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ERA
Did you know
55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
The Ceremony
1971 2h 3m JA
👍
6.8
SOLID
★6.8TMDB · 47
Drama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Oshima’s magisterial epic, centering on the ambivalent surviving heir of the Sakurada clan, uses ritual and the microcosm of the traditional family to trace the rise and fall of militaristic Japan across several decades.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Kenzō Kawarasaki
Sakurada Masuo
Atsuko Kaku
Sakurada Ritsuko
Atsuo Nakamura
Tachibana Terumichi
Nobuko Otowa
Sakurada Shizu
Hōsei Komatsu
Sakurada Isamu
Rokkō Toura
Sakurada Mamoru
Fumio Watanabe
Susumu
Shizue Kawarazaki
Sakurada Tomiko
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Nagisa Ōshima
- Writers
- Tsutomu Tamura, Mamoru Sasaki, Nagisa Ōshima
- Languages
- Japanese
- Countries
- Japan
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
CRAFT
Did you know
Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Nagisa Ōshima, shot by Tōichirō Narushima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Tōru Takemitsu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Keiichi Uraoka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Kenzō Kawarasaki and Atsuko Kaku and Atsuo Nakamura carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0066639 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Nagisa Ōshima directs. Tōichirō Narushima behind the camera. Tōru Takemitsu scores. Keiichi Uraoka cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 155 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 3Directed by Nagisa Ōshima, shot by Tōichirō Narushima. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Tōru Takemitsu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Keiichi Uraoka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Kenzō Kawarasaki and Atsuko Kaku and Atsuo Nakamura carry the top of the cast.
- 7IMDB entry: tt0066639 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 8Only 47 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
- 9Classified under 11 themes, including "romantic rivalry", "patriarchy", "dysfunctional family", "post war japan".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Tōichirō Narushima
- Original score
- Tōru Takemitsu
- Editing
- Keiichi Uraoka
- Runtime
- 123 min · 2h 3m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- JA
Also by
Nagisa Ōshima
Production companies
Who made it
- SO
Sozosha
JP
Art Theatre Guild
JP
Key crew
- Art DirectionShigemasa Toda
- Sound RecordistHideo Nishizaki
- ProducerKinshirō Kuzui
- ProducerTakuji Yamaguchi
- EditorKeiichi Uraoka
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- romantic rivalry
- patriarchy
- dysfunctional family
- post war japan
- dying traditions
- traditional family
- cousins in love
- ancestral traditions
- japanese tradition
- suicide by poison
- family rivalry
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1974-02-07
Also known as
International titles
- GishikiJP
- The CeremonyGB
- SeremoniaFI
- La cerimoniaIT
