[J-Movie] The Lower Depths Donzoko どん底 (1957)

Synopsis

In faithfully adapting Maxim Gorky’s classic play The Lower Depths, Akira Kurosawa incorporated themes from several of his better-known films. Transplanted from the play’s Russian setting to Japan’s Edo (pre-Tokyo) period, the film cleverly places its poverty-stricken characters into a vividly Japanese context while retaining their tenacious defense against life’s relentless miseries. As the title implies, the comedic drama unfolds literally in a hole–a dreary tenement sunken into a refuse-strewn landscape–where Kurosawa’s superb cast breathes life into the hopes, dreams, and delusions of their characters. Landlady, thief, prostitute, tinker, actor… all but the cynical gambler live in desperate self-deception, and Kurosawa finds poignant humor in the ways they hold reality at bay. Toshiro Mifune excels as the thief, but this is perhaps Kurosawa’s greatest ensemble achievement; lengthy rehearsals and multiple cameras resulted in a fluid, masterful film full of fine performances, confined to only two intimate settings yet embracing universal foibles of humanity.

Trailer

Title: The Lower Depths
Also Known As: どん底 / Dozoko
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English
Year: 1957
Genre: Drama

Cast:

Sutekichi -- Toshirō Mifune
Osugi -- Isuzu Yamada
Kahei -- Bokuzen Hidari
Okayo -- Kyôko Kagawa
Rokubei -- Ganjiro Nakamura

Production Credits

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Producer(s): Akira Kurosawa, Sojiro Motoki, Tomoyuki Tanaka

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