In an amusing compare/contrast exercise, this two-disc set juxtaposes two different periods and locales for wildly different takes on the same social statement. The earlier of the two, Jean Renoir's 1936 adaptation (Les bas-fonds), is lodged between his two most widely known masterworks, Boudu Saved from Drowning and Grand Illusion. Fortunately this film stands up admirably in comparison and benefits from an early starring role for the always reliable Jean Gabin (on the cusp of stardom with the next year's Pepe le Moko) as charismatic thief Wasska Pepel, who pawns stolen wares onto his bloodsucking landlord, Kostylev (Vladimir Sokoloff) while sleeping with his coldhearted wife (Suzy Prim) and lusting after her sister, Natasha (Junie Astor). One of Pepel's potential victims, a wealthy and self-destructive baron (Louis Juvet), appears unexpectedly at Pepel's flophouse as the threat of a police inspection causes the residents to scramble for plans to escape from their sorry fates and possible incarceration.
Shifting the location to feudal Japan, Akira Kurosawa's 1957 version stars Toshiro Mifune in the lead role with Isuzu Yamada and Kyôko Kagawa as the landlord's wife and sister-in-law. While Renoir opened up the events of the play to take the action outside the flophouse, Kurosawa moves in the opposite direction by focusing entirely on the sole, depressing locale, paring away many narrative elements to focus on the character quirks and suffocating atmosphere of social despair. His trademark humor and visual flair are in bountiful evidence, and any Kurosawa/Mifune collaboration is bound to be rewarding; though initially regarded as something of a lesser entry in both men's filmographies, this valid interpretation has gained stature over the years and benefits especially well compared to Renoir's more fast-moving, stylish entry.
As with many of his other films, Renoir shot a personal introduction characterized by his trademark wit and humanistic insight. (Criterion's other releases, including the eyeball-searing Stage and Spectacle box set, contain these priceless intros as well.) He also offers some interesting tidbits on the film, such as Gorky's approval of the play¿s transition to the French language. The Kurosawa version gets the majority of the extras, beginning with an audio commentary by Japanese cinephile Donal Richie (who keeps things surprisingly lively for such a visually static film), a new half-hour documentary entitled "Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create" featuring vintage location and interview footage with Kurosawa, Kagawa, and production designer Yoshiro Muraki, and cast bios. The thick packaging features a hefty booklet with two sets of liner notes, one by Alexander Sesonske devoted to the Renoir film and the second by Keiko McDonald and Thomas Rimer for Kurosawa's.
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by Nathaniel Thompson
