Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Tampopo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 1, 2017

Juzo Itami's "Tampopo" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film's recent 4K restoration; archival documentary on the making of the film; new video interview with actress Nobuko Miamoto; new video interview with stylist Seiko Ogawa; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring food and culture writer Willy Blackmore's essay "Ramen for the People" and technical credits. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Patience, it must be done right

I think that it is only fair that I start this review with a disclaimer and an important warning. Here’s the disclaimer: My experience with Japanese food is very limited. I believe that during the years I have been to four, possibly five Japanese restaurants that actually offer authentic Japanese food, but since all of them were in the United States perhaps some of the dishes were ‘improved’ to match local expectations. Honestly, I would not know how to tell if something wasn’t right, but I assume that at least four of these places were legit because they had excellent reputations. Also, in the past I have always ordered fish dishes because I like sea food and there are some very unusual traditional Japanese delicacies. In other words, while I know some of the main types of ramen -- such as shoyu and shio -- I am most definitely not an expert on ramen. Here’s my warning: Do not attempt to watch Tampopo on an empty stomach because I guarantee the film will inspire you to eat a lot more than you probably should.

The main protagonist in Juzo Itami’s film is a young woman (Nobuko Miyamoto) who runs a tiny ramen shop on the outskirts of a big city. She does her best to please her customers but senses that hard work and dedication alone may not be enough to keep her business afloat. So when a charismatic truck driver (Tsutomu Yamazaki) visits her shop and gives her a simple yet great professional advice, the woman decides to follow her instincts and begs the stranger to teach her how to beat her competitors. Soon after, the two become partners, and as time passes by the stranger’s recipes attract other ramen experts whose tips help the young woman steal her competitors’ customers. Eventually, the woman and the experts create the ultimate ramen dish and then renovate the entire shop so that it meets the expectations of even the most demanding customers.

Juzo Itami’s Tampopo feels like an old and rather odd distant cousin of Roland Joffe’s Vatel. Though set in different time periods, they both focus on people whose obsession with food is so intense that from time to time they can literally appear mentally unstable.

Tampopo is the more exotic of the two films. (The legendary chef Francois Vatel was truly an artist with an unparalleled imagination and he did some absolutely astonishing things with food to impress France’s King Louis XIV. So the mind-boggling gastronomical excess on display in Joffe’s film is in fact well-documented by historians). It has a tremendous amount of energy and when it becomes obvious that the main story cannot accommodate all of it Itami routinely allows it to veer off in different directions and bend conventional cinematic rules in some pretty interesting ways. So much like Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie, for instance, blurs the line between reality and fiction and pulls off some wonderful surprises, Tampopo quite comfortably moves between the two to defy expectations.

The reason Tampopo works well, however, is not its ability to repeatedly deliver good laughs and effective surprises. Rather, it is its sincere desire to persuade that eating quality ramen apparently rivals an orgasmic experience. This may sound like an utterly bizarre concept for a feature film, but Tampopo makes a shockingly strong case that it is not even a question of If, but only How this supposedly special ritual can be done right. Trust me, as someone that is not an expert on ramen and its virtues, I am fully convinced now that by ignoring it I have been missing on one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Tampopo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Juzo Itami's Tampopo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital restoration was created in 4K resolution on a DFT Scanity film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The transfer was approved by director Juzo Itami's longtime cinematographer Yonezo Maeda. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisor: Lee Kline.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg, Deluxe, Culver City, CA.
Color grading: Yoshiaki Abe, Imagica, Tokyo.
4K scanning: Imagica."

The film's transition to Blu-ray is mighty impressive. In fact, I can't think of any other Japanese films from recent years that were remastered in 4K that look as good as Tampopo does. In terms of depth and fluidity -- with the improved density, in particular, being a major factor -- the end results are fantastic. Both the outdoor and indoor footage look exceptionally well-balanced; delineation is at optimal levels as well. Some of the most striking results, however, are in the area of color reproduction and balance. There is an excellent range of solid and very healthy primaries as well as gentle yet nicely defined and beautiful nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is great. Finally, there are no distracting debris, blemishes, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or damaged frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Tampopo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a very interesting -- quite exotic yet delicate -- soundtrack that benefits greatly from the lossless treatment. There are some short but very important motifs that add a great deal of flavor to otherwise plain looking segments. Dynamic intensity is also very good, though this isn't a film that relies on a wide range of audio effects to impress. The dialog is very clear, clean, and always easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Tampopo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for the new 4K restoration of Tampopo, courtesy of Janus Films. In Japanese, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• The Making of Tampopo - this archival documentary was shot during the production of Tampopo in 1985 and is narrated by director Juzo Itami. Included in it are plenty of clips from interviews with cast and crew members as well as raw footage from the shooting sessions. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (90 min, 1080i).

• Nobuko Miamoto - in this new video interview, actress Nobuko Miamoto discusses her contribution to Tampopo and Juzo Itami's directing methods. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).

• Seiko Ogawa - in this new video interview, stylist Seiko Ogawa discusses her work on Tampopo. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• The Amateur and the Craftsperson - in this new video essay examines some of the key themes in Tampopo. The essay was created by filmmakers Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• The Perfect Bowl - this new program takes a closer look at the lasting impact Tampopo had on food culture in Japan and overseas. It includes interviews with ramen expert Hiroshi Oosaki, and chefs Rayneil De Guzman, Sam White, and Ivan Orkin, amongst others. The program was created exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English and Japanese, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (23 min, 1080p).

• Rubber Band Pistol (1962) - presented here is Juzo Itami's directorial debut, Rubber Band Pistol. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (33 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet/poster featuring food and culture writer Willy Blackmore's essay Ramen for the People and technical credits.

Tampopo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tampopo is a very odd yet irresistibly attractive little film about a group of people who are obsessed with ramen. I thought that its sense of humor was pitch-perfect and unconventional message delivered with wonderful authority and style. Criterion's new Blu-ray release is sourced from a stunning 4K remaster, and I would enthusiastically recommend it to people that wish to see what reference material looks like in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.