The Ballad of Narayama | 楢山節考 J-Film in Blue

Drama

Presented by JICC, Embassy of Japan and Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C.

In conjunction with the JICC's exhibition Indigo Threads / 藍・つむぐ: Weaving Japanese Craftsmanship & American Heritage

17 APR 2019 WED, 6:30 PM JICC

Winner of Best Film and Director at the 1959 Mainichi Film Awards

This haunting, kabuki-inflected version of a Japanese folk legend is set in a remote mountain village where food is scarce and tradition dictates that citizens who have reached their seventieth year must be carried to the summit of Mount Narayama and left there to die. The sacrificial elder at the center of the tale is Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka), a dignified and dutiful woman who spends her dwindling days securing the happiness of her loyal widowed son with a respectable new wife.

Filmed almost entirely on cunningly designed studio sets, in brilliant color and widescreen, The Ballad of Narayama is a stylish and vividly formal work from Japan’s cinematic golden age, directed by the dynamic Keisuke Kinoshita. (Courtesy of Janus Films)

Starring Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yuko Mochizuki

In Japanese with English subtitles | Not Rated | 1958 | 98 min | Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required for security purposes. Program begins at 6:30PM. Doors open 30 minutes prior. No admittance after 7:00 PM or once seating is full. Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee guests a seat.

To modify your registration, please email jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp. Your registration is not transferable.

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