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. On…
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The Ballad of Narayama
Overview
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.
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Release date
29/04/1983
Votes
209
Popularity
2.6
Ken Ogata
Tatsuhei
Sumiko Sakamoto
Orin
Tonpei Hidari
Risuke
Aki Takejo
Tamayan
Shoichi Ozawa
Katsuzô
Fujio Tokita
Jinsaku
Sanshō Shinsui
Zeniya Tadayan
Seiji Kurasaki
Kesakichi
Junko Takada
Matsuyan
Mitsuko Baisho
Oei
Taiji Tonoyama
Teruyan
Ben Hiura
Yakimatsu
Casey Takamine
Arayashiki
Nenji Kobayashi
Tsune
Nijiko Kiyokawa
Okane
Akio Yokoyama
Amaya
Kaoru Shimamori
Tomekichi
Yukie Shimura
Amaya's Wife
Masami Okamoto
Amaya's Son
Kansai Eto
Kinyan
Satoko Iwasaki
Sugiyan
Hideo Hasegawa
Kenji Murase
Sayaka Nakamaru
Azumi Niwa
Kosei Sato
Norihei Miki
Shioya
Ryūtarō Tatsumi
Matayan
Original Soundtrack
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