This is Vittorio DeSica's simple but powerful story of a retired civil servant named Umberto Domenico Ferrari and his pet dog Flag. Umberto cannot afford to live anymore on his meager pension and is about to be evicted by his evil landlady. Umberto's only friend is Maria (Maria-Pia Casilio) but she is pregnant by someone that even she is not sure of. Umberto gets sick and goes to the hospital for a few days and when he gets out Flag is gone. He goes to the local pound and finds him. Umberto is a man who once had a very respectable job and has an immeasurable amount of pride. He has to think about begging in the streets but just can't go through with it. One of the great things about these Italian neorealist films is that we really do see what conditions are like in post-war Italy. The authentic locations are priceless to these films and it also creates a docu-drama feel. DeSica's "The Bicycle Thief" is my favorite of these type of films but this is also a classic gem! *****SPOILER ALERT*****
The last 20 minutes of this film is tough to watch and it can easily bring tears to the most jaded eyes. Unable to find a new home for Flag, Umberto tries to commit suicide by walking in front of a train with Flagg in his arms. A gut wrenching scene where Umberto is unable to go through with it and Flagg is temporarily upset with his master. The last scene of them together is classic neorealism. Umberto realizes he is a survivor and is just going to try and eke out an existence. The two of them playfully bounding down the road. Umberto's fate is unsure, thats the way life is. We have all come to expect these ambiguous endings and when they're done properly like in this film, it helps to create a truly haunting and memorable experience. Martin Scorsese said in an interview that this is one of his all time favorite films. The man has great taste!
The last 20 minutes of this film is tough to watch and it can easily bring tears to the most jaded eyes. Unable to find a new home for Flag, Umberto tries to commit suicide by walking in front of a train with Flagg in his arms. A gut wrenching scene where Umberto is unable to go through with it and Flagg is temporarily upset with his master. The last scene of them together is classic neorealism. Umberto realizes he is a survivor and is just going to try and eke out an existence. The two of them playfully bounding down the road. Umberto's fate is unsure, thats the way life is. We have all come to expect these ambiguous endings and when they're done properly like in this film, it helps to create a truly haunting and memorable experience. Martin Scorsese said in an interview that this is one of his all time favorite films. The man has great taste!