1. This seems to be a modern spin on the old style westerns with a traveller helping out the lady with sometimes odd supporting characters. Do you think there was any purpose to that from the writer/director?
2. Japan’s culture is generally considered to be more strict or rigid than our own. Is this movie a protest to that strict culture?
3. With all of the smaller stories throughout the larger film, is it possible that the main character here is not a person but is, in fact, the noodles?
4. Even though the film takes place in Japan and is centered on a traditionally Japanese dish, what does this movie say about the importance of food regardless of culture?
5. Can we draw any parallels between this film and Like Water for Chocolate based on the fact they have some interesting love scenes involving food?
To your first question I think maybe there was some western feel to that specific character but as for the whole story of the main characters I don't feel that there was a specific purpose for it because there was so much else going on in the film. Maybe it was just to cater a certain audience that likes westerns so he made that character that way. Not sure though but I did not get the impression when I watched it that was the purpose.
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ReplyDeleteRegarding the first question, American westerns and crime fiction were hugely influential for Japanese culture, and as a result, western-motifs are popular in a lot of Japanese films and anime. Additionally, the modern western film genre is closely tied with modern Japanese film--especially samurai films (more specifically, those dealing with a ronin). Some of the most popular westerns, in fact, are re-makes of Japanese samurai/ronin films. For example: Kurosawa's Yojimbo (mentioned in class), is loosely based on Dashiel Hammet's novel, Red Harvest, and A Fistful of Dollars was, in turn, a remake of Yojimbo. So, the connections between cultures, especially in film, is inescapable.
ReplyDeleteWith those long and tangled cultural ties, it's hardly a surprise Itami would utilize the western genre in a movie that is, in many way, a pastiche of other film genres--including crime fiction. That it's a pastiche, I think, is also telling about how Itame views 1980s Japanese culture.
This is very interesting and thanks for sharing! My grandma was really huge into John Wayne so I've been exposed to the westerns all my life but had no idea the connection between them and Japanese culture/films. Very informative!
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ReplyDeleteYour first, second, and third questions center on the idea of what exactly the cultural message is here, which I think is relevant. The "old west" elements were pretty interesting and a nice choice, I think. I feel that Itami did want to say something about culture here. (I'm not entirely sure if there was more to the inclusion of that story-telling element than being a more western mode. I am interested if anyone has insight.)
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of hard to define what American food is, but we generally attach specific attributes to foods from other countries. I think that by showing the variety of tastes and approaches to the food he is breaking away from a singular way of thinking about Japanese food. While there are obvious cultural traditions, there is so much more than that--they are not restricted. He definitely took the liberty in breaking away from any real uniformity.
I think that connections between food and love/sex/passion that both Tampopo and Like Water for Chocolate are pretty interesting. Both love stories end up rather tragically, both also "extreme" or unorthodox. I think it says something how the different cultures view the destructive nature of indulgence in consumption. While both being pleasurable, consumption is not without consequences. Sex doesn't always end in death (ha), so I think this is pretty interesting that food aides in illuminating this cultural feeling.
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