THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA

Shohei Imamura was indeed a hugely influential figure in Japanese cinema. It’s perhaps only now, a few short years after his death, that his weight in this arena is truly being appreciated. Rediscovery and re-evaluation of key films such as PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS, PROFOUND DESIRES OF THE GODS, THE EEL and VENGEANCE IS MINE has meant that Imamura is now also one of the most prolific of directors to be afforded the retrospective treatment by the likes of Eureka and Criterion. And rightly so.

This 1983 effort opens with the proud announcement that the film was the winner of that year’s Grand Prix award at Cannes. And then we get the famous Toei Productions flashcard, with the waves crashing on the rocks and a white triangle emerging from the centre of the screen. We already know we’re in good hands here.

Sure enough, the film impresses immediately with a striking snow-swept opening. From there, we’re introduced to a small family living in relative poverty in a village where folk are instructed to cart their elders up to Mount Narayama at the age of 70 to await their death there.

Orin (Sumiko Sakamoto) is the grandmother of a likeable, albeit bickering family. She lives with the resignation that she is 69 and her time to make the ascent to Narayama is nigh. But she confides in her son that recently widowed grandson Tatsuhei (Ken Ogata) is a concern for her. Before she goes, she wants to make sure he has a new love in his life.

Which all might sound a bit twee. But, fear not, this is Imamura and resultantly the tale being told is unsurprisingly unsentimental. It’s also filled with characteristically quirky characters, set-pieces that range from the bizarrely comedic (quarrels over whose shit can fertilise the other’s land) to moments of acutely observed pathos, and some startlingly beautiful compositions that capture nature at its most beautiful as if it was the easiest thing to do in the world. I assume it can’t be, otherwise every film would be this inspirational.

Here, Imamura uses the beautiful surroundings – the greenery, the ever-flowing streams, the wildlife – not only to remind us that humans are just another factor of this kingdom and nothing more, but also to remind us of the natural wonder that brings with it optimism even in the face of extreme adversity.

When an early sex scene borders on rape, it’s intercut with footage of snakes frolicking and birds tweeting. It’s an unusual, calming montage which is best understood if seen. And that pretty much goes for the rest of this gorgeous, engaging and cerebral film too.

The intimate family gatherings; their lantern-lit mealtimes; the petty squabbles and striving daily to gather pulses for food; the splendour of their surroundings; the almost unconscious violence in later scenes: it’s the seemingly negligible elements of Imamura’s fiercely controlled, deceptively laconic film that impress the most.

Subtle commentary such as the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it inclusion of a rodent eating a snake can’t swamp this film in unnecessary controversy. Despite moments of cruelty (the message is, it’s a cruel world but love will ultimately guide us through), this is not a film that wishes to punish its viewer. On the contrary, those who stick the distance – 130 minutes, which does feel a tad long – are going to be rewarded by a fantastic family drama that is at once epic and intimate; both cursed with the inevitability of sadness and the uplifting promise of eternally springing hope. Such is life.

Am I making this all sound horrendously pretentious? Probably. I don’t mean to, sorry. THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA is anything but pretentious: it’s most likely one of the most innocent, heartfelt and totally convincingly human films I’ve seen. Certainly, it’s a meditation on the close correlations of life, sex and death – but it manages such in a sincere, charming and ultimately moving way.

Please note, this is a dual format DVD/blu-ray combo release; only the DVD version of the film was made available for review purposes.

Another notch in Eureka’s Masters of Cinema bedpost, this DVD release presents the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

Images look generally good – an improvement on Tartan’s release of the film from 2007 – with solid blacks and clean processing of motion and imagery. Colours are somewhat muted at times, but that’s not unusual for Japanese films of its era. I found detail to be quite pleasing, and everything looked generally filmic. Night scenes don’t impress overly; this transfer comes into its own in the vivid, sharp daytime sequences.

Japanese 2.0 audio is good. No problems here, and the optional English subtitles couldn’t be faulted.

The disc opens to a static menu page. From there, a static scene-selection menu allows access to BALLAD via 16 chapters.

Extras are limited here, which is a little disappointing as this is one of Imamura’s more recent films (he died in 2006; this film was shot in 1983).

Still, we do get an excellent 19-minute visual essay on the film from the ever dependable writer/scholar Tony Rayns. This is presented in 16x9 widescreen and sees the highly respected expert proffer a brief history of Imamura’s career, before settling into how and why this film was made. Rayns, as ever, is a valid and valuable contribution to proceedings, offering just enough insight to complement the main feature without being overly academic about it.

A nice touch is that this featurette is peppered throughout with attractive stills and theatrical artwork for the film in question.

Two Japanese teaser trailers and two Japanese theatrical trailers finish off the on-disc extras. These are all 16x9 enhanced too, and are pretty good looking. All come with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

Also included in this set is a 44-page colour booklet. This comes equipped with attractive stills and some great writing on the film, including Imamura’s own director’s statement from when it played at Cannes in 1983. There’s also an interview with the great man, conducted by Max Tessier at the time of the film’s original release, and priceless excerpts from Tomoda Jiro’s production diary. All in all, this makes for a great companion piece to the main feature.

THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA comes highly recommended, especially in this particular guise.

As mentioned above, this review focuses on the DVD edition of the film – but it’s being released in dual format, so those who wish to can appreciate it in HD too.

Review by Stuart Willis