Tampopo (1985)

Director:

Juzo Itami

Writer:

Juzo Itami (writer)

Release Date:

September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The first Japanese noodle western!

Plot:

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, the main story is about trucker Goro who rides into town...

Plot Keywords:

Noodle | Cuisine | Death | Sexuality | Non Sequitur

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Goro
Nobuko Miyamoto	...	Tampopo
Ken Watanabe	...	Gun
Kôji Yakusho	...	Man in White Suit
Rikiya Yasuoka	...	Pisuken
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mario Abe	...	Resutoran no shachô
Sen Hara	...	Old woman, pressing Camembert cheese
Isao Hashizume	...	Waiter
Hisashi Igawa	...	Running man
Kensô Katô	...	Hira
Toshimune Kato	...	Young Employee
Yoshihiro Katô
Yoshi Katô	...	Noodle-making master
Fukumi Kuroda	...	Man in White Suit's Mistress
Nobuo Nakamura	...	Old gentleman
Mariko Okada	...	Supageti sensei
Hideji Ôtaki	...	Rich Old Man
Ryutaro Otomo	...	Râmen no sensei
Yoshihei Saga	...	Sararîman
Kinzoh Sakura	...	Shohei
Setsuko Shinoi	...	Old Man's Mistress
Hitoshi Takagi	...	Restaurant Owner
Chôei Takahashi	...	Sararîman
Ei Takami	...	Homeless
Akio Tanaka	...	Sararîman
Masahiko Tsugawa	...	Sûpâ no shachô
Yoriko Douguchi	...	Pearl Diver (uncredited)
Narutoshi Hayashi	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Juzo Itami

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Juzo Itami		writer

Produced by
Seigo Hosogoe	....	producer
Juzo Itami	....	producer
Yasushi Tamaoki	....	producer

Original Music by
Kunihiko Murai

Cinematography by
Masaki Tamura

Film Editing by
Akira Suzuki

Costume Design by
Emiko Kogo

Sound Department
Fumio Hashimoto	....	sound recordist
Masatoshi Saito	....	sound effects editor

Other crew
Izumi Ishimori	....	food designer

Production Companies

• Itami Productions
• New Century Productions

Distributors

• New Yorker Films (1987) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Lorber Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Look Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Dandelion (International: English title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:14A | Singapore:R(A) | UK:18

Company:

Itami Productions

Quotes:

Man in White Suit: I'll kill you if you make that noise once the movie starts! Understand? And... I also don't like watch alarms going off.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sik san (1996)

Well worth the struggle to track down this gem!

"Tampopo" is a movie that most anyone will find quite funny, but it will be even more funny to those familiar with the Japanese people. (If you have ever had the opportunity/misfortune to try to eat mochi, this movie contains a scene that will have you rolling on the floor!) It is an excellent example of the ability of the Japanese to laugh at themselves, at those things that are peculiarly Japanese, and at their love affair with western (and particularly American) culture.

The Japanese have long had a tremendous admiration for the nerve and individuality of the Americans. They admire those traits mostly because they are all but forbidden in Japanese society. Their love affair with the American Western film genre is on display in the main story line in which the lone good-hearted cowboy rides into town to save the damsel in distress. However, the movie is mostly a series of humorous vignettes on the foibles of Japanese culture. They are so funny because they remind us of the eccentricities present in our culture as well.