Ballad of Narayama

UPC: 737187011955

Studio: Animeigo

MPAA Rating: 18Up   Contains:[Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children]

Summary: In this second, award-winning interpretation of a novel by Shichiro Fukazawa, director Shohei Imamura has inserted some scenes of violence and ritual sex that are shocking and were absent in the first, 1958 film. The story is set in the 19th century in a remote and severely impoverished mountain village in northern Japan. In this fictional society, once the elderly have reached the age of 70 they are brought up Mount Nara, where ancient gods reside, and left to die hopefully blessed by the deities -- this sacrifice will free up food for someone else in the village. Orin (Sumiko Sakamoto) is a 69-year-old grandmother living with one of her sons and three grandchildren and she prepares for her departure for an entire year. Among other activities (not always morally acceptable), she gets a new wife for her oldest son, and then shows the wife where the best place is for catching fish and how to take care of the family. At the top of the mountain, hundreds of skeletons and hungry black crows wait for the next arrivals as the resigned grandmother and one grieving son make the final ascent together, the woman strapped to her son's back. Director Imamura has trenchantly probed the nature of inhumanity and survival in a small, everyman's village. Narayama Bushi Ko won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1983. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Palme d'Or – Cannes Film Festival

Features: Theatrical trailers
Program notes
Image gallery

Ballad of Narayama

Format: DVD

Release Date: 06/10/2008

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 130 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Ballad of Narayama
1. Opening Credits [3:01]
2. Orin's Legacy [4:26]
3. Fertilizer Like That [5:48]
4. Father and the Bride [6:21]
5. Embarrassingly Healthy [7:18]
6. Here Comes the Bride [7:19]
7. Big, Rocklike Teeth [7:08]
8. Curse of the Yakko [6:12]
9. Stinker's Secrets [5:25]
10. Fox in the Henhouse [7:45]
11. Hot Potatoes [7:26]
12. Don't Pray to It [5:25]
13. Stinker Gets the Shaft [5:50]
14. Rihei Returns [6:42]
15. Mountain Pilgrimage [7:43]
16. The Journey Begins [6:58]
17. The Journey Continues [8:25]
18. The Journey Continues [5:23]
19. Destination: Desertion [6:30]
20. It's a Sign! [6:52]
21. End Credits [1:43]

Cast and Crew: Ryutaro Tatsumi  Actor 
Keishi Takamine  Actor 
Takejo Aki  Actor 
Taiji Tonoyama  Actor 
Shoichi Ozawa  Actor 
Norihei Miki  Actor 
Akio Yokoyama  Actor 
Tonpei Hidari  Actor 
Fujio Tsuneda  Actor 
Shinichiro Ikebe  Composer (Music Score) 
Shohei Imamura  Director 
Shohei Imamura  Screenwriter 
Sumiko Sakamoto  Actor 
Ken Ogata  Actor 
Seiji Kurasaki  Actor 
Mitsuko Baisho  Actor 
Nijiko Kiyokawa  Actor 
Kaoru Shimamori  Actor 

Country: Japan