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Umberto D. (1952, It.)
In Vittorio De Sica's classic Italian New Wave tearjerker:
- the melodramatic plight of elderly retired pensioner
Umberto Domenico Ferrari (Carlo Battisti), whose slashed monthly
pension caused his heartless and tyrannical landlady (Lina Gennari)
to evict him to rent out his room to prostitutes and their johns
- the close-knit, dependent relationship between Umberto
and his faithful spotted terrier Flike
- Umberto's touching lone friendship and relationship
with caring young pregnant house-maid Maria (Maria-Pia Casilio) of
the boarding house - with the transcendent scene of her morning routine
in the kitchen making coffee
- the tearjerking, ambiguous ending in which Umberto,
unable to give away his dog, contemplated suicide by stepping in
front of a speeding train near a park while holding Flike -- the
dog yelped and squirmed away before Umberto could step in front of
the train, and for the first time, ran away in abject fear from his
beloved master
- Umberto coaxed the forgiving Flike back to him by
having the dog perform tricks with a pine cone ("Flike, look
at the pinecone. Come on, here, boy. Come on, stand up")
- he
played with the dog (trained to stand on its hind legs) in a long
shot as the film ended, despite having no place to stay and no income
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Evicted by Heartless Landlady
Umberto with Dog Flike
Suicide Attempt With Flike In His Arms

Flike Coaxed Back With Tricks
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