Synopsis
Jean Renoir and
Akira Kurosawa, two of cinema’s greatest directors, transform
Maxim Gorky’s classic proletariat play
The Lower Depths in their own ways for their own times. Kurosawa, firmly situated in the postwar world, found little reason for hope. He remained faithful to the original with its focus on the conflict between illusion and reality – a theme he would return to over and over again. Working with their most celebrated actors (
Gabin with Renoir;
Mifune with Kurosawa), each film offers a unique look at cinematic adaptation – where social conditions and filmmaking styles converge to create unique masterpieces.
