The Lower Depths (1936 film)

The Lower Depths () is a 1936 French dramatic film helmed by Jean Renoir, featuring performances by Jean Gabin, Suzy Prim, and Louis Jouvet. This adaptation of Maxim Gorky's 1902 theatrical work juxtaposes the lives of the affluent and the impoverished, incorporating elements of humor. Filming occurred at Epinay Studios as well as on-site near Saint-Denis along the Seine river. The visual environment was crafted under the guidance of art director Eugène Lourié.

In 1937, the movie received the first-ever Louis Delluc Prize and was honored by the U.S. National Board of Review as one of the Top Ten Foreign Films that same year.

Plot

The narrative follows a destitute baron (Jouvet) who, facing despair, considers ending his life but instead forms an unlikely friendship with Pépel (Gabin), a thief who initially planned to rob him. After losing his possessions to creditors, the baron takes up residence as a tenant in a rundown district, where Pépel acquaints him with the brutal conditions of poverty. The film delves into the dynamics among inhabitants of this impoverished neighborhood, highlighting Pépel's complicated relationships with Vassilissa and Natasha, who is the sister of Kostylev, the slum’s landlord.

As police scrutiny intensifies around Natasha, tensions escalate between Pépel and Kostylev. A violent confrontation leads to Kostylev’s death, and although responsibility is shared among the residents, Pépel faces accusations of murder. The story concludes with Natasha securing Pépel's release from jail, and together they leave their bleak surroundings behind, symbolizing a glimmer of optimism.

Reception

In 1937, critic Graham Greene characterized the film as "a slow agreeable undistinguished picture," remarking on its "oddly stagy and unconvincing" depiction of destitution. Film scholar François Poulle identified it as a seminal piece within the pre-Second World War era of poetic realism cinema.

See also

• The Lower Depths (1957 film)
• Cinema of France
• List of French language films

Bibliography

• Bergan, Ronald. Jean Renoir: Projections of Paradise. Skyhorse, 2016.
• O'Shaughnessy, Martin. Jean Renoir. Manchester University Press, 2019.

External links

• Jean Renoir’s The Lower Depths essay by Alexander Sesonske at the Criterion Collection