The Ceremony Dir: Oshima Nagisa Scrs: Tamura Tsutomu, Sasaki Mamoru, Oshima Nagisa Prods: Kuzui Kinshiro, Yamaguchi Takuji Prod Cos: Sozosha, ATG Cast: Kawarazaki Kenzo, Kaku Atsuko, Sato Kei,Koyama Akiko, Otowa Nobuko 1971 / Colour / 35mm / Japanese / Eng Subtitles / 122min

The Ceremony is a wry and satirical look at Japanese attitudes. Its story, told through a series of elaborate ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, traces post-war history through the saga of the Sakurada family, a multi-generation patriarchal clan in provincial Japan. The film is a culmination of the thematic and stylistic concerns in Oshima's 1960s oeuvre, a remarkably poignant work widely considered by critics as a masterpiece.