Word: tampopo
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1987-1987
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...while Itami has fun with Western movie genres and figures, he remains distinctly a Japanese artist. Wild as he is, he stays true to the basics, and that's what Tampopo is all about...
Have you ever been to a movie where the entire audience stayed to watch all the credits roll by? Well, after Tampopo--the self-proclaimed "first Japanese noodle western"--the audience savored the movie to the last "drop" of credits. Considering that the credits were in Japanese, this is a tribute to Japanese, director Juzo Itami's latest film, a deliciously delirious and hilarious feast for the eyes and ears...
...rest of Tampopo--the word means "dandelion"--concerns man's pursuit of this association past infancy, until the days when pleasure threatens to turn into perversion, when hedonism runs amuck. "Tampopo" is the central character, a middle-aged widow (Nobuko Miyamoto) who is struggling to run a noodle restaurant despite being a lousy cook...
While the movie doesn't achieve the full poetic vision of David Lynch's Blue Valvet, Tampopo does have a very different flavor to it not found in most, if any, American flicks. This unique feel stems from its Asian perspective on men and women, which is distinct from the Western perspective. Though Gun is set up to be a typical, macho western cowboy hero, he is no Pygmalion. The window Tampopo is neither a statue-like work of art nor an Adam's rib. She is closer to the archetypal woman warrior, strong and in control...
What is doubly remarkable about the movie is how Itami keeps the audience so interested in Tampopo's struggles. The director garnishes her rags-to-riches story with elements of samurai adventure and Sergio Leone western, and then has the actors play it straight. Amazingly, it's a satire that involves the audience in the action as much as the characters themselves. When the noodle senseis test her progress after a few weeks, one finds oneself as tense and nervous as if one were watching a shoot...