Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1983
The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)
Buy The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
is a 1983 Japanese film by director Shhei Imamura. It stars Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin, Ken Ogata, and Shoichi Ozawa. It is an adaptation of the book 'Narayama bushik' by Shichir Fukazawa and slightly inspired by the 1958 film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. Both films explore the legendary practice of 'ubasute', in which elderly people were carried to a mountain and abandoned to die. Imamura's film won the Palme d'Or at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.
Production
'The Ballad of Narayama' was filmed in Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture.
Plot
The film is set in a small rural village in Japan in the 19th century. According to tradition, once a person reaches the age of 70 he or she must travel to a remote mountain to die of starvation, a practice known as ubasute. The story concerns Orin, who is 69 and of sound health, but notes that a neighbor had to drag his father to the mountain, so she resolves to avoid clinging to life beyond her term. She spends a year arranging all the affairs of her family and village: she severely punishes a family who are hoarding food, and helps her younger son lose his virginity.
The film has some harsh scenes that show how brutal the conditions could be for the villagers. Interspersed between episodes in the film are brief vignettes of nature birds, snakes, and other animals hunting, watching, singing, copulating or giving birth.
Cast
* Ken Ogata Tatsuhei
* Sumiko Sakamoto Orin
* Tonpei Hidari Risuke
* Aki Takejo Tamayan
* Shoichi Ozawa Katsuz
* Fujio Tokita Jinsaku
* Sansh Shinsui Zeniya no Matayan
* Seiji Kurasaki Kesakichi
* Junko Takada Matsuyan
* Mitsuko Baisho Oei
* Taiji Tonoyama Teruyan
* Casey Takamine Arayashiki
* Nenji Kobayashi Tsune
* Nijiko Kiyokawa Okane
* Akio Yokoyama Amaya
Box office
Upon its Japanese release in 1983, the film earned in distributor rentals and in gross receipts, equivalent to ticket sales.
Overseas, the film sold tickets in the Soviet Union, 844,077 tickets in France upon release in 1983, and 1,696 tickets in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain between 1996 and 2018, for a combined estimated total of approximately tickets sold worldwide.
Awards
*Cannes Film Festival (1983)
**Palme d'Or
*Japan Academy Film Prize (1984)
**Best Actor Ken Ogata
**Best Film
**Best Sound Kenichi Benitani
*Blue Ribbon Awards (1984)
**Best Actor Ken Ogata
*Excellence in Cinematography Award (1984): Masao Tochizawa
*Hochi Film Award (1983)
**Best Supporting Actress Mitsuko Baisho
**Mainichi Film Concours (1984)
**Best Actor (Ken Ogata)
**Best Sound Recording: Kenichi Benitani
Anecdote
In early 2000s, the movie had a chance to be released in China, on condition that the sex scenes were censored. The director Imamura consulted some Chinese directors. They replied that the sex scenes were necessary contrast to the scenes of death. Imamura decided to turn down the proposal.'China Times' () in Taipei. Date unknown.
Home media
'The Ballad of Narayama' was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in May 2010. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
Buy The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1983