The Ballad of Narayama main backdrop
The Ballad of Narayama main poster

The Ballad of Narayama

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7.5/10 • 172

1983-04-292h 10m

Drama

Only Time Could Change the Cruelty of Tradition… Only Their Love Could Survive It…

In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.

Directors
Shōhei Imamura
Editors
Masahito Watanabe

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Ken Ogata

    Ken Ogata

    Tatsuhei

  2. Sumiko Sakamoto

    Sumiko Sakamoto

    Orin

  3. Tonpei Hidari

    Tonpei Hidari

    Risuke

  4. Aki Takejo

    Aki Takejo

    Tamayan

  5. Shoichi Ozawa

    Shoichi Ozawa

    Katsuzô

  6. Fujio Tokita

    Fujio Tokita

    Jinsaku

  7. Sanshō Shinsui

    Sanshō Shinsui

    Zeniya Tadayan

  8. Seiji Kurasaki

    Seiji Kurasaki

    Kesakichi

  9. Junko Takada

    Junko Takada

    Matsuyan

Reviews1

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badelf Avatar

badelf

Nov 24, 2023

10/10

The short review is "life's a bitch, then you die" LOL, that doesn't do this absolutely brilliant film any justice, though. Imamura has crafted a rather sardonic, brutally honest mirror of humans. Like humans, it is both hard to watch, and simultaneously invokes emapthy. Few directors every achieve this level of mastery of the audience's emotions. It holds a well-deserved Palme d'Or. The legend upon which the movie is based is called Ubasute (姥捨て) in Japanese, or "abandoning an old woman". There is no evidence of it ever being a common practice, though it's a persistent myth in Japan. One of the very plain statements of the director, is that Ubasute reflects the way contemporary Western culture treats it's elderly. In the USA, at least, nursing homes substitute for Narayama mountain.

Media

  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster
  • The Ballad of Narayama poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
Japanese
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
pink film