The famous Japanese actress Sakamoto Sumiko came to Hong Kong to promote the international awarded movie "The Ballad of Narayama". Yung Mei Ling was chosen to welcome her at the Hong Kong airport.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumiko_Sakamoto

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Narayama_%281983_film%29

"The Ballad of Narayama" Performance Imminent: Sakamoto Sumiko Visits Hong Kong to Promote the Film

Sumiko Sakamoto, the lead actress of "The Ballad of Narayama," arrived in Hong Kong from Tokyo yesterday afternoon. TVB artist Barbara Yung Mei-ling presented her with a welcoming bouquet at the airport.

Sumiko Sakamoto is a veteran Japanese movie star, 47 years old, with a 22-year career in the Japanese film industry. She is married to a doctor and has a ten-year-old daughter. She denied past allegations and charges related to drugs, and also denied that this had led to any "family troubles," stating that everything was just rumor.

Before entering the film industry, Sumiko Sakamoto was a famous Japanese pop singer, later switching to making movies. She has acted in countless films. For her role in "The Ballad of Narayama" as a 70-year-old woman, she had three of her own teeth extracted to better portray the character. Furthermore, her makeup was researched for two months before being finalized for filming. She stated that the film's winning of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival has been very helpful for her, making her future in the film industry even brighter.

Ms. Sakamoto has visited Hong Kong twice before, both times for leisure. This time, she will stay for a few days to assist with promotional activities for the film.

(Ye)

Sakamoto Sumiko Loses Teeth for Film Role
Promoted "The Ballad of Narayama" Yesterday

The Japanese film "The Ballad of Narayama" will be shown in Hong Kong soon. The lead actress, Sumiko Sakamoto, arrived in Hong Kong yesterday to promote the film.

She said that to play the role of a woman in her seventies, she had four front teeth extracted. This physical transformation was a significant sacrifice for the part. Furthermore, her weight dropped sharply from 60 kilograms to just 43 kilograms for the role.

There were rumors that Sakamoto had genuinely committed a crime in Japan related to cannabis. She explained that if she had truly broken Japanese law, she would not have been permitted to leave the country. The fact that she was able to come to Hong Kong this time proves that nothing is amiss.

She also clarified that there are no issues or separation between her and her husband, and that they have a ten-year-old daughter together.

Sumiko Sakamoto is a singer-turned-actress, now 49 years old, who has triumphed in Japan's prestigious "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" [Red and White Song Festival] over ten times.

 
Note from the translator: The original Chinese text is somewhat fragmented and contains a few errors (e.g., the age is given as 49 here but 47 in the previous article, and the number of teeth extracted differs). This translation synthesizes the information into coherent English sentences while staying true to the original message. The final line about the singer and the song festival seems to be a general fact appended to the article.