The Lower Depths (1957)
In a slum flophouse, a collection of beggars and thieves bewail their lot in life, and Osugi, the landlady, fights with her sister, Okayo, over the man they both desire, the thief Sutekichi (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Maxim Gorky
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Kamatari Fujiwara, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Kyôko Kagawa, Bokuzen Hidari, Nijiko Kiyokawa, Kôji Mitsui, Ganjirô Nakamura, Akemi Negishi, Kichijirô Ueda
Genre: Drama
AKA: Donzoko
Country: Japan
Where to Stream
Loading...
The Lower Depths belongs to 8 collections
1. Criterion Collection (collaborative: moderated by caffe - 167 stars)
2. Kinema Junpo 200 Greatest Japanese films (2009 list) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 17 stars)
3. Adapted from a play/based on a play (collaborative: moderated by djross - 13 stars)
4. Remake (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 9 stars)
5. Sight and Sound 2002 (Single Vote) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 1 star)
6. Akira Kurosawa (public: kendell - 1 star)
7. Versátil Home Video (collaborative: moderated by allegreller)
8. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 2 |  |
Nathan S | 4 74th |
|
There's no mistaking this film's theatrical origins, a stagey chamber drama not very typical of Kurosawa's sprawling adventures. That's fine though, because it's elevated with excellent cinematography (see how deep focus is constant, the frame always full of action front to back) and features the director's finest ensemble gathering of performers outside of Seven Samurai. It's pleasant to see Bokuzen Hidari in a more prominent role, here as the beacon of compassion among misery and squalor.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
Farzan | 82 78th |
|
A great picture. Painfully emotional at times, but the comic relief definitely gets rid of that in a hurry, mostly by Bokuzen Hidari's character. Mifune as usual is great, and Kurosawa's camera shows the slum and its inhabitants despair with great potency, but at the same time brings out the best qualities of these characters and turns it into a heartwarming film.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
JooJoo | 3 30th |
|
Not one, but two scenes of a character bursting into hysterics and fleeing the scene....I kind of wanted to follow. Nothing here works on the level you'd expect from Kurosawa in his prime. Overwrought drama of the strict, theatrical type.
|
|||
| 1 | WoozyB | 95 94th |
|
|
A remake of the French original, it's a story about life and death among a loose collection of slum dwellers that shows how even the lowest people in the social order know how to party.
|
|||
| 1 |  |
torontodog | 85 90th |
|
Well filmed in the style of a stage play by the master, Kurosawa. The cast is quite amazing, a who's who of Japanese film. Plenty of themes to ponder. But you have to be in the mood to watch a play, as there is virtually no action.
|
|||
| Average Percentile 61.93% from 282 Ratings |  |