The Ballad of Narayama (1983 film)

The Ballad of Narayama
Poster for Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Directed by	Shōhei Imamura
Produced by	Goro Kusakabe Jiro Tomoda
Written by	Shichirō Fukazawa (stories), Shōhei Imamura
Starring	Ken Ogata Sumiko Sakamoto Takejo Aki Tonpei Hidari Seiji Kurasaki Kaoru Shimamori Ryutaro Tatsumi Junko Takada Nijiko Kiyokawa Mitsuko Baisho
Music by	Shinichirô Ikebe
Cinematography	Masao Tochizawa
Edited by	Hajime Okayasu
Distributed by	Toei Co. Ltd. Umbrella Entertainment
Release date	April 29, 1983 (Japan) September 7, 1984 (U.S. limited)
Running time	130 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Ballad of Narayama (楢山節考, Narayama bushikō^?) is a 1983 Japanese film by director Shōhei Imamura. It stars Sumiko Sakamoto as Orin, Ken Ogata, and Shoichi Ozawa. It is an adaptation of the book Narayama bushikō by Shichirō Fukazawa and slightly inspired by the 1958 film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. It won the Palme d'Or at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.

The film is set in a small rural village in Japan in the 19th century. According to tradition, once a person reaches the age of 70 he or she must travel to a remote mountain to die of starvation, a practice known as ubasute. The story concerns Orin, who is 69 and of sound health, but notes that a neighbor had to drag his father to the mountain, so she resolves to avoid clinging to life beyond her term. She spends a year arranging all the affairs of her family and village: she severely punishes a family who are hoarding food, and helps her younger son lose his virginity.

The film has some harsh scenes that show how brutal the conditions could be for the villagers. Interspersed between episodes in the film are brief vignettes of nature – birds, snakes, and other animals hunting, watching, singing, copulating or giving birth.

The Ballad of Narayama was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in May 2010. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer.