Why Akira Kurosawa turned a Russian classic into a gritty Edo period masterpiece
In short: In 1957, Akira Kurosawa adapted Maxim Gorky’s 1902 play for the screen, relocating the story from late 19th-century Russia to a decaying Edo period tenement. By filming on a meticulously crafted, filthy set, Kurosawa captured the raw, existential struggles of the forgotten, creating a film that challenged post-war Japanese societal norms.
Kurosawa’s adaptation of The Lower Depths is a study in theatrical realism. To achieve his vision, he assembled a cast of Japan’s finest actors and subjected them to 60 days of dress rehearsals on a set designed to be purposefully squalid. Kurosawa famously walked the set in his indoor shoes, viewing the grime not as a distraction but as the authentic home of his characters. He utilized multiple cameras to shoot extended takes, a technique intended to mirror the pacing and intimacy of a stage production.
The narrative centers on a group of societal outcasts—gamblers, thieves, and the destitute—living under the thumb of a cruel landlord and his wife. The arrival of Kahei, a mysterious Buddhist pilgrim, introduces a philosophical tension between religious hope and nihilistic despair. Kurosawa uses the pilgrim and a nihilistic gambler as archetypes to explore the idea that both religious belief and secular rejection of morality can lead to a similar detachment from earthly suffering. This fatalistic exploration, culminating in a suicide mocked by the gambler, marked a departure from the director’s typical humanistic themes.
Upon its release in 1957, the film received a mixed response in Japan. Critics and audiences were perhaps unsettled by the overt depiction of a hopeless underclass, a subject that post-occupation media largely avoided as the nation navigated the societal changes following the war. Despite this, the film’s artistic merit was recognized through various accolades, including awards for actors Isuzu Yamada, Toshiro Mifune, and Kōji Mitsui. Decades later, its status has solidified; in 2009, Kinema Junpo magazine ranked it as the 36th greatest Japanese film of all time.
The film stands as one of several adaptations of Gorky’s work, joining earlier versions like Minoru Murata’s 1921 Souls on the Road and Jean Renoir’s 1936 French production. By grounding his version in the Edo period, Kurosawa created a distinct, claustrophobic world that remains a haunting examination of human survival and the thin line between faith and nothingness.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Lower Depths (1957 film)
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