The Lower Depths (1936 film)
Encyclopedia
The Lower Depths is a 1936
French
drama
film directed by Jean Renoir
, based on a play of the same title
by Maxim Gorky
. The film is an example of the poetic realism
.
Akira Kurosawa
also directed a Japanese film
version of Gorky's play, Donzoko
(1957). Both are available on one DVD
from the Criterion Collection.
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
French
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
film directed by Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent era to the end of the 1960s...
, based on a play of the same title
The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18,...
by Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
. The film is an example of the poetic realism
Poetic realism
Poetic realism was a film movement in France of the 1930s and through the war years. More a tendency than a movement, Poetic Realism is not strongly unified like Soviet Montage or French Impressionism. Its leading filmmakers were Jean Renoir, Pierre Chenal, Jean Vigo, Julien Duvivier, and Marcel...
.
Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
also directed a Japanese film
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
version of Gorky's play, Donzoko
The Lower Depths (1957 film)
is a 1957 Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, based on the play The Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky. The film's setting was changed to Edo-period Japan.-Cast:*Sutekichi -- Toshirō Mifune*Osugi -- Isuzu Yamada*Kahei -- Bokuzen Hidari*Okayo -- Kyôko Kagawa...
(1957). Both are available on one DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
from the Criterion Collection.
Cast
- Jean GabinJean Gabin-Biography:Born Jean-Alexis Moncorgé in Paris, he grew up in the village of Mériel in the Seine-et-Oise département, about 22 mi north of Paris. The son of cabaret entertainers, he attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly...
as Wasska Pepel - Suzy Prim as Vassilissa Kostyleva
- Louis JouvetLouis JouvetLouis Jouvet was a renowned French actor, director, and theatre director.- Life :Overcoming speech impediments and sometimes paralyzing stage fright as a young man, Jouvet's first important association was with Jacques Copeau's Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier, beginning in 1913...
as The Baron - Jany HoltJany HoltJany Holt was a Romanian-born actress, who worked principally in the French cinema. She was born Ruxandra Ecaterina Vladescu Olt in Bucharest, and died of natural causes in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France....
as Nastia - Vladimir SokoloffVladimir Sokoloff-Biography:Sokoloff was born in Moscow, Russia. He became an actor and assistant director with the Moscow Art Theatre, before emigrating to Berlin in 1923...
as Kostylev - Robert Le Vigan as The Alcoholic Actor
- Camille Bert as The Count
- René GéninRené GéninRené Génin was a French film actor. He appeared in 134 films between 1931 and 1965.-Selected filmography:* Nuits de feu * Port of Shadows * Girls in Distress...
as Louka - Paul Temps as Satine
- Robert Ozanne as Jabot de Travers
- Henri Saint-Isle as Kletsch
- Junie Astor as Natascha