Umberto D is Vittorio De Sica's (of The Bicycle Thief fame) neorealist masterpiece about a retired man slowly falling into poverty and homelessness. It was written by Cesare Zavattini, De Sica's usual screenwriter. Carlo Battisti stars as Umberto Domenico Ferrari. Carlo Battisti was a 70 year old University Professor; this was the first and last movie he ever acted in. And yet, his acting is the best you'll ever see on screen. Gotta love them neorealists for showing us how real actors can't act.

Umberto's an old man with very little to show for his life, which is always a pitiful situation. He has no children, he has no fortune, and he's about to be thrown onto the streets. He tries to keep his dignity in the worst of times, in the worst of places.

He has retired and is getting a measly monthly pension check which is barely enough to pay his landlady (Lina Gennari), an unpleasant character with whom he is on very bad terms. He's in debt to her, and if he can't get the money in time, he'll be kicked out of his home, where he has lived for 30 years. Umberto has various acquaintances throughout Rome, but no family, and only two real friends, Maria (the landlady's maid) and his dog Flag.

Maria (Maria-Pia Casilio) is a nice woman who has unfortunately become pregnant. To make matters worse, she isn't even sure who the father of her child is, as she had been seeing both a soldier from Naples and a soldier from Florence. Both of the men don't want to take the responsibility, for obvious reasons. When the landlady discovers Maria's pregnancy, she'll most likely be thrown out. Umberto and Maria can relate to each other, they both have to grovel to the cruel landlady, and they both have troublesome times ahead.

Flag is Umberto's life companion, his motivation to live. By the end of the movie, it is only Umberto's love for Flag that keeps him from killing himself. Someone with a close bond with their pet will probably get a little something extra from this film.

There's a particular scene in Umberto D, easily the most poignant, where he's on the verge of begging on the streets, but restrains himself out of reasons of pride and self-respect. If this ain't film at its best, well then, I sure don't know what is.

It tanked at the box office.