Umberto D.

1952 1h 31m IT

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

98%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 768🍅98%Rotten Tomatoes●92Metacritic★8.1IMDB · 31,081

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When elderly pensioner Umberto Domenico Ferrari returns to his boarding house from a protest calling for a hike in old-age pensions, his landlady demands her 15,000-lire rent by the end of the month or he and his small dog will be turned out onto the street. Unable to get the money in time, Umberto fakes illness to get sent to a hospital, giving his beloved dog to the landlady's pregnant and abandoned maid for temporary safekeeping.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Carlo Battisti
Umberto Domenico Ferrari
Napoleone the Dog
Flike
Maria Pia Casilio
Maria
Lina Gennari
Antonia Belloni
Elena Rea
The Nun at the Hospital
Memmo Carotenuto
The Patient at the Hospital
Ileana Simova
The Woman in Umberto's Room
Lamberto Maggiorani
(uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Writers: Cesare Zavattini
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Vittorio De Sica, shot by G.R. Aldo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alessandro Cicognini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Editor Eraldo Da Roma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Carlo Battisti and Napoleone the Dog and Maria Pia Casilio carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0045274 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Vittorio De Sica directs. G.R. Aldo behind the camera. Alessandro Cicognini scores. Eraldo Da Roma cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

174 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Vittorio De Sica, shot by G.R. Aldo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Alessandro Cicognini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Eraldo Da Roma shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Carlo Battisti and Napoleone the Dog and Maria Pia Casilio carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0045274 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 16 themes, including "unsociability", "rome, italy", "despair", "servant".