The Lower Depths (1957)

Kôji Mitsui: Yoshisaburo the Gambler

Photos 

Quotes 

• [Last lines; Tonosama stumbles indoors, dripping wet, interrupting his housemates' impromptu acapella song and dance number] 

  Tonosama - the former Samurai : Hey, everybody! Come quick! The actor hung himself, out back by the cliff!

  [the other men stare at him aghast. Osen slowly saunters into the doorway, clearly horrified; Tonosama's not lying. There's a long pause] 

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : It was such a great party, and he had to go and ruin it. Bastard!

• Yoshisaburo the Gambler : 'Piety is the last refuge in the time of trouble.' 'Belief finds glory, even in a fish's tail.' Praise be to the Buddha!

• Yoshisaburo the Gambler : Money buys your fate in hell.

  Tonosama - the former Samurai : Money buys you Buddha's mercy.

• Sutekichi the Thief : I was having a great dream. I was fishing, and I'd just hooked this monster snapper. Truly a dream fish. I was just about to land that fish.

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : That's no snapper. That's Osugi.

  The Actor : You landed Osugi long ago.

  Sutekichi the Thief : Who asked you?

  [Yoshisaburo and the actor laugh] 

  Sutekichi the Thief : Scram, the bitch and the lot of you.

• Rokubei, Osugi's Husband : [to Sutekichi]  Can I open the door?

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : Might as well open Pandora's box.

• Yoshisaburo the Gambler : [to the actor]  Gimme five pennies. If you do, I'll consider your 'naturally gifted actor' a star-billing, tip-top, top-notch, sterling-silver actor.

• Rokubei, Osugi's Husband : Three mats' worth for bedtime and taking over the common room. I'm raising your rent by ten pennies.

  Tomekichi the Tinker : Why not just strangle me?

  Rokubei, Osugi's Husband : Because I wouldn't get a single penny out of that.

  Tomekichi the Tinker : Wanna fight?

  [Rokubei staggers back, accidentally treading on a reclining Yoshisaburo] 

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : Hey! Ouch!

  Rokubei, Osugi's Husband : [to Yoshisaburo]  Don't scare me.

• Yoshisaburo the Gambler : Ugh, who socked me?

• The Actor : I can't risk breathing dust. Doc's orders. "Your bitol organs are poisoned with alcohol."

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : You mean "vital organs".

  The Actor : That's right, my bitol organs.

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : It's definitely gone to your tongue. Another six months and you'll have full-blown palsy.

• Kahei the Pilgrim : You're a good man, and smart to boot. What went wrong?

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : The slammer. Four and seven months. When they threw me out, I had nowhere to go.

  Kahei the Pilgrim : Oh, my. Why jail?

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : There was this jerk...

  Kahei the Pilgrim : You did him in?

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : Just my luck. There was a meat cleaver handy.

  Kahei the Pilgrim : Any women involved?

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : No, it wasn't like that... But enough of that. That was ten years ago now.

• The Actor : Just you wait. You really will go to hell.

  Yoshisaburo the Gambler : Don't be ridiculous. How can you to hell if you're already there?