Episode 384: THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA (1958)

Help the Trylon afford a 4K projector! https://trylon.org/4K The Trylon’s series on Kinuyo Tanaka’s acting roles ends with a bang: Keisuke Kinoshita’s **THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA** (no, not the 1983 version that won the Palme d’Or). It’s a dire tale: Tanaka plays an old woman on the cusp of 70, at which point she’ll be taken to the top of a mountain to die alone so her village can conserve food. And Bleak Week isn’t even here yet! The story itself is only ALMOST as interesting as how it’s told. A mix of traditional Japanese dramatic styles are filmed with a colorful expressiveness and visual dynamism that seems to undercut the stoic, passionless ritual at its heart. In this Harry-less episode, we discuss the subversive literary origins of this story, the way its cinematography helps you keep time and dread its passing, and the possibility that **THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA** is at war with itself. Then, we unwind with a lyrics guessing game based on peak millennial ballads. We also get into it about Werther’s® Originals®. Or is it Werther’s® Original®? Give to these causes in need during ICE’s occupation of Minnesota: - Support Minnesotans defending their communities from ICE: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ - @sanctuarysupplydepot: Mutual aid group in Mpls getting basic necessities to our houseless neighbors https://linktr.ee/sanctuarysupplydepot - @mplsmutualaid: Clearinghouse of mutual aid for our neighbors: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaid - ISAIAH, an interfaith group fighting for racial and economic justice in MN: https://secure.everyaction.com/G8TCnxFlE0qd9zlUEYjjeg2 - Show love to North Minneapolis families in crisis: https://www.gofundme.com/f/show-love-to-north-minneapolis-families-in-crisis References: - Find film critic and Trylove guest Matt Clark’s new zines on his blog, Kino Ventura, at https://kino-ventura.blogspot.com/ - “The Astonishing Theatrical Style in The Ballad of Narayama (1958)“ by Zach Staads for Perisphere, the Trylon blog - “Ballad of Narayama” by Darragh O’Donoghue for Senses of Cinema (February 2013) - “Japan Twang: Tsugaru-jamisen with Sato Michiyoshi” (Kalamazoo Public Library, 2018) - Trylove Episode 190: FOREVER A WOMAN (1955) (aka THE ETERNAL BREASTS) - Trylove Episode 192: LOVE LETTER (1953) - Trylove Episode 193: GIRLS OF THE NIGHT (1961) - Check the calendar, preview upcoming series, and buy tickets - Contribute to Perisphere, the Trylon blog #TheBalladOfKinuyoTanaka #DCP Follow us on Twitter at @trylovepodcast, Bluesky at @trylovepodca.st, and email us at [trylovepodcast@gmail.com](mailto:trylovepodcast@gmail.com) to get in touch! Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music by Chūji Kinoshita and Matsunosuke Nozawa from **THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA** soundtrack. Timestamps 0:00 - Episode 384: **THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA** (1958) 1:41 - Whadja Watch This Week? 16:38 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary 18:24 - We had no expectations and that’s a good way to go in 22:06 - An arresting musicality and framing 40:46 - Where the style and heart of the movie diverge 48:52 - What ubasute means to the characters in this movie 1:04:52 - Why Westerners maybe can't relate to the "elder care" thing as much 1:10:26 - The narrative you expect vs the narrative you get 1:20:58 - The Junk Drawer 1:31:40 - To All the Loves We’ve Tried Before: 1958 1:32:34 - Cody’s Noteys: The Ballad of Millennial (lyrics trivia from late ‘90s and early ‘00s songs)