifference to his plight from a hard-hearted landlord lady provides the conflict.
His only human relationship is with a young girl who happens to be pregnant and works as a maid in the apartment building he inhabits. Their relationship is at the core of the sub-plot that runs through the simple story and is nicely handled.
The scenes with the dog are poignant and tender moments that give the story some sense of depth, but DeSica ends his film on an ambiguous note after a heart-wrenching moment when the man tries to give the dog away to a happy child--and then almost takes his own life before an oncoming train when the dog manages to escape his clutches--and in doing, saves his life.
However, the final scene of reunion between dog and master doesn't really resolve the situation and it's here that the film is a letdown for this viewer. There is no future for either of them, so it's essentially a bleak ending to a sad situation. It's also a manipulation of audience sympathy.
Despite its faults, this is a sometimes moving and eloquent but somber look at the desperation of one man's old age.
His only human relationship is with a young girl who happens to be pregnant and works as a maid in the apartment building he inhabits. Their relationship is at the core of the sub-plot that runs through the simple story and is nicely handled.
The scenes with the dog are poignant and tender moments that give the story some sense of depth, but DeSica ends his film on an ambiguous note after a heart-wrenching moment when the man tries to give the dog away to a happy child--and then almost takes his own life before an oncoming train when the dog manages to escape his clutches--and in doing, saves his life.
However, the final scene of reunion between dog and master doesn't really resolve the situation and it's here that the film is a letdown for this viewer. There is no future for either of them, so it's essentially a bleak ending to a sad situation. It's also a manipulation of audience sympathy.
Despite its faults, this is a sometimes moving and eloquent but somber look at the desperation of one man's old age.