Umberto D,
written by Cesare Zavattini
10 out of
10
Umberto D. is
a glorious motion picture, one of the twenty best films that this cinephile has
ever seen.
Dramatic,
heartbreaking, emotional, excellently acted by all, including the charming dog –
is he a Jack Russell – named Flick in the feature, who can do so many tricks,
but most of all shows a sublime attachment to his owner.
The hero of
the narrative is Umberto Ferrari, an old pensioner who participates in a demonstration
at the beginning of the film, where other old and younger people complain about
the hardships of life in Rome, after the end of World War II – the production
was launched in 1952 and was nominated for an Oscar.
Umberto D. is
included on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made List:
The hero
has to face adversity and trauma, for after decades of work in the Ministry of Administration
– if this is the right name for it – he has very little money to live on and
faces pressure from his heartless landlady.
She is pushing
the poor old man, who has no soul to console him, except for the wonderful
Flick, out of her property, after he had spent the last twenty years as a good
paying customer, because she wants to increase the rent to the point where the
gentleman can no longer afford it.
There is a
servant in the house, the kind Maria, who is also aggravated by her boss –
actually, she would also have to leave the house, for she is pregnant and once
the landlady discovers that, she is doomed.
Umberto D.
tries to raise some money by selling his few possessions, the books, a watch
but the sums he can hope for are paltry.
He meets a
beggar in the street, but that descent into humility is too much for a man who
has had decent job, a good life and he is in so many ways an admirable person.
The hero
thinks of a stratagem, whereby he gives Flick his hat and then the clever dog
stands on his hind legs and passersby would be able to put some money into it,
without humiliating the owner, who stands away from his pet.
Another solution
is tried, when he calls the hospital and tries to spend a week within, without
having to incur expenses, since patients would be given food and treatment, if
in grave enough condition.
However,
the doctor thinks that an operation would be inappropriate, taking the tonsils
out would be useless at this age and the old man risks coming out on the
street, when he is helped by another kind neighbor.
In order to
avoid Flick following him, he had asked the stretcher – bearers to play with
the dog, distracting him and he had also appealed to Maria to take care of him,
while he is in the hospital.
Nonetheless,
the dog is missing when the protagonist is out again and he is heartbroken and desperate
to find his only friend, travelling to the dog pound, where the images are
tragic.
Dogs are mistreated,
forced out of cages and those who are not claimed soon – this is happening even
in this modern age – they are all placed in a sort of oven where they are
presumably gassed.
Flick and
his master are lucky, for the latter happens to be there when the little smart
pet is brought from the streets and this is the moment when he has to think of
the sad options in front of him.
Admirably,
this role model and real Superman, thinks of his dear, beloved friend and with self-sacrifice,
he is ready to give all the money he has left for the welfare of his companion
and only support.
He finds a
place where a man and a woman keep dogs – was it fourteen? – and he offers to
give them close to six thousand lire to leave flick with them and asks about
the conditions they provide.
The couple
mentions that they allow three dogs to sleep in bed with them, but they cannot
walk them, if it comes to that, there is a boy, but that would necessitate even
more money and the hero does not have them.
Besides,
the talk reaches the point where the two dog handlers mention that they have
had cases where the owners left their animals and then would never come back,
so they just pushed the dogs on the streets.
Hearing that,
Umberto D. packs his suitcase and then he contemplates some funereal thoughts, approaching
a fast moving train with his dog in his arms, perhaps thinking there is no
other way out of this quandary…
Umberto D. is
one of the most sincere, exceptional motion pictures I have ever seen and it
will stay in the memory of the viewer forever.
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