Vittorio de Sica UMBERTO D (1952)
( This was the last film I watched for a Criterion challenge for this year on Letterboxd. This was under the category "Guy Maddin's Top 10" and I am so glad I got to revisit one of my absolute favorite films ) Umberto D is one of the most monumental and important of all films not because it has the most impressive technical mastery or even the most brilliant performances - though it has three very good ones (or even four if you count the dog Flike as a dog actor) - but because it shows what human decency is all about in the clearest way possible. It shows this because it is about how indecent societies can be, especially in cities, and how holding on to dignity is one part of it but just being kind is above all else what separates the good from the not. And even above all of that the film is a testament to life itself, why it is worth living, or why it at least should be given another chance even in the face of all darkness and despair. Director De Sica and writer Zavatti...
