The Legend of Narayama. Directed by Shohei Imamura. 1983. From all my little viewing experience I have identified this film as a classic of Japanese drama. We can talk about classics when thinking about the films of Yasujiro Ozu (such as his "Tôkyô monogatari" 1953), or Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" (1950), which is just as significant in my opinion, but I consider "Narayama Legend" to be the perfect representative of the classic cultural-historical cinematography of Japan that I love, and this is why...!
First of all, it's worth saying that this film absorbed all the culture and techniques of classic Japanese dramatic cinema, taking the best from the best filmmakers. Having polished the drama genre like a treasure and inlaid it with gems of more liberated acting, inexpressible atmosphere, sensual rendering of such a diverse, contrasting life of human society, with all its flaws, problems, vices and unacceptable for the Western person actions of the characters.
I pick up such loud and defiantly artistic descriptions because "The Legend of Narayama" is personally my little, somewhat messy, favorite secret.
It's no news that to a Westerner, Japanese cinema can seem very provocative. Uncultured, immoral, dirty... This is just the sanctimony and snobbery of inadequate moralists not repelled by the context. And the context, I'll give, and I'll start with the synopsis of the film.
It's the nineteenth century. The story is about a tiny village deep-deep in the snow-capped mountains of Japan. As the camera flies through the lifeless winter mountains, showing us that there is nothing resembling human civilization in a range of miles and miles, we realize how far the little village shown to us afterwards can be from our usual understanding of "humanity.
I may be exaggerating, but I have to convey that sense of savagery, for modern man of an alien culture.
One of the foundations of this village is the cult of the mountain. It is a manifestation of their pagan religion, Shintoism, which exists on a par with Buddhism to this day.
"Shinto" implies the existence of an infinite number of deities, deities embodied in majestic things important to man, such as the moon, the sun, a mountain, a river, a lake, an ancient majestic tree, a giant stone, and so on, anything that can have a "divine spirit.
And so, in this village, too, there are several worship cults, and the most important of them is the worship of Mount Narayama.
But in the yard of the 19th century. A poor, small village deep, deep in the mountains. People starve from year to year, and in winter they try their best to survive. And the generations shown in the film, from the youngest to the oldest representatives of the village, will not even remember when the tradition began to get rid of their old disabled relatives in order to avoid hunger, but they all unquestioningly follow it.
More details. There is a tradition when a person becomes old, infirm, unable to work, or when he turns 70 years old, one of his children is obliged to carry his parent to the top of Mount Narayama, and leave him to die there so that the gods help the villagers survive the winter.
Also, villagers often get rid of their small children. Newborns are left to die in ditches, or drowned among rice fields, and older children are sold as workers to various itinerant merchants, for salt, food, or money.
The story is complex and tragic. Orin is only 69 years old, she is strong in spirit and health. But according to tradition, she is already an old woman, and the eldest son must carry her to Narayam to die. She is an excellent housewife, the whole house is on her, she works in the field. And she still has more than a dozen years to live!
But tradition is stronger. She honors them, is ready to do anything so as not to bring disgrace on her family and the wrath of her neighbors. Orin has perfect teeth for those days. So, at her age, having all her teeth is indecent. At one point, she knocks out her front teeth on a stone in order to match her image, to appear old, sick, unnecessary.
At the same time, we see how life goes on in the village. Orin found wives for her sons to help with the household in her place. We see the history of their relationship, we see the history of how superstitions affect people. We literally believe in the supernatural phenomena of nature in response to questions asked by people. The music of the film, the power of the wind, the harshness of life transmitted through the camera makes the viewer believe in everything that happens in the life of the villagers, and then justify their wild deeds. Killing children, selling them to other people, superstitious traditions forcing women to make love to laborers. At one point, one of the families that stole food from the neighbors will be buried alive, according to the law of the great mountain Narayama, and if someone resists, it's a shame.
So, I recommend everyone to plunge into the atmosphere of savagery, superstition, but at the same time, into the life of the villagers filled with happy moments, holidays and love, in all its manifestations.
