Umberto D. (1952)

Italy 89m, B&W
Director: Vittorio De Sica; Cast: Carlo Battisti, Maria-Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Ileana Simova, Elena Rea, Memmo Carotenuto

Employing a cast of largely non-professional actors, Umberto D. is a sociopolitical commentary on the challenges faced by the poor and the old in post-war Italy. As an example of neorealism, Umberto D. is a film that follows the fate of a lonely poor old man who desperately tries to keep from being evicted from his one room apartment. Falling ill, his plight worsens when he loses his little dog. A melancholy story, Umberto is forced to take drastic measures, if only to save his dignity (Klaus Ming July 2014).