The Lower Depths (1957)

In a Japanese slum, various residents play out their lives, dreaming of better things or settling for their lot. Among them is a man who pines for a young woman but is stymied by her deceptive family.

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Maxim Gorky (play), Akira Kurosawa

Stars:

Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyôko Kagawa

5 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toshirô Mifune	...	Sutekichi the Thief
Isuzu Yamada	...	Osugi the Landlady
Kyôko Kagawa	...	Okayo, Osugi's Sister
Ganjirô Nakamura	...	Rokubei, Osugi's Husband
Minoru Chiaki	...	Tonosama - the former Samurai
Kamatari Fujiwara	...	The Actor
Akemi Negishi	...	Osen the Prostitute
Nijiko Kiyokawa	...	Otaki the Candy-Seller
Kôji Mitsui	...	Yoshisaburo the Gambler
Eijirô Tôno	...	Tomekichi the Tinker
Haruo Tanaka	...	Tatsu
Eiko Miyoshi	...	Asa, Tomekichi's Wife
Bokuzen Hidari	...	Kahei the Pilgrim
Atsushi Watanabe	...	Kuna
Kichijirô Ueda	...	Shimazo the Police Agent

Storyline

In medieval Japan, aging Rokubei, his younger wife of four years Osugi and her uncle run a tenement complex at the bottom of a cliff, the complex which from the naked eye at the top of the cliff looks like nothing more than a rubbish heap. The tenants are a group of down-and-outers with some who operate on the far side of the law. Nonetheless, the tenants are close knit community in wallowing in their collective misery, those who care who know their lives will never get better as long as they stay there. The landlords have no compassion for the tenants, they mockingly only stating that the tenants will be given a favorable standing in a future life for any good deeds done around the tenement. The recent arrival of Kahei, a mysterious elderly man, affectionately referred to as Grandpa, who spins tales of the unknown, provides at least hope that there is a better life out there somewhere. Sutekichi, a thief who arguably is the leader among the tenants, and Osugi are carrying on an ...

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Plot Keywords:

pilgrim | love triangle | foreign language adaptation | elopement | accidental death | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 October 1957 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Lower Depths

Filming Locations:

Toho Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finnish censorship certificate # 87030 delivered on 6-2-1979.

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Connections

Featured in The 62nd Annual Academy Awards (1990)

User Reviews

Super ensemble acting

Kurosawa meant this to be a fairly straightforward filming of the Gorky play and it is. Like most filmed stage plays, it relies heavily on dialogue and a good translation for people who don't speak Japanese. Fortunately, the new Criterion DVD supplies this. You have to get some appreciation for the characters before this film comes alive, which it did for me about half way through. I watched it again and greatly enjoyed the entire film. Unlike the French version with Jean Gabin, Kurosawa does not single out any one character as the focus, which is not easy with Mifune in the picture. (He is not in the last quarter of the film). At first, we seem to have only a mob of quarrelsome boarders in a flophouse, but the personality of each one gradually emerges--the gambler, the actor, the barrel maker, the thief, the prostitute, the former samurai, the priest. Each one alternately harangues and supports the other boarders, while trying to maintain some shred of dignity to themselves. I would not recommend it as an introduction to Kurosawa (try Ikiru or Red Beard) but give it a try. 4 out of 5.