The Lower Depths (1957)

The Lower Depths (NR)

"Japanese Blues"

Gorky's famous Russian play about the lower class living in squalor is transposed to Edo period Japan by master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.  It is an interesting juxtaposition, especially considering it was written right before the Russo-Japanese war of 1904, and Kurosawa handles it's transition without a conflict of interest.  Keeping the play structure intact by using a lack of camera angles and a flat set design allows for long acting takes with his cast.  Chewing through the material with gusto is legendary screen actor Toshiro Mifune but many of Akira's frequent collaborators have a part in the drama.  The slum-tennants are at odds with their betters and landlords, and despite their innante humor and obvious mental illnesses they function as a family and survive as a unit.  That is until Mifune's thief falls in love, but not with the lord's wife who he has been having an affair.  Soon there is murder and accusations and misinterpretations among the upper and lower classes, and while some of the drama may be over the top among the interesting cast of characters, the laughter they emit can be genuine and Toshiro's leading charisma is full force.  And if Akira's camera is restrained in order to revere the source play, the choices of setting and set design only go to enhance both Gorky's and Kurosawa's legacies.

7 That One Old Dudes out of 10 (GOOD)

12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men (NR)

"Deliberate deliberations"

Sidney Lumet's riveting back-of-court drama finds Henry Fonda in top form as he tries to sway his fellow juror's to the supposed innocence of the accused.  Filmed in Black and White with limited sets, the film follows the humanisitic back and forth as opinions are made and broken in a sweaty juror room where a conscensus must be made.  What looks boring on paper is lit up on screen by fantastic performances and direction that is more experienced that watched, featuring an all star cast of the days best character actors slugging it out with words and logic, debating such heavy subjects as race, the death penalty and the age gap..  12 Angry Men will leave you no reasonable doubt in it's greatness.

9 Switchblades Experts out of 10 (OUTSTANDING)