Ringu (1998)

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers:

Hiroshi Takahashi (screenplay)
Kôji Suzuki (novel)

Release Date:

31 January 1998 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

"One curse, one cure, one week to find it"

Plot:

A mysterious video kills whomever views it, unless that viewer can solve its mystery.

Plot Keywords:

Videotape | Friend | Volcanic Island | Son | Night

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nanako Matsushima	...	Reiko Asakawa
Miki Nakatani	...	Mai Takano
Yûko Takeuchi	...	Tomoko Ôishi
Hitomi Satô	...	Masami
Yôichi Numata	...	Takashi Yamamura
Yutaka Matsushige	...	Yoshino
Katsumi Muramatsu	...	Kôichi Asakawa
Rikiya Ôtaka	...	Yôichi Asakawa
Masako	...	Shizuko Yamamura
Daisuke Ban	...	Heihachirô Ikuma
Kanehiro Ri	...	Komiya Kameraman
Yûrei Yanagi	...	AD Okazaki
Yôko Ôshima	...	Reiko no Oba
Kiriko Shimizu	...	Yoshimi Ôishi
Makoto Kakeda	...	Kanrinin
Rie Ino'o	...	Sadako Yamamura
Hiroyuki Tanabe	...	Hayatsu
Miwako Kaji	...	Kazue Yamamura
Yôko Honma	...	Chûgakusei A
Asami Nagata	...	Chûgakusei B
Yukiko Shimodaira	...	Chûgakusei C
Keiko Yoshida	...	Kôkôsei A
Yoshiko Matsumaru	...	Kôkôsei B (as Yûko Matsumaru)
Ayumu Naose	...	Kôkôsei C
Maki Ikeda	...	Yôko Tsuji
Takashi Takayama	...	Takehiko Nômi
Chihiro Shirai	...	Sadako as a Young Girl
Toshihiko Takeda	...	Seinen Jidai no Yamamura
Mantarô Koichi	...	Kôkaidô no Shikôyaku
Shin'ichi Noda	...	Kisha Daihyô A
Shigefumi Nakai	...	Kisha Daihyô B
Yûki Takahata
Mutsuko Ôshima
Taku Kobayashi
Hiromi Murata
Kazuhiro Yokoyama
Mizuho Kinoshita
Toshinori Yoshino
Asami Ishikawa
Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Ryûji Takayama

Directed by
Hideo Nakata

Writing credits
Hiroshi Takahashi		(screenplay)
Kôji Suzuki		(novel)

Produced by
Masato Hara	....	executive producer
Takashige Ichise	....	producer
Makoto Ishihara	....	associate producer
Tatsuya Isomura	....	line producer
Shin'ya Kawai	....	producer
Takenori Sentô	....	producer

Original Music by
Kenji Kawai

Cinematography by
Jun'ichirô Hayashi

Film Editing by
Nobuyuki Takahashi

Production Design by
Iwao Saitô

Makeup Department
Yûichi Matsui	....	key special makeup artist
Takuya Wada	....	special makeup coordinator

Production Management
Tetsuya Nakamura	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kuni Risho	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Yoshiya Obara	....	sound

Special Effects by
Hajime Matsumoto	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Hajime Matsumoto	....	visual effects supervisor

Other crew
Mizuho Kudô	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Omega Project
• Imagica
• Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.

Distributors

• Ace Pictures (1998) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Toho Company (1998) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Golden Scene (1999) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Haut et Court (2001) (France) (theatrical)
• Potential Films (2001) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Primer Plano Film Group (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Anolis Entertainment (200?) (Germany) (DVD)
• Califórnia (Brazil) (DVD)
• DreamWorks Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.
• MTV Netherlands (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Nihon Eiga Senmon Channel (2007) (Japan) (TV)

Also Known As:

Ring (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
El círculo (Argentina) [es]
O Chamado (Brazil) [pt]
Ring (France) [fr]
Ring - Das Original (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Ring - O Chamado (Brazil) (cable TV title) [pt]
The Ring (Norway) [no]
The Ring (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
The Ring (Denmark) [da]
The ring: El círculo (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:16 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 (TV rating) | UK:15 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Omega Project

Trivia:

Kôji Suzuki got his inspiration for the Ringu novel from his favorite horror movie Poltergeist (1982).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In a close-up of Sadako in the end scene, one of her fake finger extensions is coming off.

Quotes:

[on Yoichi]
Ryuji Takayama: Why not just let things run its course, are our lives really worth saving? Why don't we let our line die out? Good idea! Yoichi was a mistake, anyway.
Reiko Asakawa: Stop it!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Jugeodo haepi ending (2007)

Soundtrack:

Feels Like 'Heaven'

Why Hollywood Industry Insists in Spoiling Excellent Screenplays?

The journalist Reiko Asakawa (the gorgeous Nanako Matsushima) resolves to investigate the death of four teenagers who watched a videotape that might kill the viewer seven days after watching the film. The viewer would receive a telephone call and seven days later would die. She herself finds the videotape, watches the strange movie and becomes afraid of being killed. She prepares a copy for her ex-husband, who decides to help Reiko in her investigation, specially because their son has also watched the film.

This movie is great, with characters well-defined, excellent cast and direction and a screenplay focused on the story and not in special effects. An original horror movie, with a tight plot. Why Americans insist in spoiling excellent movies? It is amazing the quantity of (expensive) remakes of marvelous foreign movies that Hollywood spoils. Once I heard that American people would not like to read subtitles, but I refuse to believe in such non-sense. The American remake 'The Ring' is not a bad movie, and Naomi Watts is a great actress. But why the remake? The modifications introduced by the American screen writer and director changed a simple and terrifying plot into an expensive, complicated and non-resolved story. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Ring - O Chamado" ("Ring - The Call")