The Lower Depths (1936 film)
| The Lower Depths | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jean Renoir |
| Produced by | Alexandre Kamenka |
| Written by |
Screenplay: Yevgeni Zamyatin Jacques Companéez Jean Renoir Charles Spaak Play: Maxim Gorky |
| Starring |
Jean Gabin Suzy Prim Louis Jouvet |
| Music by | Jean Wiener |
| Cinematography | Fédote Bourgasoff |
| Edited by | Marguerite Renoir |
Production company |
Films Albatros |
| Distributed by | Gaumont-Franco Film-Aubert |
Release dates |
11 December 1936 (France) 10 September 1937 (US) |
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
The Lower Depths (French: Les Bas-fonds) is a 1936 French drama film directed by Jean Renoir, based on a play of the same title by Maxim Gorky. A glimpse into the lives of several people living at the bottom of the social heap, focuses on a petty criminal, the woman he loves, and a bankrupt newcomer to the slum where the story is set. The film is an example of the poetic realism. It received the first Louis Delluc Prize in 1937.
Akira Kurosawa also directed a Japanese film version of Gorky's play, Donzoko (1957). Both are available on one DVD from the The Criterion Collection.
Cast
- Jean Gabin as Wasska Pepel
- Suzy Prim as Vassilissa Kostyleva
- Louis Jouvet as The Baron
- Jany Holt as Nastia
- Vladimir Sokoloff as Kostylev
- Robert Le Vigan as The Alcoholic Actor
- Camille Bert as The Count
- René Génin as Louka
- Paul Temps as Satine
- Robert Ozanne as Jabot de Travers
- Henri Saint-Isle as Kletsch
- Junie Astor as Natascha
See also
- Cinema of France
- List of French language films
External links
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