#868: ITAMI, Juzo: Tampopo (1985)

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ITAMI, Juzo (Japan)
Tampopo [1985]
Spine #868
Blu-ray


The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous "ramen western" by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges — our appetites. Interspersing the efforts of Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto) and friends to make her café a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal Tampopo is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.

114 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Japanese
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2017
Director/Writer


Juzo Itami was 52 when he wrote and directed Tampopo.

Other Itami films in the Collection:

#1125: The Funeral (1984)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

 The Booklet

Eight-panel foldout poster featuring an essay by food and culture writer Willy Blackmore.

Commentary

None.

The Making of “Tampopo”

A ninety-minute documentary from 1986, narrated by director Itami.

Interview 1

With actor Miyamoto.

Interview 2

With food stylist Seiko Ogawa.

Interviews

With ramen scholar Hiroshi Oosaki and chefs Sam White, Rayneil De Guzman, Jerry Jaksich, and Ivan Orkin.

Itami’s 1962 debut short film

Rubber Band Pistol.

Video essay
By filmmakers Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos on the film’s themes of self-improvement and mastery of a craft.

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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