Juzo Itami
About
Biography
Filmography
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Biography
Itami entered films as an actor and made his directing debut with the assured black comedy, "The Funeral" (1984). He followed it with a series of impressive films--particularly the "noodle western" "Tampopo" (1986)--that have gained him international acclaim and a host of Japanese Academy Awards. His action comedies, "A Taxing Woman" (1987) and "A Taxing Woman's Return" (1988), have proved popular in the USA, despite the fact that their heroine--played by Itami's wife, Nobuko Miyamoto--is a tax inspector possessed of considerable detective powers. In 1992, he was attacked and had his face slashed after the release of "Minbo--or the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion," a satire on the Japanese gangsters. His tenth film, "Marutai no Onna/A Woman in Police Protection," was released in 1997 months before he committed suicide.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Director (Short)
Life Events
1984
Film directing debut with "The Funeral"
1986
Earned international acclaim for "Tampopo"
1992
Slashed on the face by members of the yakuza after release of "Minbo--or the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion"
1997
Final film, his tenth, "Marutai no Onna/A Woman in Police Protection"
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