Japan Synopsis
楢山節考
“Only Time Could Change the Cruelty of Tradition… Only Their Love Could Survive It…”
In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.
The 1982–1984 Japan Window
57 Japan films released in this three-year window, ranked here by audience rating. The Ballad of Narayama sits at position #10.
#1Space Cobra
★ 8.3 · 1982
#2Super Dimension Fortress Macross
★ 8.1 · 1982
#3Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
★ 7.9 · 1984
#4The Transformers
★ 7.9 · 1984
#5Captain Tsubasa
★ 7.8 · 1983
#6Kinnikuman
★ 7.8 · 1983
#7Voltron: Defender of the Universe
★ 7.6 · 1984
#8Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
★ 7.6 · 1982
Other Titles From Toei Company
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year in the 1980s. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Ballad of Narayama premiered. 280 total titles in this decade from Japan.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #1,369 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (70th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is +0.5 points above the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #591 of 1,933 (top 31%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Toei Company |
| Runtime | 2h 10m |
| Release Date | April 29, 1983 |
| IMDb | tt0084390 |