The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)

Infobox Film | name = The Ballad of Narayama


caption = Poster for "Ballad of Narayama" (1983)
director = Shohei Imamura
producer = Goro Kusakabe
Jiro Tomoda
writer = Shichirô Fukazawa (stories), Shohei Imamura
starring = Ken Ogata
Sumiko Sakamoto
Takejo Aki
Tonpei Hidari
Seiji Kurasaki
Kaoru Shimamori
Ryutaro Tatsumi
Junko Takada
Nijiko Kiyokawa
Mitsuko Baisho
music = Shinichirô Ikebe
cinematography = Masao Tochizawa
editing = Hajime Okayasu
distributor = Toei Co. Ltd.
released = flagicon|Japan April 29, 1983
flagicon|USA September 7, 1984 (limited)
runtime = 130 min.
language = Japanese
budget =
amg_id = 1:3805
imdb_id = 0084390

nihongo|"The Ballad of Narayama"|楢山節考|Narayama Bushiko is a 1983 Japanese film by director Shohei Imamura. It stars Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin, Ken Ogata, and Shoichi Ozawa. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name. Both films are based on the book "Men of Tohoku" by Shichiro Fukuzawa.

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 Ubasuteyama. 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.

Awards

*Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
*Japanese Academy Awards (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

External links

* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ballad_of_narayama/ The Ballad of Narayama (1983)] at Rotten Tomatoes
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###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Palme d'Or
years=1983
before="Missing"
tied with "Yol"
after="Paris, Texas"