Maxim Gorky’s ‘The Lower depths’ attracted two of cinema’s greatest practitioners to its pages. Just as Jean Renoir’s ‘Les Bas Fonds’ was a very French adaptation, so Kurosawa’s film is quite specifically Japanese, with Gorky’s Moscow slums transposing easily (and faithfully) to Kurosawa’s stylised Tokyo hovel. The resulting ensemble piece displays the director’s technical virtuosity and his ability to draw outstanding performances from his cast. Stars Toshiro Mifune. From the play by Maxim Gorky. Japanese with English subtitles.