Tampopo (Dandelion). Jûzô Itami, 1985.
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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #868, released 2017. Japanese language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 114 minutes.
Summary: Culinary porn.
Details:
1) General kitchen gore is comparatively low key, then steps up a bit 55:54 with handfuls of chicken carcasses and similar, leading to . . .
2) The clean uncooked head of a large, attractive pig waved around in the kitchen, 56:40-57:11.
3) A turtle is murdered and bled into a bowl for the entertainment of diners, 1:01:50-1:02:12.
I did not like this movie. Obsequious, servile, solicitations to say “mmm! yummy yummy” intercut with formulaic over-acted 80s-style comedic genre vignettes. See also Babette’s Feast, which manages to be even more smug and irritating.
The Criterion release includes Itami’s directorial debut Rubber Band Pistol (1962), a better film that includes many of the ideas later barfed up in Tampopo.