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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Maxim Gorky (play)
Akira Kurosawa (writer)
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Release Date:
1 October 1957 (Japan) more
Plot:
Una coppia di gretti usurai gestisce uno squallido dormitorio, nei pressi di una discarica. Una folla... more | add synopsis
Awards:
5 wins more
NewsDesk:
Akira Kurosawa: The Masterworks Blu-ray Disc Collection II
(From Affenheimtheater. 16 August 2009, 6:27 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Ugliness and kindness of everyone as a comedy more (20 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Toshirô Mifune | ... | Sutekichi the Thief | |
| Isuzu Yamada | ... | Osugi the Landlady | |
| Kyôko Kagawa | ... | Okayo, Osugi's Sister | |
| Ganjiro Nakamura | ... | Rokubei, Osugi's Husband | |
| Minoru Chiaki | ... | Former Samurai | |
| Kamatari Fujiwara | ... | The Actor | |
| Akemi Negishi | ... | Osen the Prostitute | |
| Nijiko Kiyokawa | ... | Otaki the Candy-Seller | |
| Koji 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 | |
| Kichijiro Ueda | ... | Shimazo the Police Agent |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Lower Depths (USA)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
137 min | 125 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M (2007) | UK:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The gambler's second line during the final song is "Jigoku no sata mo, kane shidai" (Money buys your fate in hell), an ironic Buddhist proverb about the power of money in the world. more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (20 total)
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Donzoko (1957)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| I can't be the only one, can I? | kkhitman1 |
| I HATE this movie! That's what makes it great! (?) | cpt761 |
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| Les bas-fonds | Kumonosu-jou | Ran | Miracolo a Milano | Hakuchi |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb Japan section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |

I enjoyed it. Everyone in the movie has very distinct character. I really enjoyed the superb performances of skilled actors who acted without going out from the dirty room and surrounding area.
After watching the movie, I read its original stage drama, "The Lower Depth" by Gorky. Most of the characters and the scripts are the same as the original drama. On Gorky's book, I could not help reading it with exact accent and gesture in the movie. Particularly, I can't imagine better way of speaking the pilgrimage Luke's scripts than Kahei acted by Hidari Bokuzen. I am sure the scripts of the movie are based on Nakamura Hakuyo's Japanese translation published from Iwanami. Even the Russian stage drama is adapted to completely different locale, you don't feel any awkwardness. This means perhaps, both the original drama and its adaptation are really great.
What only a movie could do is that you can enjoy subtle expression of countenance at close up. There are unforgettable performances by face, such as the moment of instant tension when the land owner, acted by Nakamura Ganjiro, and Sutekichi the thief, acted by Mifune Toshiro, stand together; or the moment the actor, acted by Fujiwara Kamatari, goes out of the house after gulping sake.
The scene of dancing with mouth instrumentation ('kuchi-syamisen in Japanese) is a great fun. Particularly I enjoyed the fat man Tsugaru dancing with sling; I found the actor is a professional sumo wrestler.
The most unforgettable personality is the old man Kahei. Can I become such a nice old man who can solace and encourage everyone around me? This movie can work out without Sutekichi the thief, but the old man. Therefore, the old man Kahei could be the lead character.
By the way, as a movie that describes the lower depth life with humor and music, I remember "Woman of Breakwater", by Philippine director Mario O'Hara. People in "Woman of Breakwater" came to live outside of the breakwater of Manila Bay. Everyone wants to flee from there, but can not. Just behind the breakwater is a park, and modern buildings. Describing the life of the poor out of the sight of the rich, it portrays mutual love among the people. "Donzoko" does not have such social viewpoint. Instead, it tries to show ugliness and kindness of everyone as a comedy.