The Lower Depths

1957 2h 5m JA

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 146

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Toshirō Mifune
Sutekichi the Thief
Isuzu Yamada
Osugi the Landlady
Kyōko Kagawa
Okayo, Osugi's Sister
Ganjirō Nakamura II
Rokubei, Osugi's Husband
Minoru Chiaki
Former Samurai
Kamatari Fujiwara
The Actor
Akemi Negishi
Osen the Prostitute
Nijiko Kiyokawa
Otaki the Candy-Seller

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Kazuo Yamasaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Masaru Satō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Akira Kurosawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Toshirō Mifune and Isuzu Yamada and Kyōko Kagawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0050330 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akira Kurosawa directs. Kazuo Yamasaki behind the camera. Masaru Satō scores. Akira Kurosawa cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Akira Kurosawa, shot by Kazuo Yamasaki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Masaru Satō. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Akira Kurosawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Toshirō Mifune and Isuzu Yamada and Kyōko Kagawa carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0050330 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 12 themes, including "based on novel or book", "slum", "love triangle", "landlord".