Ballad of Narayama - Keisuke Kinoshita

(aka 'Ballad of Narayama' or 'Narayama bushiko')

Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita
Japan 1958

Based on the novel by Shichiro Fukuzawa, Narayama Bushiko is a haunting and deeply affecting portrait of love and humanity struggling against the rigidity of tradition, obedience, and sense of duty. Using jarring, anachronistic imagery and unusually stylized artificial lighting, Keisuke Kinoshita presents a relevant examination of the pervasive national ideology of wartime Japan that underscores the dichotomous, and often self-destructive conflict between personal conscience and social conformity: the idiosyncratic fusion of traditional (kabuki) and modern (film) dramatic media; the perversion of cultural and moral norms within the primitive society (disrespect for elders, disposability of life, regression of human logic into base instincts for survival); and the incongruous, final shot that juxtaposes ancient and contemporary images to evoke timelessness, passage, and transience. Inevitably, Narayama Bushiko becomes a haunting allegory on the perils of blind allegiance, martyrdom, and repression - a humanist reflection of the profound introspection, cultural erosion, and ideological ambivalence of postwar Japan.

Excerpt from Strictly Film School located HERE

Theatrical Release: June 1st, 1958

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DVD Review: Tartan - Region 0 - PAL

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Tartan - Region 0 - PAL
Runtime	1:34:09
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.81 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 mono)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Trailer DVD Release Date: June 11th, 2007 Keep Case Chapters: 16

Comments:

Firstly this film should not be confused with the Cannes Palm'D'or winning, Shohei Imamura, version from 1983 reviewed HERE - although both are adapted from the same 1956 Shichirô Fukazawa story.

Not an exceptionally strong image on this Tartan disc but it is both progressive and anamorphic. It is also transferred to a dual-layered DVD. Artifacts are visible and detail is rather weak but the film is almost 50 years old. All things considering it is very watchable, if not stellar, and supports the Japanese audio with optional English subtitles.

Unfortunately only a trailer as a supplements but there is a good 2 page essay by Jasper Sharp in the liner notes.

Some may be familiar with Kinoshita's Tragedy of Japan and Twenty-Four Eyes. I would rate this just as highly and I recommend this DVD based on my enjoyment of the film.