This is a wonderful film that is ready to take you on an emotional roller coaster, shock the viewer, but at the same time show the incredible beauty of the camera work, and immerse you in an atmosphere of ... magic?
Thank you.
First of all, it's worth saying that this film absorbed all the culture and techniques of classic Japanese dramatic cinema, taking the best from the best filmmakers. Having polished the drama genre like a treasure and inlaid it with gems of more liberated acting, inexpressible atmosphere, sensual rendering of such a diverse, contrasting life of human society, with all its flaws, problems, vices and unacceptable for the Western person actions of the characters.
I pick up such loud and defiantly artistic descriptions because "The Legend of Narayama" is personally my little, somewhat messy, favorite secret.
It's no news that to a Westerner, Japanese cinema can seem very provocative. Uncultured, immoral, dirty... This is just the sanctimony and snobbery of inadequate moralists not repelled by the context. And the context, I'll give, and I'll start with the synopsis of the film.
It's the nineteenth century. The story is about a tiny village deep-deep in the snow-capped mountains of Japan. As the camera flies through the lifeless winter mountains, showing us that there is nothing resembling human civilization in a range of miles and miles, we realize how far the little village shown to us afterwards can be from our usual understanding of "humanity.
I may be exaggerating, but I have to convey that sense of savagery, for modern man of an alien culture.
One of the foundations of this village is the cult of the mountain. It is a manifestation of their pagan religion, Shintoism, which exists on a par with Buddhism to this day.
"Shinto" implies the existence of an infinite number of deities, deities embodied in majestic things important to man, such as the moon, the sun, a mountain, a river, a lake, an ancient majestic tree, a giant stone, and so on, anything that can have a "divine spirit.
And so, in this village, too, there are several worship cults, and the most important of them is the worship of Mount Narayama.
But in the yard of the 19th century. A poor, small village deep, deep in the mountains. People starve from year to year, and in winter they try their best to survive. And the generations shown in the film, from the youngest to the oldest representatives of the village, will not even remember when the tradition began to get rid of their old disabled relatives in order to avoid hunger, but they all unquestioningly follow it.
More details. There is a tradition when a person becomes old, infirm, unable to work, or when he turns 70 years old, one of his children is obliged to carry his parent to the top of Mount Narayama, and leave him to die there so that the gods help the villagers survive the winter.
Also, villagers often get rid of their small children. Newborns are left to die in ditches, or drowned among rice fields, and older children are sold as workers to various itinerant merchants, for salt, food, or money.
The story is complex and tragic. Orin is only 69 years old, she is strong in spirit and health. But according to tradition, she is already an old woman, and the eldest son must carry her to Narayam to die. She is an excellent housewife, the whole house is on her, she works in the field. And she still has more than a dozen years to live!
But tradition is stronger. She honors them, is ready to do anything so as not to bring disgrace on her family and the wrath of her neighbors. Orin has perfect teeth for those days. So, at her age, having all her teeth is indecent. At one point, she knocks out her front teeth on a stone in order to match her image, to appear old, sick, unnecessary.
At the same time, we see how life goes on in the village. Orin found wives for her sons to help with the household in her place. We see the history of their relationship, we see the history of how superstitions affect people. We literally believe in the supernatural phenomena of nature in response to questions asked by people. The music of the film, the power of the wind, the harshness of life transmitted through the camera makes the viewer believe in everything that happens in the life of the villagers, and then justify their wild deeds. Killing children, selling them to other people, superstitious traditions forcing women to make love to laborers. At one point, one of the families that stole food from the neighbors will be buried alive, according to the law of the great mountain Narayama, and if someone resists, it's a shame.
So, I recommend everyone to plunge into the atmosphere of savagery, superstition, but at the same time, into the life of the villagers filled with happy moments, holidays and love, in all its manifestations.
This is a wonderful film that is ready to take you on an emotional roller coaster, shock the viewer, but at the same time show the incredible beauty of the camera work, and immerse you in an atmosphere of ... magic?
Thank you.