The Funeral
At the beginning of the film the father-in-law of the protagonist dies unexpectedly of a heart attack. The remainder of the film is episodic, moving from one incident to another over the course of the three-day funeral, which is held (as is customary) in the home. These incidents contrast old ways and new ways, young and old, ritual ceremony and true feelings, often comically, but sometimes with real poignancy.
Juzo Itami
Juzo Itami
Casts & Crew
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Nobuko Miyamoto
Kin Sugai
Hideji Ôtaki
Isao Bitô
Midori Ebina
Nekohachi Edoya
Kamatari Fujiwara
Hideo Fukuhara
Hiroko Futaba
Manpei Ikeuchi
Yōsui Inoue
Masahiro Irie
Ryōsuke Kagawa
Akio Kaneda
Yoshihiro Katô
Kazuyo Kawamura
Ittoku Kishibe
Kaoru Kobayashi
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Atsuyoshi Matsukidaira
Matsue Matsumoto
Shiho Matsunami
Hideo Nagai
Keiichiro Nakada
Mariko Nakamura
Noboru Nakayama
Hikaru Nishikawa
Ichiro Oba
Eriko Ohashi
Koji Okoyama
Kiminobu Okumura
Kôen Okumura
Gô Rijû
Chishū Ryū
Sakihiro Sakai
Asao Sasano
Shizuo Sato
Saoyoshi Satogi
Hiroko Seki
Reiko Shinjo
Ippei Souda
Haruna Takase
Haruo Tanaka
Koji Tanaka
Yoshiharu Tojukai
Go Toneatsu
Masahiko Tsugawa
Takashi Tsumura
Tetstaro Tsuruno
Hiroyuki Yamada
Michiyo Yokoyama
Mitsuko Yoshikawa
Chikako Yuri
Ichirô Zaitsu
Also Directed by Juzo Itami
In this made-in-Japan drama/comedy/gangster movie from director Juzo Itami a star actress, Biwako (played by Nobuko Miyamoto), is the sole witness to a grizzly murder. The cops persuade Biwako to play the bait to catch the killers. Two veteran detectives are assigned to protect her at all times, and as the film progresses the guardians have no choice but to deal with the overly dramatic, hilarious, and sometimes harrowing ups-and-downs of Biwako's life. Beautifully shot and dynamically structured in a way that only the Japanese are capable of, Marutai reminds us that sometimes the most loyal friendships are formed under the darkest circumstances.
The film stars two of Itami's regular actors, Nobuko Miyamoto as a geisha who brings luck to the men with whom she sleeps, and Masahiko Tsugawa as her unfaithful, sometimes partner. As well as showing her relationships with the man she loves and the men who employ her, it satirizes corruption and the influence of money in Japanese politics.
A grand old Japanese hotel is trying to get a prestigious contract as the site of a summit meeting of important foreign officials. Unfortunately, this hotel is quite popular with the Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) and is a favorite target of theirs for extortion. They employ a variety of schemes to con the hotel out of 'hush-money.' The hotel needs to rid itself of the Yakuza and finally begins to fight back by hiring Mahiru Inoue, a lawyer who is an expert at dealing with these criminals on their own terms. This film by Juzo Itami combines action with farce, as an all-out war ensues. Written by Tad Dibbern
Ryoko Itakura is a government tax agent who has just landed a big promotion. Her first assignment is to catch wheeler-dealer Hideki Gondo. She has a tough job, since in Japan tax evasion is an art and Gondo is, in effect, Rembrandt.
Ryoko 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.
A short film from Jûzô Itami.
Goro's supermarket is not doing well; the rival "Bargains Galore" threatens his business. A chance encounter with Hanako, an energetic woman he knew in grade school, results in big retail and life changes.
A successful Japanese movie director in his 60s becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. His family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, but it gradually becomes clear. Coming to terms with his own mortality is painful, and involves some major conflicts with his wife and the hospital staff.
Melodrama about the life of a mentally handicapped young man and his devoted sister after their famous novelist father and housewife mother go to Australia on a business trip.
A pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside fast food stop 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".