Umberto D.
1952 · 1h 31m · Drama
Watch it. This is De Sica's neorealist masterpiece—a quietly devastating portrait of dignity stripped away by poverty that hits harder than any melodrama. If you want cinema that actually says something about the world instead of just entertaining you, this is essential viewing.
Plot
When elderly pensioner Umberto Domenico Ferrari returns to his boarding house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his landlady 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 for temporary safekeeping.
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Cast: Carlo Battisti, Napoleone the Dog, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Elena Rea