The Lower Depths

With THE LOWER DEPTHS, Kurosawa once again looked to Russian drama for his source material (having done so before with CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and THE IDIOT, which were only marginally successful). Based on a 1902 play by Gorky and set in 19th-century Japan, this is an ensemble film filled with fine performances (although Mifune, as usual, stands out). The action takes place in a small hostel that houses an odd assortment of eccentric, loquacious characters. The landlady, Yamada, hates her boarders and treats them shabbily, except for Mifune, the thief she loves. Mifune, however, is in love with Yamada's sister, and when the landlady learns of this, she kills her husb...