Jûzô Itami

  • Jûzô Itami – Marusa no onna 2 AKA A Taxing Woman’s Return (1988)

    Jûzô Itami1981-1990ComedyCrimeJapan

    yoko Itakura returns as the government tax agent willing to tackle the toughest cases. This time she takes on a fanatical but lucrative religious cult run by a vile lecher.Read More »

  • Jûzô Itami – Tampopo (1985)

    1981-1990ComedyJapanJûzô Itami

    Quote:
    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.Read More »

  • Jûzô Itami – Marusa no onna AKA A Taxing Woman (1987)

    1981-1990ComedyCrimeJapanJûzô Itami

    Synopsis:
    Ace tax investigator Ryoko Itakura (Nobuko Miyamoto) sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a suspected millionaire who owns a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels. For years, Gondo has succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. As the government investigation progresses, Itakura and Gondo find themselves locked in a battle of wits — one further complicated by their growing affections for each other.Read More »

  • Jûzô Itami – Marutai no onna AKA Woman in Witness Protection (1997)

    1991-2000AsianComedyJapanJûzô Itami

    Synopsis:
    Following the release of his Minbo No Onna — less a film than a textbook on how to extricate oneself from yakuza harassment — veteran director Juzo Itami was attacked and almost killed by the mob for his effort. In this crime-comedy, he voices his outrage at the attack, which he viewed as an attack on his right for self-expression. The film centers on Hiwako (played, as always, by Itami’s wife, Nobuko Miyamoto), a grand dame of the stage who witnesses a murder while exercising on a lonely country road. The victim turns out to be a lawyer who was snooping around in a shadowy cult clearly modeled on the subway-gassing sect Aum Shinrikyo. Hiwako manages to get a good look at the perpetrator’s face and identifies him as a cult member. Read More »

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