7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In a small village in a remote valley where the harshness of life dictates that survival overrules compassion, elderly widow Orin is approaching her 70th birthday – the age when village law says she must go up to the mythic Mount Narayama to die. But there are several loose ends within her own family to tie up first.
Starring: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Shôichi Ozawa, Fujio TokitaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 65% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
(48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Japanese director Shohei Imamura's "Narayama-bushi ko" a.k.a "The Ballad of Narayama" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original Japanese trailers and teasers for the film and an exclusive new video introduction to the film by Asian cinema scholar, critic and filmmaker Tony Rayns. The disc also arrives with a lavish illustrated booklet featuring a statement by Shohei Imamura; interview with the Japanese director; production diary by long-time collaborator Jiro Tomoda; and an anonymous offering from the tenth-century poem-tale Yamato monogatari. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Mother and Son
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Shohei Imamura's The Ballad of Narayama arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
The Blu-ray release represents a massive upgrade in terms of visual quality over the R1 DVD release Animego produced quite some time ago. The nighttime sequences is where the gap between the two releases is most obvious - the noise and blockiness from the DVD release have been completely eliminated, contrast levels stabilized, and clarity dramatically improved. During the daylight sequences some softness remains, but detail is very good and color reproduction is now far more satisfying. The variety of greens, blues, browns, and grays always look warm, fresh and natural, and none of the edge flicker from the DVD release is present here. Furthermore, there isn't even a whiff of post-production sharpening. There are no traces of overzealous denoising either. Finally, there are a few tiny flecks popping up here and there, but large cuts, damage marks, splices, and warps are nowhere to be seen. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track handles Shinichiro Ikebe's soundtrack quite well. The string solos from the second half of the film, for instance, enhance the dramatic atmosphere very well. The fue (Japanese flute) solos are also far more effective than they are on the R1 DVD release. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and free of distortions, pops, and cracks. The English translation is excellent.
Japanese master Shohei Imamura's The Ballad of Narayama is a deeply moving film, one of his very best, that offers a fascinating look into a unique culture. The film's transition to Blu-ray, courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment, is, as expected, impressive. If you could play Region-B "locked" discs, I strongly recommend adding it to your collections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
豚と軍艦 / 盗まれた欲情 | Buta to gunkan / Nusumareta yokujô | Masters of Cinema
1961
にっぽん昆虫記 / 西銀座駅前 | Nippon konchûki / Nishi Ginza ekimae | Masters of Cinema
1963
神々の深き欲望 / Kamigami no Fukaki Yokubo / Masters of Cinema
1968
黒い雨 / Kuroi ame | Arrow Academy
1989
女衒 / Arrow Academy
1987
復讐するは我にあり / Fukushû suru wa ware ni ari / Masters of Cinema
1979
鬼婆 / The Demoness / Masters of Cinema
1964
Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan
2013
2013
Die Ehe der Maria Braun / Arrow Academy
1978
Kış Uykusu
2014
一人息子 / Hitori musuko
1936
煉獄エロイカ / Rengoku eroica
1970
赤線地帯 / 楊貴妃 | Street of Shame / Princess Yang Kwei-Fei | Masters Of Cinema
1956
A Torinói ló
2011
1991
Nabarvené ptáce / Montage Pictures
2019
2019
L'albero degli zoccoli / Arrow Academy
1978
Turist
2014