Dear Internet,
"The
Lower Depths" is the second film by Akira Kurosawa which has got stems in
play acting that I have reviewed for this Backlog. If you remember, the first was "Throne
of Blood" which was based off of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." This film is based on a play by the same
name, written by Maxim Gorky. I am
unfamiliar with the play. So, I cannot
do some sort of adaptation awareness review as I did with "Throne of
Blood", and I will not try. From
what I have read, the film is a close adaptation, and in some aspects, this is
evident. The most notable aspect is the
fact that the film only has five scenes, which I assume is a reflection of the
five act structure found so often in plays.
But that is a guess at best and a bit of speculation at worst.
"The
Lower Depths" tells of a group of people in the Edo period. In the group are gamblers, thieves, whores,
adulterers, and maybe even a murderer.
They are all gathered under a ramshackle roof of a greedy landlady. Within the film, we are introduced to the
various characters. There is Sutekichi,
the thief and lover of Okayo, who is the sister to the landlady, Osugi. Then there is the former actor who is dying of
long term alcohol poisoning. After that
is the tinker whose wife is on her deathbed.
There is also the man who claims to have been a samurai lord years prior
to the jeers of his peers. Beyond that
are a number of other characters who all have similarly tragic and depressing
tales. But perhaps most noteworthy is
the old man in pilgrim garb named Kahei.
Kahei enters into the bottom barrel in as a fresh element into the
mix. He gives the various characters
advise to better their situations and attempt to steer their cynicism
away. However, as the film continues,
the story takes a final dark turn.
Beyond
that, there really is not much of a story or plot. It is
more of a premise than anything else, but the most central story would have to
be the relationship between Sutekichi and Okayo. Sutekichi was one having an affair with
Osugi, but wants nothing to do with her now.
He is stuck in his way of life and wants to get himself and Okayo away
from the dead end tenement that the film takes place in. The film most closely follows this as the
central plot, but since there are so many characters that exist within the
film, it is hard to only tie it down to this one thing. The rest of the cast receive almost equal
footing in their presentation to the audience.
The tinker is on equal footing as the drunk. The thief is just as important as the prostitute. The landlord is as important as the sister's
uncle, and so on. This creates an effect
that the film is more about the collection rather than anyone specific. The film is about a premise, not a story.
But
then, what is the premise trying to get to?
It is wracked with human suffering, obviously. There is not a single individual in the
entire film that does not suffer or have some sort of heartache. Even Kahei, the traveling pilgrim, shows signs
of his less than perfect life before appearing in the film. The film starts with this suffering and ends
with it. It does not have much hope for
the characters. Considering that the
majority of the characters ended up there because of their own actions, it
would make sense that the only way for them to get out would be for them to
pull themselves out. Unless some change
occurs either within them from some outside source, they will most likely
remain there until they all die, one by one.
"The Lower Depths" does not paint a pretty picture.
Kurosawa
does a great job making the miniature world come alive. Between the varied cast and the set, the film
is able to draw in the viewer. I definitely want to give some praise to the
sets and costumes. The building they all
live in looks like it is about to fall in on itself. At the start of the film, two women toss
their rubbish over a cliff onto the building thinking it is desolate. The walls are made of irregular sized boards
that show how many times it has required patchwork fixes. There is one specific shot that shows the
roofs of both the shanty house and the one that the landlord lives in. The landlord's roof is made of perfectly
shaped and organized shingles. The other
roof is made of a mix match of shingles from a variety of different styles and
sizes. The contrast between the quality
of living is stark and quick to understand.
Then there is the wardrobe that the characters wear. Every single one of the shanty tenants wears
cloths dirtied to the point of being threadbare and nearly black in most
parts. When Kahei appears, he is wearing
white garments that are so bright that everything else is made darker by
comparison. The visual effect gets its
point across.
 |
| The haves, the have-nots, and the thin line between, |
The
film progresses nicely for about four-fifths of its length. At the climax, it bottoms out quickly. The last scene of the five is the weakest one
despite the final moments of the film.
Short of the last minute, it is uneventful and got me wanting the film
to end quickly since it showed no signs of going anywhere. On top of that, the final kicker does not
deliver all that much kick. I can say that
there is a suicide at the end and not really be spoiling the ending. This is because the film does not hint at
much of anything less. The film is a
collection of people at the edge of society with mentalities and personalities
driven just as far. The suicide is precisely
what the story was veering to all along.
It is the final crime that had yet to be committed. The character that commits the deed is
somewhat surprising unless you examine them closely. I would even say that the character that does
it is the one that had been most likely to do it. But in the end, the film goes nowhere except
to show the spiraling downward nature of a self-destructing behavior.
This
would not be so bad if it were not for, well everything. The film is way too depressing and negative
that it would be sickening if it went on after the suicide. I cannot help but think of "The Bad
Sleep Well." Both films detail a
cast of characters that have grey morality.
However, "The Bad Sleep Well" is a examination at the attempt
of revenge and how it is a black deed no matter the angle of viewing. "The Lower Depths" has got too much
of a sense of futility. Both films can
be seen as cautionary tales, but "The Lower Depths" plays a heavier
hand. The villain, if there is one, gets
away with exactly what they wanted. At
least in "The Bad Sleep Well," there was comfort in knowing the
villain lost what he really wanted.
"The
Lower Depths" is a not a fun film, but it is a good one. It gets its point across, I think. Then again, with a work like this, it might
be actually trying to portray the world it creates as a final truth. In the end, it is a fantasy born from select
realities, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. That is what all fiction is. The end result is what matters. For the film, it is an end that is just too
black for reality.
Yours in digital,
BeepBoop
P.S. See the announcement for further entry details.
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