The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
"Narayama-bushi kô" (original title)

In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse he or she would disgrace their ... See full summary »

Director:

Shôhei Imamura

Writers:

Shôhei Imamura (screenplay), Shichirô Fukazawa (novel)

Stars:

Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari

9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Ogata	...	Tatsuhei
Sumiko Sakamoto	...	Orin
Tonpei Hidari	...	Risuke
Aki Takejô	...	Tamayan
Shôichi Ozawa	...	Katsuzô
Fujio Tokita	...	Jinsaku
Sanshô Shinsui	...	Zeniya no Tadayan
Seiji Kurasaki	...	Kesakichi
Junko Takada	...	Matsuyan
Mitsuko Baishô	...	Oei
Taiji Tonoyama	...	Teruyan
Casey Takamine	...	Arayashiki (as Kêshi Takamine)
Nenji Kobayashi	...	Tsune
Nijiko Kiyokawa	...	Okane
Akio Yokoyama	...	Amaya

Storyline

In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse he or she would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.

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Plot Keywords:

village | pregnant | snow | buried alive | topless | 

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Taglines:

In a time not long past, the first law was . . . The Old Must Die . . . [Video Australia]

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

29 April 1983 (Japan)

Also Known As:

A Balada de Narayama

Filming Locations:

Niigata, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of Ballad of Narayama (1958)

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Soundtracks

"Risuke no uta"
Written by Hitoshi Machida

User Reviews

Tough stuff but asks the basic questions

I was a little surprised by a few of the negative comments below since I don't consider this film to be at all slow or dull. Many foreign and Asian films (Tsai Ming-Liang, Apitchatpong Weerasethakul, Hou Hsiao-Hsien for example)are far more grueling and slow whereas this film is loaded with narrative events, humor, eroticism (of various sorts, not all involving contact between humans and other humans)and a profound meditation on community, responsibility and mortality. If one finds this slow then I'd imagine most foreign films besides Amelie would be off-limits. I have rarely seen a film that forces one to confront such disturbing yet important subjects. In this village where scarcity forces all over 70 to be taken to Narayama mountain to die, a 69 year old woman who is still energetic and capable must settle her son's affairs before taking her final journey. Pondering how one would live in a place where for years one would know that at 70 this would happen is one key question. Further, what are the final things one must do before dying. Finally, the film makes us confront the literal truth of bodily decay and corruption in the scenes at Narayama Mountain.