The Taste of Tea
by Katsuhito Ishii
(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Maya Banno, Satomi Tezuka, Tadanobu Asano, Takahiro Sato, Tomokazu MiuraDirector: Katsuhito Ishii
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Original Language); English (Unknown)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 143 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-03
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: VIZ Pictures, Inc.
DVD Reviews of The Taste of Tea
DVD Review: Very creative and funny
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this recently. Its very creative and uniquely funny. I watched it 3 times so far.DVD Review: Japanese pictural poetry at its best
Summary: 5 Stars
The taste of tea (AKA Cha no aji) is a Japanese movie which, during the first five minutes of watching it, provides a feeling of uncertainty. What am I watching? Is that funny? Is that just plain bad? And then the magic operates, largely due to the beauty of the scenery, the credibility of each and every actor, the soothing effect of the slow rhythm of the whole "action". Then, enjoyment, pleasure and even laughs succeed the initial feeling of uncertainty as the plot starts making sense and the characters each get to expose their personality more plainly.
The story is simple at first. It's about a Japanese family of 4+2: the overactive and somewhat distant parents, the young and very lonely daughter, the immature and shy teen boy, the deranged grandfather and the lazy -yet creative- lost uncle.
What the viewer realizes after a while is that, although all of the characters physically live together in their daily life, they each follow their own path, share little together and hardly know each other at all. After a while though, they start sharing something in common through the least expected, weirdest character of them all and get to open up to each other in a beautiful, blossoming fashion.
Action seekers, don't stop here. This movie's for those that look for authenticity, poetry and subtlety.
DVD Review: The Surreal Life
Summary: 5 Stars
It is hard to put a finger on what exactly is so great about "The Taste of Tea" ("Cha no Aji"). There is no real story to speak of, the movie drifts from one bizarre instance to another, and becomes just a hodge-podge of small vignettes vaguely connected by a circumstance of family. A bit like real life, I suppose, but without the bleeding ghosts and giant girls.
What ever it is, "The Taste of Tea" is a great flick. Director Ishii Katsuhito (Party 7) has put together a modern version of an Ozu film, focusing on tiny family dramas that anyone could encounter and making them the focus. No grand drama, no heroes and villains, just life. Everything focuses around the Haruno family, with each member having a story to tell. Effects are used to create the surreal atmosphere, but never overpower the story. An American equivalent would be Big Fish, which also combines the nostalgic with the surreal.
The ensemble cast is pure quality, each of them stars of the Japanese film industry. Asano Tadanobu (Kakihara from Ichi the Killer) plays a younger brother who needs time with his family to recuperate from lost love. Tezuka Satomi (Isola) plays the mother, a woman who has given up her career as an animator to raise her family, but wants to break back in now that her children are older. Gashuin Tatsuya (Spirited Away) is amazing as the unhinged grandfather, a man with an artist's soul and the innocence of a child. Anno Hideaki, creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, even pops in for a cameo role.
The scenery of rural Japan is also beautifully filmed, and is enough to make you nostalgic for it even if you have never been there. All the sites and sounds are perfect, with vivid colors crisp and alive. I have spent some time in rural Japan, and "The Taste of Tea" made me want to chuck my job, pack a suitcase, and head back to the mountains and rice fields and just soak up the lifestyle.
This limited edition of the DVD is worth getting picking up over the regular one if you can. A two-disk collection, there is a subtitled 90-min "Making of" feature, as well as the full version of the animation "Super Big" which was featured in the movie.
DVD Review: A Movie about "Nothing"...But There's Something!
Summary: 4 Stars
A movie about "Nothing"---but there is something. THE TASTE OF TEA is the handiwork of Katsushito Ishii, the director of the acclaimed cult hit "Party 7" and "Funky Forest: First Contact". Now, I'll go straight to the point, this film is about family, anime, a boy's young love, a young girl's journey through childhood, with very simple execution. If you're looking for a movie with a steadfast destination, then this movie may not be for you or if you want to use puns, not your cup of tea. However, this film is a grand display of Ishii's directorial skills, the man just knows how to tell a story and gets everything right.
A summer in the lives of the quirky Haruno clan, who passes the unhurried days trying to realize their ambitions. In a small town just North of Tokyo, a dedicated mother (Satomi Tezuka) attempts to revive her anime career with the aid of Grandpa who assumes the poses, her hypno-therapist hubby (Tomokazu Miura) has no choice but to back her decision and supports the family financially. Meanwhile, their eldest son (Takahiro Sato) feels the allure of teenage love and their 6 yr.-old daughter (Maya Banno) grapples with a pesky, gigantic doppelganger. Brother Asano (Tadanobu Asano) wants to be a successful sound mixer.
