Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Movie of the Month - Umberto D.

As The Artist finally arrives on DVD for the world to fall in love again with the charming film and the film's biggest star - Uggie the dog, yet, in 1952 another dog stole the cinema worlds heart - Flike from Umberto D. The Italian neorealism film from acclaimed director, Vittorio De Sica tells the story of Umberto D., a man who fell on hard times after the second great war and trying to stay on his feet and keep his apartment in Rome. Using non-professional actors and actresses, De Sica flexes his brilliant directing muscle and pulls off some of the greatest performances in film history. As the story of Umberto D. unfolds we see that he gets into arguments with his landlord and ends up begging his friends for money and begging on the street. He really hits rock bottom when he realizes that the only thing that cares for him is his dog, Flike. Yet as D., sinks further down the financial spiral and cannot look after himself, he then begins to feel he cannot take care of Flike either. Umberto D., is a powerful and touching film that will have you laugh and cry all within minutes of each other. The film itself has been hailed by Time Magazine, Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman, and many critics as one of the greatest films ever made.