October 29th, 2015 – The exhibition “Masters of Neorealism: Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica,” organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in Sydney, has announced its 7th and last meeting on November 5th, with the screening of “Umberto D.”, at 7:30pm at the Casula Powerhouse. The film, written by Cesare Zavattini and directed by Vittorio De Sica in 1952, was considered by critics one of De Sica’s best films, but wasn’t warmly welcomed by either the public or the Italian political class, which felt that the film depicted an Italy that was too poor and desperate and didn’t correspond exactly to the social reality of the time. De Sica dedicated the film to his father, with whom he had a very strong bond. The main character, Umberto Domenico Ferrari (played by Carlo Battisti, Professor of linguistics at the University of Florence), is a former civil servant, living in a sublet room in the company of his puppy, barely surviving with his modest pension. When the landlady threatens to evict him, things start to fall apart, so much so that Umberto D. has to beg on the streets and fight his suicidal urges. (Red)
