The Ballad of Narayama
“With my mother on my back, now is the time to say goodbye to this world.”
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.
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Cast
13 people
Kinuyo Tanaka
Orin
Known for
Sansho the Bailiff
Ugetsu
Teiji Takahashi
Tatsuhei
Known for
Tokyo Twilight
Early Spring
Yūko Mochizuki
Tamayan
Known for
Kwaidan
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
Seiji Miyaguchi
Matayan
Known for
Seven Samurai
Shōgun
Yūnosuke Itō
Matayan's son
Known for
High and Low
Sanjuro
Ken Mitsuda
Teruyan
Known for
Sansho the Bailiff
The Bad Sleep Well
Danko Ichikawa
Kesakichi
Also in
Daredevil in the Castle
A Matter of Valour
Keiko Ogasawara
Matsu-yan
Also in
The Song of the Cart
Duel of Blood and Sand
Eijirō Tōno
Messenger
Known for
Seven Samurai
Tokyo Story
Kō Nishimura
One of the villagers who Teaches Narayama's Manners (uncredited)
Known for
Yojimbo
Intentions of Murder
Masao Oda
One of the villagers who teaches Narayama's manners
Known for
An Autumn Afternoon
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Katsuyuki Hattori
Tatsuhei's son (uncredited)
Also in
The Snow Flurry
Family Safety
Keisuke Kinoshita Director · Shichirō Fukazawa Author Matsunosuke Nozawa Composer
First release June 1, 1958 · Produced in Japan · Original title 楢山節考
Production
Shochiku
Production
Japan
Produced in
Languages
Original title
楢山節考
Original language
Japanese
Spoken on screen
Japanese
Release dates
Japan · June 1, 1958
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Greece
October 31, 2024 · Limited theatrical
Italy
September 4, 1958 · Premiere · Venice Film Festival
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Some details come from TheTVDB.