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The Ballad of Narayama (1958)

Narayama bushikô (original title)
Not Rated | | Drama | 19 June 1961 (USA)
The Ballad of Narayama Poster
A kabuki theatre-inflected story about a poor village whose people have to be carried to a nearby mountain to die once they get old.

Director:

Keisuke Kinoshita

Writers:

Shichirô Fukazawa (stories), Keisuke Kinoshita

Stars:

Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yûko Mochizuki | See full cast & crew »
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6 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kinuyo Tanaka ... Orin
Teiji Takahashi Teiji Takahashi ... Tatsuhei
Yûko Mochizuki Yûko Mochizuki ... Tamayan
Danko Ichikawa Danko Ichikawa ... Kesakichi
Seiji Miyaguchi Seiji Miyaguchi ... Mata-yan
Keiko Ogasawara Keiko Ogasawara ... Matsu-yan
Yûnosuke Itô Yûnosuke Itô ... Matayan's son
Eijirô Tôno ... Messenger
Ken Mitsuda Ken Mitsuda ... Teruyan
See full cast »
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Storyline

In Kabuki style, the film tells the story of a remote mountain village where the scarcity of food leads to a voluntary but socially-enforced policy in which relatives carry 70-year-old family members up Narayama mountain to die. Granny Orin is approaching 70, content to embrace her fate. Her widowed son Tatsuhei cannot bear losing his mother, even as she arranges his marriage to a widow his age. Her grandson Kesa, who's girlfriend is pregnant, is selfishly happy to see Orin die. Around them, a family of thieves are dealt with severely, and an old man, past 70, whose son has cast him out, scrounges for food. Will Orin's loving and accepting spirit teach and ennoble her family? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

dying traditions | social convention | family relationships | mother son relationship | death | See All (28) »

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

19 June 1961 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Ballad of Narayama See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku Company See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Japan for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 31st Academy Awards in 1959. See more »

Connections

Remade as The Ballad of Narayama (1983) See more »

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User Reviews

 
really better than Imamura's version
4 March 2000 | by the_frenchie – See all my reviews

The same story: a village, a young man with his old mother. He will bring her to die to Narayama. the interest of this movie is the mix of tabuchi theatre and cinema. Each scene began at the same time the previous one is finishing. And really poetical story, and movie
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