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The Ballad of Narayama (1983)

Ken Ogata , Sumiko Sakamoto , Shôhei Imamura  |  NR |  DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)


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Product Details

  • Actors: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejô, Shôichi Ozawa
  • Directors: Shôhei Imamura
  • Writers: Shôhei Imamura, Shichirô Fukazawa
  • Producers: Goro Kusakabe, Jirô Tomoda
  • Format: Color, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: Japanese
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Animeigo
  • DVD Release Date: June 10, 2008
  • Run Time: 130 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0015I2SNS
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,352 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "The Ballad of Narayama" on IMDb

Special Features

None.

Editorial Reviews

"From two-time Palme d'Or-winning director Shohei IMAMURA comes a powerful and unforgettable human drama with exquisite cinematography. A milestone in Japanese Cinema, this film will question your fundamental view of humanity, and offers a glimpse into a timeless world where survival overrules compassion, and the decisions of who shall live and die are born of starving necessity and animal instinct.

In a small village in a remote valley, everyone who reaches the age of 70 is banished to the top of Mt. Narayama to die, so as not to be a burden on the village and bring disgrace upon their family. Old Orin is 69, and despite being in good health, in the coming winter it will be her turn to leave. But first, there are a few things that need doing.

DVD Features:

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese with English Subtitles

Bonus Material Includes: Image Gallery
Program Notes
Original Theatrical Trailers
"


Customer Reviews

Orin accepts this, so both her life and death are full. James Steve Robles  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Excellent staging, great actors make this film a true masterpiece. pva  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Imamura's Humanism August 25, 2000
Format:VHS Tape
Shohei Imamura did something astonishing with his film 'The Ballad of Narayama.' Not only did he attempt to update a popular Japanese legend, he was creating an alternate version of the established classic, made by Keisuke Kinoshita [see Twenty Four Eyes] at the height of his powers. Reverence for the aged is a hallmark of Japanese society, so the ancient tradition of mountain people of exposing their no-longer productive relations on a mountaintop to die is very shocking to the Japanese. Kinoshita addressed the legend in a very stylized way, distancing the viewer from the action and thereby making the actions of these poor people somehow less terrible. Imamura, in stark contrast, emphasized the savagery of the traditional mountain society by parallelling it with the savagery of the natural world in which it, too, must survive. Imamura thereby makes the tradition seem somewhat inevitable and all the more moving because of its inexorability. These people aren't inhuman savages. They are survivors in a harsh environment. Imamura examines character so honestly that the people he depicts are revealed in their true humanity, and their actions are shown to be all the more tragic. A triumph for Imamura.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A true masterpiece, March 6, 2008
By Galina
Format:VHS Tape
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Based of the old and unusual Japanese legend, Shohei Imamura's "The Ballad of Narayama" won the Golden Palm in 1983 Cannes Festival. Set in the 19th century in a remote mountain village in the north of the country, it tells of the custom according to which when a person reached 70 years old they were taken to the top of Mount Narayama and left there to die.

When I saw "The Ballad of Narayama" back in the 80s, I did not know anything about it. There were no commercials; the film was not widely released. I think it was only two shows in the theater near our house in Moscow. All we knew that the film was a Cannes Festival winner. Our sons were little then, we did not have a babysitter, and we bought tickets to two different shows. My husband went first, and when he came back, I waited for him at the door, ready to leave. He looked quiet, serious and withdrawn when he returned home. I asked him how the movie was and he said to me to go and see it, and then we'd talk...After I came home, I did not want to talk, I did not know what to say, I was overwhelmed - with the unique style of film-making that I did not know even existed, with the images, but also with the very simplicity of the story and with the whole concept of surviving above everything else. Among the most devastating scenes for me was the old woman readily and happily accepting her turn to be taken to Narayma. The woman of perfect health and mind, the one who is perhaps the sanest in her family is so tired of this life that she on purpose knocks out one of her teeth just to seem older, more fragile, helpless, and ill and to be taken to the long -awaited rest. But before she is taken to Naryama, she will take care of her three grown sons' problems.

There are many unforgettable scenes in the film, both bleak and life-affirming. One stands out after all these years. There is a shining brilliant spring day, and every living creature in sight is engaged in love, young couple on the swing, birds, animals, and snakes - the whole nature celebrates life and longing and love. And soon after that, as the contrast, the horrifying scene where the family of thieves who had stolen some food from the neighbors are buried alive.