Remember the show "Seinfeld" that pronounces itself as a show about "nothing", well, Ishii has taken that phrase to the next level. The film's beauty is the manner on which it is structured with body languages, facial expressions and mumblings as its main vehicle in expressing its ideas. While its main premise is simple, it has the uncanny ability to say a lot without even saying a word. From the young girl who plays peek-a-boo with Grandpa, to the times when the teenager plays "Go" with his father and Uncle while the mother discusses posture and cool stances for her anime feature. A lot of it are "little things", sequences of everyday family matters but the film expresses a lot through its whimsical and episodic style. The word "Mosaic" is truly fitting for this film, since it is truly composed of diverse elements and formulas.
There's a Yakuza ghost with feces on his head whose tale is told by the boy's uncle, the giant egg, the goal of the "perfect" back flip, all these factors contribute to the family's amazing chemistry through interaction. The characters are so interesting and their characteristics mesh so well that if you take away one, the other characters would have to react differently. This is truly a great sign of excellent storytelling, when the characters take a life of their own and the plot (or lack of) can really breath. The family has become one breathing entity because of its direction.
The film is not a drama; nothing really major happens but it promotes an emotional reaction. It is not a comedy, yet, I found myself laughing quite a lot from its sequences. The film is not really telling a tale but it is more about memoirs, reflections and the clan's everyday routine. It's a bit long at 2 hours and 17 minutes, but with its eccentric characters and meandering storyline, the film will envelope you with its charm and its bright whimsical humor will undoubtedly put a smile on your face and will keep you locked in for its entirety. Even with its slower-paced moments, Ishii will draw you in with its warmth and joyful emulation will never bore you.
"The Taste of Tea" is rightfully named. Sometimes bizarre and odd, whimsical and episodic, with subtleties about life's meaning. To some Tea tastes flat and just tastes like flavored water, to some its variety of flavors add a lot of satisfaction to our taste buds. Tea can also be sometimes sweet and at the same time bitter. The film's execution has plenty of capacity for humor, and its humor is universal and won't get lost in its translation. "The Taste of Tea" is about Life's fulfillment, that lies in the pursuit of individual goals and these goals need not be huge or life-changing to provide a feeling of joy. Happiness is in the little things and appreciation for things we usually ignore is what true fulfillment is really about.
[...]
DVD Review: Visually pleasing
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a visually pleasing film, full of unexpected beauty. It is about unusual Japanese family living in mountain. Family consists of artists, visual and musical and the head of the family happens to be a hypnotist who enhances their imagination with unexected hypnotic sessions. Each family member is going thru significant changes in life. Mom, who is animator is trying to get back into workforce, young boy is coming of age is hopelessly falling in love with very pretty newcomer girl into his class, young girl is lethargic in her attempt to rid of her giant imaginary ghost who seems to be following her everywhere. Their uncle, a sound mixer, is having difficult time of letting go of the girl who has married someone else. As they all go thru their days, the grandfather, seemingly senile is singing along, playing hide an seek with his granddaughter and preparing his new musical score for his nephew's birthday. We see beauty of nature all around them: rice fields, butterflies, wild flowers, greenery of trees in the the mountains. And then one day, as gradfather dies, in his room his family finds animation books about each family member. It is amazing to learn that the way the old man saw them is the way they saw themselves during critical moments in their lives. Beautiful film about little moments in life that make family members feel close to each other and make us all appreciate life in all its beauty. This is film for sophisticated and mature viewers. It is complicated in its simplicity...I have enjoyed this film very much.
Description of The Taste of Tea
Meet the Harunos, a rather unconventional, but happy and loving family nonetheless. They live in a small town in the mountains just out of Tokyo where life is good and quiet - but that doesn't mean they don't have their own little problems.As 8-year old Sachiko (Maya Banno) tries to get rid of a giant version of herself who seems to pop up everywhere, her older brother Hajime (Takahiro Sato), privately wrestles with his love-struck heart. Meanwhile, their mother Yoshiko (Satomi Tezuka) is working hard, coming out of retirement as an animator, as her husband and professional hypnotist Nobuo (Tomokazu Miura) watches on with slight apprehension. Yoshiko's brother, Ayano (Tadanobu Asano) is just visiting his hometown and staying with the family, but also has ashidden agenda; he needs to come to terms with a romance that ended years ago. Even Nobuo's brother and successful manga artist Todoroki has his problems. It's his birthday soon and he wants to give himself something special. And lastly there's Grandpa, the most bizarre and perhaps the most perceptive of all, who continues to search for a better way to live life to the full.
