Akira Kurosawa, the noted Japanese filmmaker had creatively thought of a dramatic movie that transferred the setting of Maxim Gorky’s play with an intriguing 1957 release, “The Lower Depths,” from Russia to his very own native country, the Edo period. This was similarly compared to an era of cultural advances, offset by the miseries of those people who were not in aristocracy. This film focused on his favorite actor Mifune, as a crooked gambler, who fell in love with the sister of his cruel landlady.
Unknowingly, the main character in the story was not able to discover that the property owner had also felt the torch of love for him. As a result, the desperate woman had exacted a roundabout revenge by killing her spouse, and framed up the poor gambler for the crime. Madly in love, she had lost her frame of mind. Therefore, those poor people whom she had treated unjustly, laughed at her miserable plight.
This Kurosawa film had mirrored true to life scenarios of everyday life, especially for those people who had lived in the slums. I think this was the best setting that I had ever seen because one of the effective means to convey a certain message of a film was to “touch the depths of one’s heart and soul”, as they watched the masterpiece on the big screen. In addition, several people from all walks of life had been highlighted in here. It include a prostitute, an alcoholic, and a fallen samurai to name a few. What I liked the most among all the characters, was the mysterious pilgrim who had gone out of his way to make them realize the real meaning of “human sensibility” Moreover, the term general prosperity was an ironic description for his characters because if you are going to see this movie, you will see for yourself the flophouses situated against the valley walls, almost on the verge of dilapidation. Consequently, a viewer will find an answer to his own question “Is their any hope left for their inhumane plight?”
Though this flick might be advantageous to his students and to those with theatrical inclinations, this was not the case for the Westerners. It was because his approaches and themes were universal. Second, the cultural idioms lacked the needed resonance. Despite all these flaws, it can be HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
[flv:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEJ0Tw3u-Y8 250 185]
