lower classes

The Lower Depths

[loh-er]

The Lower Depths (На дне) is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of lower-class Russians in a lodging house in Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902, Konstantin Stanislavski directed and starred. It became his first major success, and a hallmark of Russian socialist realism.

When it first appeared, The Lower Depths was criticized for its pessimism and ambiguous ethical message. The presentation of the lower classes was viewed as overly dark and unredemptive, and Gorky was clearly more interested in creating memorable characters than in advancing a formal plot. However, in this respect, the play is generally regarded as a masterwork.

The theme of harsh truth versus the comforting lie pervades the play from start to finish, as most of the characters choose to deceive themselves from the bleak reality of their condition.

Film versions

1936: Jean Renoir (son of the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir) made a 1936 film of the same name adapting the story to a French setting.

1946: Famous Indian Producer & Director, Chetan Anand began his career as a film director with Neecha Nagar (Lowly City), in 1946, which was an adaptation of this short story in Hindi. Neecha Nagar won the Palme d'Or (Best Film Award - then known as the 'Grand Prix'), at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946, becoming the first Indian film to get international recognition .

1957: Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, adapted The Lower Depths into a film of the same name starring Toshiro Mifune, in which the characters have been moved to Edo-period Japan. It is often regarded as one of Kurosawa's greatest ensemble films, featuring a large cast of classic Kurosawa actors. The Japanese title of the film is Donzoko.