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.
Directed by Vittorio De Sica
unsociability
rome, italy
despair
servant
hunger
pension
retiree
rent
old man
hospital
black and white
dog
landlady
elderly
neo realism
italian neo realism
Rank
#3 in 1952·#963 overall
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
4.3 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Carlo Battisti
Umberto Domenico Ferrari
Maria Pia Casilio
Maria
Lina Gennari
Antonia Belloni
Memmo Carotenuto
The Patient at the Hospital
Lamberto Maggiorani
(uncredited)
Umberto Alivernini
Young Doctor (uncredited)
Mario Pascucci
Young Doctor (uncredited)
Mario Meniconi
(uncredited)
Crew
Vittorio De Sica
Director
Cesare Zavattini
Screenplay
Eraldo Da Roma
Editor
Giuseppe Amato
Producer
Angelo Rizzoli
Producer
Vittorio De Sica
Producer
Giuseppe Rotunno
Camera Operator
Popular Reviews
208 reviews
Andreas Martinez
10.0★ · 05/10/26
The kind of shit that can ruin the mood of anyone. A heartbreaking movie without killing anyone or giving any real closure
The kind of shit that can ruin the mood of anyone. A heartbreaking movie without killing anyone or giving any real closure
mahya
7.0★ · 03/26/26
wherever you go, you’ll be happier than you are here
wherever you go, you’ll be happier than you are here
Nura
8.0★ · 03/19/26
i just wish every older person could feel loved, valued and happy
i just wish every older person could feel loved, valued and happy
