Narayama bushiko (1983)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Shohei Imamura

Writers:

Shohei Imamura (screenplay)
Shichirô Fukazawa (novel)

Release Date:

29 April 1983 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Only time could change the cruelty of tradition ... only their Love could survive it ...

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Village | Remake | Mob Violence | Buried Alive | Old Age

Awards:

9 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ken Ogata	...	Tatsuhei
Sumiko Sakamoto	...	Orin
Tonpei Hidari	...	Risuke
Aki Takejo	...	Tamayan (as Aki Takejô)
Shoichi Ozawa	...	Katsuzô (as Shôichi Ozawa)
Fujio Tokita	...	Jinsaku
Sanshô Shinsui	...	Zeniya no Tadayan
Seiji Kurasaki	...	Kesakichi
Junko Takada	...	Matsuyan
Mitsuko Baisho	...	Oei (as Mitsuko Baishô)
Taiji Tonoyama	...	Teruyan
Casey Takamine	...	Arayashiki (as Kêshi Takamine)
Nenji Kobayashi	...	Tsune
Nijiko Kiyokawa	...	Okane
Akio Yokoyama	...	Amaya
Kaoru Shimamori	...	Tomekichi
Yukie Shimura	...	Amaya no Nyôbô
Masami Okamoto	...	Amaya no Chônan
Hideo Hasegawa
Ben Hiura	...	Yakimatsu
Kenji Murase
Kosei Sato
Norihei Miki	...	Shioya
Kansai Eto	...	Kin'yan (as Kan Etô)
Ryutaro Tatsumi	...	Zeniya no Matayan (as Ryûtarô Tatsumi)
Satoko Iwasaki
Sayaka Nakamaru
Azumi Tanba

Directed by
Shohei Imamura

Writing credits
Shohei Imamura		(screenplay)
Shichirô Fukazawa		(novel)

Produced by
Goro Kusakabe	....	producer
Jiro Tomoda	....	producer

Original Music by
Shinichirô Ikebe

Cinematography by
Hiroshi Kanazawa
Shigeru Komatsubara
Masao Tochizawa

Film Editing by
Toshihiko Kojima
Fusako Matsumoto
Hajime Okayasu
Yoshiko Onodera
Masahito Watanabe

Production Design by
Nobutaka Yoshino

Art Direction by
Tadataka Yoshino

Set Decoration by
Hisao Inagaki

Costume Design by
Kyoto Isho

Makeup Department
Seiko Igawa	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Kimiyoshi Adachi	....	production manager
Kanji Aoi	....	production manager
Sôji Fukushima	....	production manager
Hisashi Iino	....	assistant production manager
Shinji Komiya	....	unit production manager
Ikuko Murase	....	assistant unit manager
Nobutsugu Tsubomi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shunsaku Ikehata	....	assistant director
Nobuaki Murooka	....	assistant director
Kunio Takeshige	....	assistant director
Takashi Tsukinoki	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Kenichi Benitani	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Yasuo Iwaki	....	gaffer
Yasuo Iwaki	....	lighting technician
Tadahiro Kimura	....	gaffer
Yûjirô Miura	....	gaffer
Masayuki Okao	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
Kazuko Okayasu	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Katsuyuki Katô	....	unit publicist
Shinji Komiya	....	production controller
Midori Kuwabara	....	script supervisor
Toshiyuki Mogi	....	publicist
Ryôhei Nakagawa	....	caterer
Hideo Suzuki	....	title designer
Uichiro Takeda	....	hawk trainer
Tsuneyoshi Yamada	....	publicist
Yasuo Yamamoto	....	publicist

Production Companies

• Toei Company

Distributors

• trigon-film (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cinemagia (Brazil) (DVD)
• Kino International (1984) (USA) (subtitled)
• Sato Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Toei Company (Japan)
• trigon-film (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Nikkatsu Studio  sound post-production
• Sanwa Cine Equipment  camera equipment provided by

Also Known As:

Ballad of Narayama (International: English title)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | France:Unrated | Australia:R | UK:18 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Itoigawa, Niigata, Japan

Company:

Toei Company

Movie Connections:

Remake of Narayama bushiko (1958)

Soundtrack:

Oya wo nemurasu komori uta

Disturbing, yes. Captivating, certainly!

This is a film about a culture that has evolved to deal with food scarcity. The people of the village have taken their choices to the extreme. Food is so hard to get (and keep) that the very old and very young must leave. Babiy boys are left to die in the snow, baby girls are raised only to be sold, and the old are brought to the mountain to die. The only thing there is plenty of is sex, for all but one man called Stinker by his peers.

The villagers are intent to secure life for themselves and their family and will do anything necessary. In the middle of this all lives an old lady, almost 70 (the dying age) but healthy and strong. She does not want to burden the family, so she gives up her place in order for the young ones to live.

Imamura registers all this without judgment. This is a lesson to most people, filmmakers in particular. See, feel, but don't judge right away. See, feel, think, and then try to understand.