Marusa no onna (1987)

Director:

Juzo Itami

Writer:

Juzo Itami (writer)

Release Date:

June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

He has a Yen for her, but he won't tell her where it's hidden... [USA Theatrical]

Plot:

Ryoko Itakura is a government tax agent who has just landed a big promotion. Her first assignment is to catch wheeler-dealer Hideki Gondo...

Plot Keywords:

Tax Collector | Sex | Female Nudity | Japanese | Japan

Awards:

22 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Nobuko Miyamoto	...	Ryoko Itakura, Tax Inspector
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Hideki Gondo
Masahiko Tsugawa	...	Hanamura
Shinsuke Ashida	...	Ninagawa
Mariko Okada	...	Mitsuko Sugiura
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Moeko Ezawa	...	Gondo's Mistress
Mach Fumiake
Shirô Itô	...	Owner of a game center
Yoshihiro Kato	...	Yamada
Hideo Murota	...	Ishii, Motel President
Hideji Otaki	...	Tsuyuguchi, Tax Office Manager
Eitarô Ozawa	...	A tax accountant
Kiriko Shimizu	...	Kazue Kenmochi
Tokuko Sugiyama	...	Wife Of A Grocery Store Owner
Jôtarô Watanabe

Also Known As:

A Taxing Woman (USA)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Sweden:11

Company:

Itami Films

Quotes:

Hideki Gondo: To save money, you don't spend it. It's as simple as that. You give maybe $100 at a funeral, $200 at a wedding. That's not good. A million is nothing if you spend it. But even $100 is yours if you save it. Say you're trying to fill a glass with dripping water. When it's half-full, you're thirsty, so you drink. But that's stupid. Wait until it's full. But still don't drink. Wait 'til it brims over and lick it. That way you save the water and drink.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Marusa no onna (1989) (VG)

The Buzz of Japan

Besides the great performances by the two leads, portraying antagonists with similar world-views while on different sides of the law, I especially liked the permeating atmosphere of Japan that came through with the cinematography, the soundtrack, and the scene set-ups. The final scene culminated the film's strong reminder of the almost unpleasant yet intense fascination I often felt in the urban environments of Japan in the late 80's and early 90's. "That," I thought of the movie when it was over, "after setting aside all the comic exaggeration, is the real Japan." Like the movie "Shall We Dance?", it clearly showed a true aspect of Japan.