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The Ballad Of Narayama [Blu-ray]

Ken Ogata (Actor), Sumiko Sakamoto (Actor), Shôhei Imamura (Director, Writer) Rated: Suitable for 15 years and over Format: Blu-ray
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
Additional Blu-ray options Edition Discs
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Blu-ray
26 July 2019 		—
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Blu-ray
24 Oct. 2011 		—
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Format Blu-ray
Contributor Shigeru Komatsubaru, Hiroshi Kanazawa, Aki Takejô, Masao Tochizawa, Tonpei Hidari, Shôichi Ozawa, Fujio Tokita, Jirô Tomoda, Gorô Kusakabe, Sumiko Sakamoto, Shôhei Imamura, Ken Ogata See more
Language Japanese
Runtime 2 hours and 10 minutes
Colour Colour

Product description

Cinematic anthropologist extraordinaire Shohei Imamura won his first Palme d'Or at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival for The Ballad of Narayama [Narayama bushik ], his transcendent adaptation of two classic stories by Shichiro  Fukazawa.

In a small village in a remote valley where the harshness of life dictates that survival overrules compassion, elderly widow Orin is approaching her 70th birthday - the age when village law says she must go up to the mythic Mount Narayama to die. But there are several loose ends within her own family to tie up first.

Creating a vividly realised inverse image of 'civilised' society with typical directness and black humour, Imamura presents a bracingly unsentimental rumination on mortality and an engrossing study of a community's struggles against the natural elements. Handled with a masterful control and simplicity, moving effortlessly between the comic and the horrific, The Ballad of Narayama is one of the legendary director's deepest, richest works, and ranks among the finest films of its decade.

SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT EDITION FEATURES:

  • New, restored high-definition transfer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Exclusive new video interview with scholar Tony Rayns
  • Four original Japanese theatrical trailers, including behind-the-scenes footage
  • PLUS: A lavish booklet featuring an interview with Sh hei Imamura, excerpts from the producer's on-set diary, rare promotional material and stills, and more!

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 16:9 - 1.85:1
  • Is discontinued by manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • Rated ‏ : ‎ Suitable for 15 years and over
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Japanese
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18.03 x 13.76 x 1.48 cm; 0.28 g
  • Manufacturer reference ‏ : ‎ 5060000700350
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Shôhei Imamura
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Blu-ray
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 10 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ 24 Oct. 2011
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejô, Shôichi Ozawa
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Eureka Entertainment
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Gorô Kusakabe, Jirô Tomoda
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005DDIVFU
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Shôhei Imamura
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
43 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Zdenek Hanzlik
    5.0 out of 5 stars The movie about ourselves.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2015
    Verified Purchase
    The MOVIE - probably the Best what Japan made in long time . What movie shows the rural community it still is Japan at present 2014. The people are committed to codes and relations. The concept of fiscal obedience and spirits is still there. Reality what Commodore Perry and Steam Engine have not took away. Reality of living how different from present day ? not so much-- Pachinko and Sex trade what we White skins or Christians cannot accept as their way.
    One person found this helpful
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  • LouLouLon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing film
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is a film for those who love cinema as a form of art and who like to use it to consider the ethics of life. I do not want to go into the content of the movie, but I would like to recommend it. Blue-ray.... as usual... if you have a screen that is any smaller than the one in a movie theatre... it is not possible to see the difference.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Mark Pearce
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Long Walk To Freedom
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2012
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    In a isolated Japanese mountain village,life is one hardship after another as the villagers struggle to make it through the bitter winter to grow crops in the spring and summer and then attempt to sustain their relationships with each other and with their food supplies to battle through the next winter.

    The Neko family, led by matriarch Granny Orin(the superb Sakamoto Sumiko, who had replaced the original choice in the role and who was only 49 at the time and who at Imamura's insistence removed her 3 front top teeth for the role),are the focal point of the film.Her "sons",the widower Tatsuhei(Ken Ogata)has agreed to a second marriage,Katsuzo(Ozawa Shoichi) spends all his time singing and getting the eldest Amaya daughter pregnant with tragic consequences and Risuke(Hidari Tonpei)the family idiot with a body odour problem.
    Granny Orin is determined to get her family's affairs in order before honouring the village custom which is that when you reach 70 you are carried up the Narayama mountain to be left to die as an offering to the Gods.

