Umberto D
Movie: 1952,black and white, 89 minutes
-Director: Vittorio De Sica
-Actors:
Umberto D is about an old man who cannot afford to live anymore on the small pension he receives. To worsen his situation his landlord desperately tries to drive him out of the only place he has.
What does Flike represent for the main actor?
Flike is the old man’s companion, a dog that never leaves his side until the very end of the film because the man hesitates in front of an oncoming train whether he should jump or not risking the dog’s life as well since he is clutching it close to his chest. The dog is his burden throughout the entire film as well as his only piece of happiness in such a terrible life. Though he tries to abandon Flike several times the dog makes him feel guilt at the couples home for dogs, fails to be taken by the family he offers it to and finds him when he has walked away and hidden in the bush. At the end when the dog is now the one walking away from the man who had pretended to be so weak once before to be accepted into the hospital, now the man is vigorous enough to play with Flike in order to win the dog’s confidence back, his trust. After a bit of begging and playing the dog forgives him and this event we can assume enlightens him, the dog is the man’s gleam of hope, his savior. Flike awakens Umberto.
How do De Sica’s shots make the audience feel so real?
At the beginning of the film when the old men disperse we are lead around the bodies as if we were one of the protestors. The scene switches angles and our point of view, which sustains this in the shoes feeling. We are also presented a frame that has an over the shoulder shot of the policemen driving, almost running over the men as the herd them out. There are more intimate scenes which make us feel like were there such as one part where we are in the room of Umberto and he is trying to go to sleep despite all the ruckus. It is a close up that maintains for about 5 minutes of that particular scene. We look on as a person sitting beside him, leaning in perhaps, watching over the elderly gentlemen.
