Donzoko = The Lower depths

Gorky’s classic proletarian drama about human flotsam in a Moscow dosshouse living on illusions was revived by Kurosawa who injected new meaning into the adaptation of theatre to cinema. The film remains faithful to the text while transplanting the play into Tokyo of the Edo period. Kurosawa consciously brings out the humour not normally associated with the play but inherent in the gap between illusion and reality at the play’s centre. The Edo setting is deliberately ironic because it is a period that is usually romanticised by the Japanese. ‘The Lower Depths’ was filmed on only two sets but Kurosawa reconstitutes theatrical space in cinematic terms while retaining a deliberate theatricality in the use of sound and especially in performance. Acting is presentational rather than interpretational. Multiple cameras allowed the actors to maintain some continuity of performance (see also High and Low). See also, the version directed by Jean Renoir in 1936 (held in our collection). Also available on 16mm.

Credits: Producers, Shojiro Moroki, Akira Kurosawa ; director, Akira Kurosawa ; script, Hideo Oguni, Akira Kurosawa ; photography, Ichio Yamasaki ; music, Masaru Sato.
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Ganjiro Nakamura.