I always know that week is going well for me when I can count two Criterion Collection releases amongst my reviews. They are known for being the DVD studio for cinema lovers. Film geeks like me who are looking to either learn about the history of film or those already fortunate enough to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject know to turn to Criterion. The films they choose to add to the already vast library include those that are historically important because of the style of the director or the subject matter. They range from rarely heard of foreign films (“Onibaba”) to the occasional blockbuster (“Armegeddon”), but no matter what the choice the DVD release always offers terrific transfers and tons of extra features. This week I was treated to a double shot DVD set that included two film versions of the Maxim Gorky play “The Lower Depths” in one package. Both films are exceptionally good, but extremely different.

What’s interesting to see is how the basic premise of the story is still so relevant today. Focusing on the dregs of humanity, who more often than not didn’t plan to end up there. Just like those who live in squalor today in many parts of the world, including the U.S., they are products of circumstance more than anything. Of course, when you’re down, there are also those who strive to keep you down. It’s been happening for as long as there have been people on this planet.

The first version is the 1936 classic “Les Bas Fonds”, directed by Jean Renoir. Set in a flophouse in Paris, the film focuses on those who are forced to live there. The landlord, Kostylev (Vladimir Sokoloff), is a heartless and greedy man who wants more than to take his boarders for everything they have. He cares nothing for where they end up, or whether they live or die. The main focus of the film however, revolves around a petty thief, Pepel (Jean Gabin) who has been fencing his goods to Kostylev. He is caught one night, robbing the house of a Baron (Louis Jouvet), he himself teetering on the edge of poverty. The friendship they forge has life-changing effects on both of them as they face the trouble ahead.

This is more of a simplistic view of the story as there is much more to it, but it is enough to fill you in on the basics. I can’t tell you how much I loved this film. I was familiar with Renoir by name only, this being the first film of his that I have seen. His direction was flawless and the cinematography incredibly striking, considering the fact that most of the scenes took place in places that were less than beautiful. Having to deal with filming in black & white, Renoir’s use of shadows is particularly amazing. His use of the camera is wonderfully creative, with one scene in particular standing out as a good example. In it, the Baron is being chided by a superior about a sizable loan he had taken out. As the superior is supposed to be pacing back and forth, the camera moves as if from his perspective, never taking the Baron out of frame. At one point, the camera stops and we see the Superior’s reflection in a mirror just behind the Baron, when the reflection moves again, so does the camera. It’s a terrific sequence.

This disc includes an introduction to the film by the director that runs just under 6 minutes. Definitely watch it before you watch the film, it’s quite insightful. There is also a very educational essay by Film Scholar Alexander Sesonske included in the enclosed booklet.

The second version, “Donkozo” was directed in 1957 by Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. If you don’t know that name, you might as well go home now. This version differs greatly, not only in the fact that the setting has now been changed to the Edo period in Japan, but more so because it chooses to focus its attention more on the day to day lives of the people who inhabit the rundown shack. Some of the characters are similar, the thief this time being played by the great actor Toshiro Mifune. Overall the film is a lot more depressing, with little hope of their lives ever getting any better. The only ray of sunshine is in the simple hope that these characters embrace, even if in reality there is no hope.

It is in every way as great of a film as the Renoir Version, but it is interesting to note the range of differences that are brought on not only by the director’s diverse style, but the cultural aspects as well. Plus, Kurosawa went to great pains to make the sure that everything about the film looked authentic. The sets looked like they were ready to fall apart from years of neglect, and the costumes were convincingly tattered and shabby. One has to wonder if they had ever been washed for the actors.

This second disc offers up a few more features than are available for the Renoir Version. There is a commentary by Japanese film expert Donald Richie that I highly recommend listening to. He gives very in-depth opinions about the themes of the film, occasionally touching on what he felt the contexts were to certain scenes. Criterion also added in a 30 minute documentary called “Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create”, which gives viewers a look at the work of the director and the making of this particular film. There are also some cast biographies, if you would like to do a little onscreen reading. Of course, the enclosed booklet also has its own essay from authors Keiko McDonald and Thomas Rimer.

The packaging for the discs was interesting as you are given the choice of which side is the front. On one side you have the cover art for the Renoir version, and if you flip it over upside down, the other side has the Kurosawa version. The same goes for the booklet, you have to flip it over depending on which film you want to read about.

Judging from the level of quality I’ve come to expect from Criterion, not to mention the great films that they release, I honestly believe a DVD collection made up solely of Criterion releases, would be as complete a collection as any cinema lover would ever need.

1936 Version -
Directed by: Jean Renoir
Starring: Jean Gabin, Suzy Prim, Junie Astor, Vladimir Sokoloff, Louis Jouvet
Extras: Introduction to the film by Jean Renoir, New Essay by Film Scholar Alexander Sesonske, Author of “Jean Renoir: The French Films 1924-1939”
Specifications: Full Screen, Black & White, Monaural

1957 Version:
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyoko Kagawa, Ganjiro Nakamura, Koji Mitsui
Extras: Audio Commentary Featuring Japanese-film Expert Donald Richie (A Hundred Years of Japanese Film), A 33-minute Documentary From the Series “Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create” Including Interviews with Kurosawa, Actress Kyoko Kagawa, Art Director Yoshiro Muraki, and Others, Cast biographies for Kurosawa's ‘The Lower Depths” by Stephen Prince, Author of “The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa”, Original Theatrical Trailer, New Essay by Keiko McDonald (From Book to Screen: Modern Japanese Literature in Films) and Thomas Rimer (A Reader’s Guide to Japanese Literature)
Specifications: Full Screen, Black & White, Monaural

Studio: Criterion
Release Date: 6/22/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The Lower Depths an A.