Sorry, this movie sucks

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Kurosawa was a great admirer of Russian literature and The Lower Depths is another attempt to adapt a Russian literary classic to the big screen after his previous effort, Dostoevsky's The Idiot was butchered by the studio. Like Maxim Gorky's original play, The Lower Depths is an atmospheric examination of the lives of a group of slum dwellers, which this adaptation places in Shogunate-era Edo.The limited setting (we never leave the slum) and the lack of cinematic flourishes creates a somber mood that wonderfully hangs over the film like a fog. In many ways, The Lower Depths feels more like a filmed play rather than a traditional movie. The sets of the dingy slum are perfect, feeling decrepit enough without being exaggerated. The limited camera movement helps give the audience a sort of 'fly on the wall' perspective while keeping them from feeling too detached through Kurosawa's masterful use of editing and a few strategically placed camera movements and close-ups.Unfortunately, the plot can't quite live up to the wonderful setting. The main plot, concerning thief Sutekichi (played by the great Toshiro Mifune) and his relationship with the landlady Osugi (Isuzu Yamada, who had starred opposite Mifune earlier that year in Throne of Blood) feels a bit melodramatic for my tastes; particularly when it's revealed that Sutekichi is falling in love with Osugi's younger and more pleasant sister, Okayo (the prolific Kyoko Kagawa). While these elements are present in the original source material, Kurosawa seems torn between focusing on the love triangle or making the the film a full-on ensemble picture. As such, he focuses less on the love triangle than other adaptations, such as Jean Renoir's 1936 film. This works out to the detriment of the a main plot as it is quickly overshadowed by the various subplots which are more interesting and nuanced. Mifune also feels a bit miscast here and I feel someone like Masayuki Mori would have been a better fit for the role. Mifune is a great actor but his range was never the greatest and Sutekichi is more thoughtful and introspective than the kind of role he was typically cast in.The supporting cast is excellent however. As mentioned previously, it's much more entertaining to watch this collection of misfits than to worry about whatever the A-team is up to. Eijiro Tono as the tinker and Kamatari Fujiwara as the drunken actor are particularly good but they all moments where they shine. The various subplots involving this group are all interesting and engaging, with the only real weakness being that the narrative forces them to step out of the spotlight for the main plot every once in a while.Overall, The Lower Depths is an interesting experiment from Kurosawa with some excellent acting and a wonderful sense of atmosphere but I can't really place it among his best works due to its narrative flaws.

Watching this during the aftermath of the 2011 japan earthquake actually boosted my love and appreciation of the purpose and the way this film is made. The central point of this film is about poverty and how people, who ended up living in the slums due to predicaments or misfortunes from various pastimes, resume their daily lives.It is synonymous to the real-life strong-willed Japanese who at the same time rebounded back quickly, and with dignity, from such a tragedy. The film appeared boring at first, but that is the intention. (Boring) Comedy was the main focus in the film most of the time, especially memorable moments like the old wanderer's unbiased comments, a few quirky characters and somewhat unconventional tunes hummed by some of the poor 'residents' which sounded so much like modern rap music -- the later parts of the film gradually dwell more towards the emotional side when viewers will understand that these people, jobless, not given any sort of purpose in life and thus were forced to live such a mundane lifestyle, need to commit to such silly/nonsensical acts and maintain an 'impoverished, simple mindset' in order to keep themselves sane and alive without thinking too much of the sad reality that engulfed them.Few hours ago (I wrote this review much earlier), I was significantly touched by the way the Japanese disaster victims, who in the same way, led on their normal routines as if nothing has ever happened; or for those direct victims who were being treated in hospitals or already lost many things precious to mother nature (and the nuclear crisis), they did not utter a single word about the tragedy but instead tried to care for others in the same boat. There were no clear dominant presence by the main leads as everyone commanded the same amount of attention, as if everyone were just supporting casts -- after all this film is about the whole 'slum' community. All aspects of impoverishment were well touched; how every single character ended up there and the subsequent effects that caused some to succumb as fallen victims of the system, or to walk away when prudence conquers everything else. The final song and the sarcastic ending was truly a perfect and memorable one that summarizes the whole theme in the best way possible.

I enjoyed it. Everyone in the movie has very distinct character. I really enjoyed the superb performances of skilled actors who acted without going out from the dirty room and surrounding area.After watching the movie, I read its original stage drama, "The Lower Depth" by Gorky. Most of the characters and the scripts are the same as the original drama. On Gorky's book, I could not help reading it with exact accent and gesture in the movie. Particularly, I can't imagine better way of speaking the pilgrimage Luke's scripts than Kahei acted by Hidari Bokuzen. I am sure the scripts of the movie are based on Nakamura Hakuyo's Japanese translation published from Iwanami. Even the Russian stage drama is adapted to completely different locale, you don't feel any awkwardness. This means perhaps, both the original drama and its adaptation are really great.What only a movie could do is that you can enjoy subtle expression of countenance at close up. There are unforgettable performances by face, such as the moment of instant tension when the land owner, acted by Nakamura Ganjiro, and Sutekichi the thief, acted by Mifune Toshiro, stand together; or the moment the actor, acted by Fujiwara Kamatari, goes out of the house after gulping sake.The scene of dancing with mouth instrumentation ('kuchi-syamisen in Japanese) is a great fun. Particularly I enjoyed the fat man Tsugaru dancing with sling; I found the actor is a professional sumo wrestler.The most unforgettable personality is the old man Kahei. Can I become such a nice old man who can solace and encourage everyone around me? This movie can work out without Sutekichi the thief, but the old man. Therefore, the old man Kahei could be the lead character.By the way, as a movie that describes the lower depth life with humor and music, I remember "Woman of Breakwater", by Philippine director Mario O'Hara. People in "Woman of Breakwater" came to live outside of the breakwater of Manila Bay. Everyone wants to flee from there, but can not. Just behind the breakwater is a park, and modern buildings. Describing the life of the poor out of the sight of the rich, it portrays mutual love among the people. "Donzoko" does not have such social viewpoint. Instead, it tries to show ugliness and kindness of everyone as a comedy.

Having watched Kurosawa's retelling of Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot" a couple weeks ago, and come away feeling that one viewing was already a bit too much, I was not expecting much from this. After all, Gorky is generally regarded as a notch or three below Dostoyevsky.But whereas "The Idiot" did not begin to mesh with a Japanese idiom, "The Lower Depths" fits in very well indeed. Much of the film involves the hopes, dreams, schemes and machinations of a handful of characters, all fixated on escaping the tenement and its soul-numbing poverty.An enigmatic old man who appears one day and spends some time in the hovel has a salutary effect on several of the residents, merely by dint of a level of kindness and sympathy that any of us would take for granted. When he leaves, the spark of compassion he has kindled dies quickly. Yet before he arrives and after he has left, there nonetheless remains a minimal spirit of camaraderie. I have not read Gorky's novel, but the "depths" here may (be taken to) refer to this bare-minimum level of feeling for one's fellow paupers.Running through the script is the theme of lies and (self-)deception, and how they can ease the bitter reality that society's outcasts must face every day. This above all works well here, for the Japanese themselves have a utilitarian (so to speak) view of truth and falsehoods. The hoary Japanese adage "uso mo houben", often rendered "a white lie can be expedient", could have been a tagline for this movie; for the alcoholic ex-actor and several others have little other than self-delusion to help them get through another day.Kurosawa manages to inject a measure of droll comedy while keeping the grim facts unprettified, showing us how the luckless souls at the very bottom of society grasp at the slimmest of hopes and somehow manage (...or don't manage) to keep on going. Superb.