The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)

The Ballad of Narayama
Poster for Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Directed by	Shōhei Imamura
Written by	Shōhei Imamura
Based on	楢山節考 (Narayama-bushi Kō) by Shichirō Fukazawa
Produced by
Starring	Ken Ogata Sumiko Sakamoto Mitsuko Baisho
Cinematography
Edited by	Hajime Okayasu
Music by	Shin’ichirō Ikebe
Distributed by	Toei Co. Ltd. Umbrella Entertainment
Release date	April 29, 1983 (Japan) September 7, 1984 (U.S. limited)
Running time	130 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考, Narayama bushikō) is a 1983 Japanese film by director Shōhei Imamura. It stars Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin, Ken Ogata, and Shoichi Ozawa. It is an adaptation of the book Narayama bushikō by Shichirō Fukazawa^[1] and slightly inspired by the 1958 film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. Both films explore the legendary practice of obasute, 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.^[2]

Production[]

The Ballad of Narayama was filmed in Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture.^[3]

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
• – Risuke
• – Tamayan
• Shoichi Ozawa – Katsuzō
• – Jinsaku
• Sanshō Shinsui – Zeniya no Matayan
• – Kesakichi
• – Matsuyan
• Mitsuko Baisho – Oei
• Taiji Tonoyama – Teruyan
• – Arayashiki
• Nenji Kobayashi – Tsune
• – Okane
• – Amaya

Awards[]

• Cannes Film Festival (1983)^[4]
  • Palme d'Or
• Japan Academy Film Prize (1984)
  • Best Actor Ken Ogata
  • Best Film
  • Best Sound
• Blue Ribbon Awards (1984)
  • Best Actor Ken Ogata
• (1984):
• Hochi Film Award (1983)
  • Best Supporting Actress Mitsuko Baisho
  • Mainichi Film Concours (1984)
  • Best Actor (Ken Ogata)
  • Best Sound Recording:

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.^[5]

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.^[6]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Canby, Vincent (1984-04-09). "The Ballad of Narayama (1983) (Movie review)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
• Hung, Lee Wood (2007). "Japanese Adaptation to Nature and Imamura's Ballad of Narayama – Based on the Difference between Imamura's Film and Fukasawa's Original Novel" (PDF). Studies in Comparative Culture (in Japanese and English) (75): 55–61. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
• Hung, Lee Wood (May 2003). "Natural Culturalism in The Ballad of Narayama: A Study of Shohei Imamura's Thematic Concerns" (PDF). Asian Cinema. Pennsylvania: Asian Cinema Studies Society. 14 (1): 146–166. doi:10.1386/ac.14.1.146_1. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
• "楢山節考 (Narayama bushiko)" (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-11-29.

External links[]

• The Ballad of Narayama at IMDb
• The Ballad of Narayama at AllMovie
• The Ballad of Narayama at Rotten Tomatoes