Umberto D (1952)

Description

Set in the harsh environment of post war Rome, Vittorio De Sica's masterpiece examines society's indifference toward the poor and downtrodden. An old age pensioner, receiving a totally inadequate pension, struggles to survive and is driven to desperation and the contemplation of suicide. Set in real locations with a non professional cast, Umberto D conveys the harshness and wrethcedness of old age in a simple but devastatingly realistic way, avoiding sentimentality but evoking great emotion. The film was nominated for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story at the 1957 Academy Awards