Hacker Cinema
Tampopo
タンポポ
1985 · Film · 115 min
Directed by Jūzō Itami
In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
19 positive2 neutralfrom 21 commenters
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23 comments on Hacker News
This is probably the right place to remind beginners in the study of ramens, that basic knowledge can be acquired from the classic "Tampopo" movie.
Just the opening scene is must-know : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeVhZkbAc5k
:)
Any movie list that features Tampopo is good by me.
@tmtvl in a peer comment recommended Juzo Itami's 1985 Japanese film Tampopo which is well worth watching.
It's literally includes mascaline Japanese "truck driving" culture with a heavy dash of western cowboy overlay and a women determined to be the best Ramen Chef possible - with a whole lot more thrown in.
But yes, local film, many years ago, already juxtaposing a lone woman in a blokey bloke male heavy culture for comedy and other angles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo
Tangentially related I'd like to refer to one of the best food-related movies: Tampopo (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo>).
Reminds me of the movie Tampopo (1985): 'A truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food.'
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo
I've long pondered building exactly this, an anti-recommendation engine. You'd go through and mark some favorite films or genres, and it'd come back with something great but totally unlike your usual picks.
Foreign flicks not your thing? Try Parasite.
You don't remember what it's like to be an awkward pre-teen? Eighth Grade will remind you.
Not a big action movie person? Maybe you need to watch Die Hard.
Kids movies are just for kids? Spirited Away!
You can't connect with female protagonists? You've got to see The Invisible Man.
Don't find food interesting? Try Tampopo.
Sick of movies which try to make a statement and fall flat? Promising Young Woman.
Most dramas feel too contrived? Marriage Story.
Musicals and plays aren't really your thing? Hamilton.
Japan has a robust movie industry, which does a lot to popularize the country. A relevant scene from Tampopo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38m-wnbHPLA
Other Asian countries have starting to compete in the area, notably South Korea and China, but Chinese movies have always been chock full of propaganda. It's unbearable to me. And the Party mandates all humor should be "praising" (positive) in nature.
Taiwan probably has more going for it than just high quality electronics, but China is successful in bullying anyone that mentions Taiwan as a separate country. I heard Taiwan does remarkably well to suppress covid19, for instance.
Also depicted in "Tampopo" (1985) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/
There are great films in the Criterion Collection but there are also quite a lot of average films. I live in France and we have access (not at the moment because of covid) to unlimited movie pass (the best is UGC illimité if you live in Paris) for as little as 22€/month. I usually try to go and watch a lot of films but when I'm busy and have to select films, checking rottentomatoes and going to see films that have >90% score is a fast way to filter out the bad films. Recently, I have started buying great films so that I can share them with my parents who don't live in a big city. Most films I have bought are from the Criterion Collection but it's quite expensive to. get (need to order from Amazon.com as criterion.com won't ship to Europe) and it's a real pain to deal with region restrictions (most films are region A but some such as Tampopo are region B so you need either two blu-ray players or a region-free one such as the Freebox Revolution with the Konami code) Also, some choices made by Criterion are really questionable: some films (for example Like Someone in Love) have subtitles hardcoded. (maybe it's the case for all non English films. I haven't checked with films in Spanish but there are hardcoded subtitles in films in Japanese, Chinese and Korean) I get it that it's probably cheaper to get the rights of a film with hardcoded subtitles but I think people who are willing to pay $45 for a film wouldn't mind paying $5 more and have the ability to remove subtitles.
Ha, I came here to say the same thing. At the least, I recognized:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo-Ga
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_Point_(1990_film)
All good films, though maybe acquired tastes unless you are into Japanese film. The second is a documentary by Wim Wenders exploring the work of Yasujiro Ozu, mixed with Wenders' visual impressions of 80s Japan.
The Holy Mountain (La montaña sagrada)(1973) by Alejandro Jodorowsky, is perhaps one of my favorite mind bending movies. It takes awhile before you realize that there is an actual plot, but the last scene is profound.
Tampopo (1985) is perhaps my favorite Japanese movie, all about the beauty of food. A noodle western of sorts that is immensely entertaining.
Thanks for bringing up _kodawari_.
I assume you have seen Tampopo. In case you have not and for others, it is a VHS-era film comedy about two truck drivers who help a struggling roadside chef learn how to really make noodles.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo
Ah, spotted the man who cares for food, lovely write up. As much as I have been exposed to Japanese food, there is nothing on earth that will beat a realy good Ramen. The reaction of many of my fellow travellers who join me on my quest for the perfect Ramen is the same as what they give you: they will not taste / see / respect / enjoy the subtle distinctions. This is not their fault, it is my inner freak that over cares I think. S/He who cares about Ramen, watch the lovely movie "Tampopo".
The scene in question from Tampopo:
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83KgeYls7iM
To the later reply, well, in the movie they actually use a normal household vacuum.
My wife is Japanese, and she said that in Japan lots of old people choke on mochi (a sticky sweet made from rice). From what she says, when this happens - the best thing to use is a vacuum cleaner. I also remember a scene from Tampopo[0] where this takes place. Sounds pretty scary and odd, but probably not an entire myth[1,2]
I wonder how effective this is, and what are the risks to the lungs after whatever's stuck gets dislodged.
I guess when you're choking, you'd take that risk if all else fails (if you or someone around you can act fast enough to pull a vacuum cleaner...)
[0] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/
[1] http://www.accessj.com/2012/01/choking-on-mochi-grab-vacuum.html
[2] http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2001/01/07/national/daughter-uses-vacuum-cleaner-to-save-dads-life/#.ViqRL2crKAk
Tampopo and The Funeral are both incredible films by Itami, who was a master. Excellent satirist. The Funeral is also one of the "comfiest" movies I have ever seen.
As always when sushi is mentioned on HN, here is a link to the fine documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/
And Tampopo should be in the same vain, supposedly very good, fiction though: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048
Tampopo is excellent. You must watch it. And I must watch it again.
Yes, it's an excellent film. Makes you yearn for sushi, though you quickly realize that whatever sushi is in your vicinity, is not what you're actually craving; it's a taste of Jiro's mastery.
Apparently, Tampopo is in a similar vein (though fiction) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/?ref_=fn_al_tt_9
>would also recommend Tampopo[1]
That's the first time I have seen that movie mentioned outside the media class that introduced me to it.
To this day I think about it whenever I eat luke-warm ramen or soba that's overcooked.
It's a pretty fun movie.
I really liked Jiro and would also recommend Tampopo[1] if you like "foodie" films and/or enjoyed the characters/subject matter of Jiro.
[1]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/
OT but his Jiro story reminded me of the movie Tampopo, a hilarious Japanese movie from the 80s about a woman and her struggling noodle shop.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/
+1 for reminding me of a movie called Tampopo