#24 - Umberto D. (1952, Vittorio de Sica)

After watching Ray's rural South Asian take on neorealism, I thought I'd view one of de Sica's Italian classics. Umberto D. is the story of an old man who has nothing - money, health, family - except his lovable pooch, Flike. We watch Umberto struggle to raise enough money to pay off his debt to his landlady and keep his apartment.

I'm constantly reminded of Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru from the same year. Both directors utilize a symphony of tiny violins to tug at our heartstrings but Kurosawa's hero is trying to achieve something grand, while Umberto is just trying to survive. Ikiru is a movie I admire, but it gets pretty sappy at times. Umberto D. doesn't quite go quite as all out in the melodrama but I dunno, I like melodrama anyway. So, eh, good movie but not great.

new #100: Tristana