A fine humanist lesson, Reivew on Umberto D.

Maybe it is just me, but I was filled with conflicting emotions of sympathy and annoyance, towards the main character, Umberto D., throughout the movie. Maybe that's what Lu Xun means by "mourning his misfortune, angering him without arguing". The old man is vain, petty, and hopelessly inept, an entirely believable little bureaucrat thrown out of familiar territory, even though his perils move us into tears, as we witness this thin and unfirm frame shivering in the cold wind, abandoned by all by his faithful little dog, and lost in the inevitable hazard of old age, without any sense of security.

Upon reflection afterwards, this conflict of emotions, and my embarassment about it, testify to the great power of de Sica in creating a melodrama without over-sentimentalizing, which is a rare achievement. We are so dulled by sugar-coated Hollywood weepies that we often forget unfortunate people are, like all of us, less than perfect. Perfect paragon of a victim only exists in escapist melodrama and soap operas. Whether we can navigate through the petty annoyance in human relations to deliver our help to the weak, is a true test to our humanity.

And films like "Umberto D." get us closer.

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