    Imamura's take on this oft filmed Japanese fairy tale is as always a striking affair.The story meanders a little at times but the performances are rich,the naturalistic approach is very effective and there are some pretty strong moments along the way -the punishment of the Amaya family and the"body" in the field as the snows thaw -which are handled with sensitivity and weight by the sureness of Imamura's direction.

    A lot of filmgoer's are becoming more familiar with Japanese cinema through Ozu,Mizoguchi,Shindo,etc and I would place Imamura alongside them.

    MoC have put together another good package.Extensive production notes(and it was an arduous one)and interviews with Imamura and his longtime collaborator Tomoda Jiro.
    The blu ray is presented in it's org aspect ratio 1 :85 :1 and although the atmospheric opening sequence over the village is very grainy,the print improves markedly with the spring colours being particularly striking.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Mary Banks
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Unforgettable films of life.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I saw this many years ago, and I've never forgotten it. This is one of those films that will change the way you think about things. If you think it's stupid or strange at the beginning, you should read the notes to understand the culture here. But don't worry.....in the end it will get you, with or without the explanations.
    One person found this helpful
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  • HAN XIAO
    5.0 out of 5 stars sex and humanity finally came in BLURAY format and MOC didi their best from TOEI source
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This masterpiece about nature, history, sex and humanity finally came in BLURAY format and MOC didi their best from TOEI source. The colors are much richer and far more natural than both JAPAN and HK DVDs. Superb!
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  • Atarimen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a cinema masterpiece.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2015
    Uncompromising but often ravishing depiction of early Japanese peasant life. Harsh, crude and occasionally gruesome but always mixed with beauty and love - and ultimately ending in transcendence. The last half hour will remain with you forever as one of the most unforgettable denouements in cinema history. And yes - a technically accomplished remastering of the original footage.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • S. C. Tompkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful film.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2011
    From the gorgeous opening sequence, of snow covered dwellings, and the sheer beauty of the Japanese calligraphy of the titles, this film is a joy to watch. A simple, deeply moving story of the harsh life in poor, rural Japan, and a tale of the human condition.
    16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Patrick Dehalu
    5.0 out of 5 stars La ballade de Narayama
    Reviewed in France on 8 November 2024
    Verified Purchase
    j'avias déjà le dvd de ce film mais la remasterisation était très mauvaise.
    Sur celui-ci, c'est une nouvelle masterisation en 4K. Les scènes sombres assez nombreuses
    sont parfaitement lisibles.
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  • R.M
    5.0 out of 5 stars 視聴地域設定を変更できるか確認を！
    Reviewed in Japan on 26 June 2021
    Verified Purchase
    ストーリーについては、ここで語るのは無粋ですので、知りたい方はレビューサイト等でどうぞ。
    画質については程よい粒状感とわざとらしくない彩度で、安心して観られます(当方プロジェクタLVP-HC3800とマットスクリーン)。暗い納屋の中等も、きちんと見えます。音声も聴き取りやすいです。なお、日本語字幕はありません。
    ただし、香港版は日本と同じリージョンAですが、視聴地域の設定は事前に“日本→香港”への変更が必要なのでご注意を。
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  • sylber
    5.0 out of 5 stars très beau film, prises de vue formidable
    Reviewed in France on 18 April 2024
    Verified Purchase
    film très connu, déjà vu à sa sortie , en version française; cette fois en version japonaise, sous titre français
    je préfère cette version, plus proche de la réalité du contexte avec les sous titres suffisant pour bien comprendre. Ce n'est pas une légende, c'est un histoire tirée d'un roman,
    certaines scènes ne sont pas pour les enfants ,à mon humble avis.
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  • Client d'Amazon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Surprenant
    Reviewed in France on 20 February 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Un regard sur le Japon du dix-neuvième siècles très intéressant....
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  • JMD
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un grand classique.
    Reviewed in France on 25 February 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Enfin une édition qui rend justice aux superbes images du film....
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