Introduction
Tampopo is a film that tells a linear story, intertwined with many small vignettes. All these vignettes are connected to basic human necessities, such as food, but in a way that highlights the pleasure the characters derive from them. The main storyline centers on the vignette featuring a gangster in a white suit, which associates food with eroticism. The film director Juzo Itami uses effective mise-en-scene, editing, and extraordinary film language to draw the audience’s attention.
Film Analysis
The film’s beginning illustrates how the gangster carefully watches the film as the audience of Tampopo. Itami includes this scene to convey to the audience the importance of respecting the movies and appropriate behavior while enjoying the experience. At this moment, the audience enjoys the shallow space mentioned in your lecture to focus on the gangster and make him stand out (Tampopo). It is a compelling screenplay because it catches the audience’s attention from the movie’s beginning.
In contrast, the director uses the deep-space focus mentioned in your lecture when he wants the audience to pay attention to several characters simultaneously. Since the plot primarily revolves around Tampopo, who receives help from Gorro and other characters to become an excellent ramen chef, the setting of her ramen restaurant becomes significant (Tampopo). In this setting, every detail remains in focus, allowing viewers to choose their own focus.
Throughout the story, Itami violates the three-point lighting system multiple times. Especially when the characters are outside at night, filmmakers prefer to avoid backlight from below. It might be to add more night shadows to the screen and present some characters as less attractive or essential when Tampopo and her friend Gorro consult with homeless people, the lack of backlight makes their faces almost invisible (Tampopo). This can be justified because they never appear in the movie again, thus playing background character roles.
The most exciting part of the editing is when Tampopo falls asleep and dreams about revenge against her competitors. The director effectively incorporates the scenes of angry neighbors and Gorro’s attempts to annoy them, which makes the audience forget about Tampopo’s dreaming (Tampopo). Additionally, when these men come to taste ramen, the movie’s speed increases, enhancing the audience’s interest in subsequent events. It is how Itami manipulates viewers’ perceptions of the screenplay through plot twists and editing.
Sometimes the audience is left unguided by the filmmakers, as it remains to be seen how specific vignettes connect to the main plotline. Itami even includes the vignette where a woman agrees to prepare her last dinner for the family before dying (Tampopo). Although it seems inappropriate to laugh at death, it is an element of comedy. However, this movie’s successful idea forces spectators to analyze all the characters’ relationships. It prompts the audience to highlight the movie’s message about the cyclicity and interconnectedness of all things, pleasures, fortunes, and death.
Conclusion
To conclude, Tampopo is a great movie directed by Itamithat needs to be revisited several times throughout life. Although it contains several plotlines, all are connected to the mundane pleasures people derive from food or sex. The director uses appropriate lighting and focus to help the audience focus on the essential details. The camera’s stability still needs improvement to deliver a more precise, focused picture.
Work Cited
Tampopo. Directed by Juzo Itami, Criterion Collections, 1985.