The Lower Depths

The Lower Depths

Synopsis

Based on Maxim Gorki’s novel, the hugely popular Les Bas-fonds, made in the heady, optimistic spirit of the Popular Front, testified to Renoir’s commitment to the Left. Gabin plays Pépel, the working-class hero who rids his proletarian community of their exploiter, the repellent Kostilev (Vladimir Sokoloff) and at the end hits the road with his sweetheart Natacha (Junie Astor), in a tribute to Chaplin’s Modern Times.