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Movies / On DVD / The Ballad of Narayama
The Ballad of Narayama

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The Ballad of Narayama (1983)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:8

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.3/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: In a remote 19th-century village in Japan, food is so scarce that babies are left to die, and thieves who steal a few potatoes are buried alive with their families. And when the elderly reach the... In a remote 19th-century village in Japan, food is so scarce that babies are left to die, and thieves who steal a few potatoes are buried alive with their families. And when the elderly reach the age of 70, they are banished to a frigid mountain so that their families won't have to feed them. The film begins one winter, as the 69-year-old Orin (Sumiko Sakamoto) prepares to ascend Mount Narayama. Meanwhile, one of her sons tries to convince her to live, while her other son, who has body odor problems, desperately searches for sexual release. Director Shohei Imamura picks up where he left off in THE PROFOUND DESIRE OF THE GODS and shatters the stereotype of Japanese as a polite, quiet people fond of tea ceremonies and geishas. A remake of director Keisuke Kinoshita's 1958 film NARAYAMA BUSHI-KO and based on MEN OF TOHOKU by Shichiro Fukuzawa, Imamura's film is profane, shocking, and disturbing. Scenes of human coupling are juxtaposed with scenes of insects and animals having sex, as if to emphasize the savagery of these villagers. Despite these lurid images, the film is a thought-provoking account of humans trying to preserve their dignity and traditions in the face of harsh conditions. [More]

Starring: Sumiko Sakamoto, Ken Ogata, Shoichi Ozawa

Starring: Sumiko Sakamoto, Ken Ogata, Shoichi Ozawa

Director: Shohei Imamura

Director: Shohei Imamura

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Release:

Jun 10, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • In a remote 19th-century village in Japan, food is so scarce that babies are left to die, and thieves who steal a few potatoes are buried alive with their families. And when the elderly reach the age of 70, they are banished to a frigid mountain so that their families won't have to feed them. The film begins one winter, as the 69-year-old Orin (Sumiko Sakamoto) prepares to ascend Mount Narayama. Meanwhile, one of her sons tries to convince her to live, while her other son, who has body odor problems, desperately searches for sexual release. Director Shohei Imamura picks up where he left off in THE PROFOUND DESIRE OF THE GODS and shatters the stereotype of Japanese as a polite, quiet people fond of tea ceremonies and geishas. A remake of director Keisuke Kinoshita's 1958 film NARAYAMA BUSHI-KO and based on MEN OF TOHOKU by Shichiro Fukuzawa, Imamura's film is profane, shocking, and disturbing. Scenes of human coupling are juxtaposed with scenes of insects and animals having sex, as if to emphasize the savagery of these villagers. Despite these lurid images, the film is a thought-provoking account of humans trying to preserve their dignity and traditions in the face of harsh conditions.
  • Source: KOCH Entertainment Distribution
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    Reviews for The Ballad of Narayama

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    1 - 12 (sorted by date)
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    A good movie that could have been truly great

    Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
    08/05/09
    Gabe Leibowitz
    Gabe Leibowitz
    Film and Felt

    A masterpiece of the human condition...[but] below the very peak of Imamura's filmmaking powers.

    Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
    09/29/08
    Tim Brayton
    Tim Brayton
    Antagony & Ecstasy

    a remarkable comedy/drama that lives up to that overused adjective: haunting

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    08/02/08
    Don Willmott
    Don Willmott
    Filmcritic.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    07/22/08
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Grippingly told tale.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    06/24/08
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    01/26/06
    Time Out
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    08/08/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    02/17/04
    Channel 4 Film
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    07/30/03
    TV Guide's Movie Guide
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Presents a wild, realistic and raw portrait of life in a small Japanese mountain village one hundred years ago

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    07/23/03
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Vincent Canby
    Vincent Canby
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The Ballad of Naramaya is an indelible and transfixing poem of a movie that packs a substantial and complicated emotional punch.

    Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
    08/09/02
    Jeremy Heilman
    Jeremy Heilman
    MovieMartyr.com
     
     
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