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Umberto D

Play trailer Poster for Umberto D 1952 1h 31m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
When elderly pensioner Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti) returns to his boarding house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his landlady (Lina Gennari) demands her 15,000-lire rent by the end of the month or he and his small dog will be turned out onto the street. Unable to get the money in time, Umberto fakes illness to get sent to a hospital, giving his beloved dog to the landlady's pregnant and abandoned maid (Maria-Pia Casilio) for temporary safekeeping.
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Umberto D

Umberto D

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by Carlo Battisti's moving performance as Umberto D, Vittorio de Sica's deeply empathetic character study is a bracing glimpse into the lives of the downtrodden.

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Critics Reviews

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Patrick Gibbs Daily Telegraph (UK) 09/14/2022
The unemphatic acting of Carlo Battisti and Maria Pia Casilio falls perfectly into place. It ls a brave film and, again, a disturbing one. Go to Full Review
Richard L. Coe Washington Post 08/16/2022
Not since France, before the war, sent us The End of the Day has a film honorably faced the fact of old age. This is the subject, probingly, beautifully detailed in [Umberto D.]. Go to Full Review
Walter Goodman New York Times 01/09/2018
Vittorio De Sica's memorable ''Umberto D'' seems more sentimental now, but as you stay with it, the small story grows to a most moving climax. Go to Full Review
James Berardinelli ReelViews 03/22/2024
3.5/4
Umberto D. is an almost-perfect slice-of-life. Go to Full Review
Vernon Young The Hudson Review 01/17/2024
Few directors could manage... the beautiful cadence in this film where the coming of day is enacted through the actions of Maria as she gets out of bed. The scene is wordless, leisured and almost unbearably intimate. Go to Full Review
Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies 08/21/2022
4.5/5
The story of “Umberto D.” is very simple in scope but powerful in message. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Luca D. @JoeCamel7 1d Very surface level movie. No plot or deep emotional connection to the characters. Umberto is just a pestering old man who cares more about a dog than Maria. The whole movie is just him going around begging and then it ends. No development, no deep message, no beautiful cinematography or compelling acting. Looking at other reviews it's clear that nobody has seen any other neo-realist movies and they claim this is better than Bicycle Thieves? Better than one of the greatest movies ever? Unfortunately not, it's just an attempt to recreate the post war pity but instead of a man trying to feed his family it's an annoying old man trying to feed his dog and pay rent for an apartment he clearly cannot afford. I love Vittorio De Sica but this movie just fell completely flat and seemed really phoned in regarding plot writing and character development. Tell me 5 things about each character and you can't. They don't talk or express emotion and have no backstory. Wouldn't recommend. See more Movie F. @hiker Jan 26 Really good postwar movie about a poor pensioner in Italy. Thank goodness for his little dog Flike. We watched it for free on Kanopy. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jun 9 A successful story about a dog in 1 hour and 31 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Italian and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more William B @RT83652365 01/10/2025 A neorealism classic. It's worth it. Definitely recommended. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 06/30/2023 Whilst I don't think it's quite the classic that it's often made out to be, there's no denying that it has a decent story to tell about a time and place in Italian history as well as possibly influencing one of the sun plots to Shawshank. Decent and fairly short tale. See more Valerii Ege D @RT37895442 05/15/2023 The film is special to me, as it is a much deeper and more unforgettable film than the well-known Bicycle Thieves. The story of Uncle Umberto and his dog Flike is painfully realistic. The helplessness of an elderly man, his weakness and inability to cope, and his attempts to survive despite everything, while still trying to care for those around him, especially his dog, is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The fact that even able-bodied people struggle to find work and are reduced to selling their own sheets, while an elderly man struggles to survive during a crisis is one of the best examples of the difficulties of the period. Young people live, but what about the elderly? See more Read all reviews
Umberto D

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Movie Info

Synopsis When elderly pensioner Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti) returns to his boarding house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his landlady (Lina Gennari) demands her 15,000-lire rent by the end of the month or he and his small dog will be turned out onto the street. Unable to get the money in time, Umberto fakes illness to get sent to a hospital, giving his beloved dog to the landlady's pregnant and abandoned maid (Maria-Pia Casilio) for temporary safekeeping.
Director
Vittorio De Sica
Producer
Angelo Rizzoli, Giuseppe Amato, Vittorio De Sica
Screenwriter
Cesar Zavattini
Distributor
Rialto Pictures
Production Co
Rizzoli Film
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 20, 1952, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Nov 7, 1955
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$74.3K
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Mono
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