I'm surprised there aren't more posts on here. I think "The Lower Depths" should be ranked up there amongst Kurosawa's greatest. The direction (so much movement in such a small place!), the acting (from every single actor and actress) and the moving story (compare this with Renoir's version which, while definitely not a bad movie, leaves me cold). Anyone have an idea why "The Lower Depths" isn't ranked higher among Kurosawa's films?
shareI have been wondering this myself...
I have only recently seen this, but i consider it to be a great film! i am getting really into Kurosawa lately, and this has to be one of my favorites so far... the ensemble acting was simply mind blowing! -so was the art direction...
But back on topic, I think that this is perhaps underrated (it is!) because it is a bit harder to "get" -I mean for the casual modern viewer, it is certanly demanding, there is hardly any physical action...
This is not one bit of a proplem to me, but perhaps to a lot of other people....
Ohh and one more thing, could it be that Kurosawa has too many famous films for his own good? meaning that this is being placed in the shadow, where it would probably not be in the body of work of a "lesser" director... who knows...
Anyway, love this film
Cheers
This one's my personal favourite, having seen everything out on r1 dvd's up until now... You are therefore not alone on this one!
shareThis one's my personal favourite, having seen everything out on r1 dvd's up until now... You are therefore not alone on this one!
shareJolly good, now lets start a fan club with 3 members... no, seriously, great to hear that there is others out there!
Og hvis jeg ikke tager meget fejl er du fra danmark også? fedt mand, en med-dansker der kan lide kurosawa!
oooh, that was delightful. Just finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Think how much this movie cost? Near nothing! Im curious about the budget of this film. I mean, one, small, crappy location, and the actors (not too many)
I think that only Kurosawa could make such a great movie with so little cash.
Anyway, that musical sequence towards the end had me on the floor laughing!
>>Anyway, that musical sequence towards the end had me on the floor laughing!
Extraordinary, isn't it?
The first time I saw it, I thought AK was imitating be-bop jazz -- but indeed, this is an authentic "jam" -- everything about it is perfect...
And of course, when MITSUI Koji looks at the camera and says we've "ruined the fun" -- CUT TO BLACK -- CLAPPER!!!
Brilliant filmmaking.
And of course, the poster who pointed out that AK made so many masterpieces, it is easy to ignore one or two of them...
Scandal (1950); Record of a Living Being (1956), etc.
LS
Couldn't agree more. Loved that ending. One of my favourite AK films.
shareI'm also a recent Kurosawa 'club member' and I think the 'The Lower Depths' is one of his 5 best (I've seen all his work).
I think the original poster on this thread missed Kurosawa's (and Yamasaki's) intent. It's 'stagey' because it's based on a Gorky Play and I think Kurosawa did a masterful job of translating it to film.
What's fascinated me about Kurosawa was his ability to make compelling movies with a fraction of the technology (and budget) of todays film makers.
It´s great to hear from other lovers of this magnificet film, make´s me all warm inside...
shareI loved the action scene.
shareDONZOKO is a most wonderful movie, masterfully done, and filled with exciting performances. One of Kurosawa's best....but, then, aren't they all?
Writing about movies is like dancing about architecture
Well at least the ones from the 50's...
share[deleted]
And the 80's too, come to think about it...
share[deleted]
I'm a big fan as well, so count me in your little group.
This one is my personal fav. its just too unique to overlook
You are hereby counted as a member of the small group of Donzoko loving film fans... I am the leader naturally, but you can get to be the guy who handles out free adverts...
I would consider this my personal fav. too.
I hate when people talk during the mooovee!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Batman & Robin
you are not alone...i, too, think this film is one of Kurosawa's greatest achievements...it's definitely an underappreciated masterpiece...
the performances are probably some of the best ever captured on film--from Isuzu Yamada's evil landlady to Minoru Chiaki's former samurai, everyone is simply superb...even Eiko Miyoshi, who we never even really see and who pretty much spends the entire movie dying in the background, is a powerful presence that cannot be overlooked--the elephant in the corner, as it were...Kurosawa absolutely knew what he was doing when he made this one...
please add one more to the list of Lower Depths admirers...
I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion.
Added you are.
Talking of performances then I also enjoyed Kamatari Fujiwara as the actor, such a hillarious and heartbreaking performance...
I hate when people talk during the mooovee!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Batman & Robin
agreed...he's always great--he and Minoru Chiaki steal the show as the bickering peasants in Hidden Fortress (but that's a discussion for another board!)...
I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion.
[deleted]
Fujiwara had a bridge (false teeth connected on either side to his own teeth) which he subsequently removed for filming of The Lower Depths...quite a nice touch, from a theatrical standpoint...
the man was obviously dedicated to his art!...
KF was in his early 50's during the filming of LD so--and it's just a guess, mind you--i doubt his dental insufficiencies had as much to do with his age as diet, the quality/availability of dentists and the practice of dental hygiene in wartime and post-war Japan...(or it could always be a simple case of hereditary, but i've noticed more than one Japanese actor of the period with bad teeth)...
I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion.
[deleted]
for some reason i think it might have been an audio commentary from one of the other films but i really can't say which one...but truth be told, it very well could have been the book (this old girl's memory just ain't what it used to be!)...
and i'm always impressed by actors who "take that extra step," even though at times it seems a bit extreme--as is the case with the assassination shirt!...it would appear, though, that many of Kurosawa's actors went to great lengths to please him--probably why he continued to award them with great roles in great films...
I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion.
[deleted]
You really should invest in those Criterions Vetch... they are worth every penny.. you can always PM me if you would like to know which ones/where to buy.
I hate when people talk during the mooovee!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Batman & Robin
i absolutely agree with Dyrkeren...the Criterion dvd's are indispensable...with the likes of Donald Richie, Michael Jeck and Stephen Prince providing the commentaries, there's no short supply of interesting info to be had...save for the current Sanjuro/Yojimbo/Seven Samurai editions (which are pretty bad but are set to be spruced up and re-released this year), they are all worth the cash...
I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion.
[deleted]
Now that we are talking about it, I can't wait for the new Criterion editions of Seven Samurai and Yojimbo/Sanjuro...
I hate when people talk during the mooovee!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Batman & Robin
cannot wait for these re-releases...the day Seven Samurai comes out, i suspect i may develop a headache and have to leave work early...
I'm afraid she's upped stumps and retired to the pavillion.
Yep me too, I can already feel the headache coming...
I hate when people talk during the mooovee!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Batman & Robin
Great film.
Indeed.
In films, painting and literature, theatre and music come together. But a film is still a film.
Akira Kurosawa
I need to watch this film again, for the first time that I watched it I still had the story fresh in my mind from the Renior film(which wasn't all that great), and when I tried to watch Kurosawa's I was just too tired, and I got bored, so I watched it with the commentary. But the acting, camera work and the overall staging of the whole thing is one of the great achievments of cinema. I'll watch it again soon, as it has been probably a year since I saw it last.
share[deleted]