Written, directed and edited by Katsuhito ISHII, The Taste of Tea is a unique and gentle family portrait tackling the universal themes of time, people and their lives.
Like Ozu's Tokyo Story, The Taste of Tea takes the long view of a Japanese family, though the eccentric Harunos are unconcerned with the moral quandaries Ozu's characters typically face. Director Katsuhito Ishii, known in America for his animated sequence in Kill Bill Pt. 2, gives the viewer a comedic slice of life in this artistic family's rural village. With a mother reentering the animation business, a musical grandfather conceptually akin to Yoko Ono, and a hypnotist father, siblings Hajime (Takahiro Sato) and Sachiko (Maya Banno) have the mental freedom to roam deep into imagined worlds that comprise the film's core. Hajime's infatuation with a girl at school becomes an obsession that bears fruit due to his commitment to meeting her. Sachiko's giant ghost follows her, leading her to believe that if she can master a back flip on the gym bars that she will scare the ghost away. The Taste of Tea relies upon odd, awkward moments of reflection or confusion. Hajime isn't sure what to make of his Uncle Ayano's (Tadanobu Asano) story involving a chicken egg in the forest. Similarly, Sachiko runs for her life when a man emerges out of the mud next to her. The absurdity in the narrative is underscored by visual impossibilities, for example a train rushing out of Hajime's head, and other bizarre live-action animation. Interestingly, each character's dilemma is based on external forces. Tensions between family members are non-existent in The Taste of Tea, reinforcing the idea that artistic minds must stick together in an increasingly unpredictable world. --Trinie Dalton
General DVDs
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Bestsellers in General DVDs
![Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Watchmen-The-Ultimate-Cut-Blu-ray-B002IYEQR4-X.jpg)
Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut [Blu-ray]Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-11-10; DVD
Best price: $30.00
Price in other shops:
Peanuts Holiday Collection (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown / A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / A Charlie Brown Christmas) (Deluxe Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-09-23; DVD
Best price: $22.99
Price in other shops:
The Original Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/ Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town/ Frosty the Snowman/ Frosty Returns/ Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol/ Little Drummer Boy/ Cricket on the Hearth)Release date: 2007-09-04; DVD
Best price: $13.15
Price in other shops:
Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One (TV Series)Star Wars; Release date: 2009-11-03; DVD
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops:
Monsters vs. AliensPARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-09-29; DVD
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
Snow White and the Seven DwarfsBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-11-24; DVD
Best price: $14.85
Price in other shops:
Tinker Bell and the Lost TreasureBUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops:
UP (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition + Digital Copy)BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-11-10; DVD
Best price: $18.25
Price in other shops:
![Cars [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Cars-Blu-ray-B000V1Y43W-X.jpg)
Cars [Blu-ray]Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $12.40
Price in other shops:
Up (Single Disc Widescreen)Example Product Brand; Release date: 2009-11-10; DVD
Best price: $12.70
Price in other shops:
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Shall We Dance?Disney; Release date: 2005-02-01; DVD
Best price: $7.63
Price in other shops:
Hana & Alice (Widescreen)KAKU,TOMOHIRO; Release date: 2007-07-10; DVD
Best price: $19.18
Price in other shops:
Love and HonorFunimation; Release date: 2008-11-11; DVD
Best price: $14.32
Price in other shops:
Linda Linda LindaRelease date: 2007-05-08; DVD
Best price: $14.46
Price in other shops:
Nobody KnowsYAGIRA,YUYA; Release date: 2005-09-13; DVD
Best price: $2.64
Price in other shops:
Hula GirlsSIMON & SCHUSTER C/O VIZ MEDIA LLC; Release date: 2007-11-06; DVD
Best price: $19.12
Price in other shops:
Kamikaze GirlsRelease date: 2006-01-10; DVD
Best price: $14.68
Price in other shops:
Train Man : Densha OtokoRelease date: 2007-02-06; DVD
Best price: $17.27
Price in other shops:
Hana: The Tale of a Reluctant SamuraiFunimation; Release date: 2008-06-24; DVD
Best price: $8.59
Price in other shops:
DeparturesKoch International; Release date: 2010-01-12; DVD
Best price: $15.73
Price in other shops: