The Ballad of Narayama (1958)
Original title: 楢山節考
The Ballad of Narayama is a 1958 Japanese-language drama movie directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, with a running time of 1h 38m. It stars Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi and Yūko Mochizuki.
In a remote village where food is scarce, elders who reach the age of 70 are carried by their children to the top of a nearby mountain to die in solitude. Orin, a vibrant 69-year-old grandmother, has accepted her fate, but struggles to prepare the rest of her family for the ritual.
Where to watch The Ballad of Narayama
Stream: Criterion Channel
Official site
Cast
- Kinuyo Tanaka as Orin
- Teiji Takahashi as Tatsuhei
- Yūko Mochizuki as Tamayan
- Seiji Miyaguchi as Matayan
- Yūnosuke Itō as Matayan's son
- Ken Mitsuda as Teruyan
- Danko Ichikawa as Kesakichi
- Keiko Ogasawara as Matsu-yan
- Eijirō Tōno as Messenger
- Kō Nishimura as One of the villagers who Teaches Narayama's Manners (uncredited)
- Katsuyuki Hattori as Tatsuhei's son (uncredited)
- Tokuji Kobayashi as One of the villagers who teaches Narayama's manners (uncredited)