And there is the final part - the ascent to Narayama, the middle-aged son carries his mother to her final resting place, the last minutes between a son and his mother, and then, the snow in the end, white and pure, covering the earth and preparing it for the long sleep, and covering the old Orin, comforting her softly and preparing her for eternity...
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
"The Ballad of Narayama," by director Shohei Imamaura, is a very depressing and haunting film. But that is not to say the film is not a great film. The film deals with the harsh realities of life in a 19th Japanese village. This village is small, and more importantly hunger-stricken. The community concerns of survival outweigh the morality of those who must accept their deaths when they reach the age of 70. The villagers in this 19th-century Japanese village must adhere to a very strict policy regarding population control if they are to survive. And what does this mean? Well for starters, the elderly are sent to die near a mountain called Narayama when they reach the age of 70.

This is not a happy film, for the most part, yet the viewer must understand that the very survival of the villagers depend upon survival in its most extreme form. Stealing food in this village means instant death. Truly a disturbing film---yet we must not pass judgment, because for these villagers, their very lives depend on draconian measures. Because starvation is a chronic threat to the villagers, draconian measures must be adhered to. And in this village death is an accepted fact of life. The first time I viewed this film I was very depressed by it, however, viewing it again recently made me understand that these villagers must adhere to strict policies if they are to survive. It is too easy to pass judgment on there villagers: they must do what they can in order to survive. However, there is also humor in this film. But the rather sad fate of those who reach the age of 70, and must accept their death, makes one forget about the humorous parts [at least to me].

The cruel realities of this village are not lost on the viewer. And many may have a difficult time with this film. But it is at least worth a watch. [I own the VHS]. Although it is not one of those films one takes out too often for repeated viewings, it is one that everyone should view at least once. The film centers on the life of one elderly woman named Orin (Sumiko Sakamoto). She is now in her seventieth year of life, and must therefore prepare to die. Her son Tatsuhei (Ken Ogata) has the responsibility of taking his mother up to the base of Narayama to die. This is truly an unforgettable film. This self-sacrifice for the survival of the village will leave a lasting and searing image in your mind, especially as you view Orin about to face her inevitable death. This is not a film one soon forgets after viewing. This film is highly recommended. [Stars: 4.5]
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Very compelling and misunderstood movie.
Reading most of the reviews regarding this movie makes it clear that most of the viewers cannot remove themselves from their own reality and imagine what other lives there could... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Kaichu Dento
5.0 out of 5 stars Outrageously deep and breathtaking
Be prepared to have all your systems of values challenged and your heart turned inside out with an unimaginable range of the most unthinkable human emotions. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Clear Gorge
5.0 out of 5 stars Ten stars!
I read the book the movie is based on in Hungarian as well as in English and was apprehensive when we were on our way to see the movie. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Erzsebet Papp
2.0 out of 5 stars Two hours of inhumanity and cruelty
There are many wonderful movies celebrating the courage, honor and spirit of the Japanese peasant in the face of overwhelming adversity. This is not one of them. Where to begin. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Charles H. Volz, III
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you: It's grotesque, not lyric.
Many people will associate the leading phrase "the ballad of" with the idea of something lyric and emotionally moving. With this movie, they would get the scatalogically grotesque. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Susan Z. Swan
5.0 out of 5 stars Liked It A Lot
I really liked this movie a lot. It gives you such insight into the brutally harsh life that most people problably lived during the feudal period of Japanese history. Read more
Published 14 months ago by J Tate
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best movies about the real nature of life
This is with no doubt one of the best movies about the real nature of life.
It is not an easy movie, as our modern society drives us from the cycles of life specially death,... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Dalmo
5.0 out of 5 stars This DVD jacket is not the Imamura's NARAYAMA
This is the Kinoshita Kesuke's NARAYAMA !
This Movie was Made in 1958, the Best Film of this Year in Japan. Read more
Published 23 months ago by mi-de-ja
3.0 out of 5 stars great film making- story wants more
This is a movie with wonderful cinematography & a well defined script given that its purpose is to show life on the hard edge of survival. Read more
Published on January 11, 2011 by C McGhee
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best movie I've ever seen
This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's brutal, but for people who live in this harsh environment these brutal laws are the only chance to survive. Read more
Published on June 11, 2010 by pva
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