Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano) (Italy, 1951);
Umberto D. (Italy, 1952)

November 4, 2011 - 7:30 pm

Billy Wilder Theater

Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano) (Italy, 1951)

Directed by Vittorio De Sica

An unusual injection of fantasy into the neo-realist vein, director Vittorio De Sica’s follow-up to Bicycle Thieves (based on a novel by Zavattini) presents a baby discovered in a cabbage patch who, with the help of a magic dove, grows up to lead a shantytown revolt against oil-driven industrialists. Tipping his hat to René Clair and Charlie Chaplin, De Sica offers a warm, delightful fairy tale.

Producer: Umberto Scarpelli. Based on a novel by Cesare Zavattini. Screenwriter: Cesare Zavattini, Vittorio De Sica. Cinematographer: G.R. Aldo. Editor: Eraldo Da Roma. Cast: Francesco Golisano, Brunella Bova, Emma Gramatica, Paolo Stoppa, Guglielmo Barnabò.

35mm, b/w, in Italian with English subtitles, 101 min.

Umberto D. (1952)

Directed by Vittorio De Sica

The heart-wrenching tragedy of De Sica’s Umberto D. emerges from the matter-of-factness with which he depicts the struggle of a retired pensioner to survive with dignity in a world that’s cast him aside. Working with a non-professional cast, De Sica confronts our conscience with images stripped of artificiality and sentiment in perhaps the most perfect example of the neo-realist ideal.

Producer: Giuseppe Amato. Screenwriter: Cesare Zavattini. Cinematographer: G.R. Aldo. Editor: Eraldo Da Roma. Cast: Carlo Battisti, Maria Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari, Memmo Carotenuto, Alberto Albani Barbieri.

35mm, b/w, 89 min.

Part of:

Days of Glory: Masterworks of Italian Neo-Realism

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Miracle in Milan (Miracolo a Milano) (Italy, 1951); Umberto D. (Italy, 1952)