A Master of Intellectual Play: Juzo Itami and the Aesthetics of Expression in the 1970s

A Master of Intellectual Play: Juzo Itami and the Aesthetics of Expression in the 1970s

In the 1970s, Japan was undergoing a major cultural and media transformation. The film industry showed signs of decline, and audiences began to migrate from the screen to television. Stars who had once graced the silver screen moved to variety shows and dialogue in search of a new place to live, and the boundary between cultural figures and entertainers became blurred. In such an era, one man who stood out in a certain way was actor and essayist Juzo Itami. With his sophisticated intellect and wit, he made the transition from acting to essay writing, to television, and later to film directing, marking a unique mark on the Japanese cultural landscape.

In the weekly magazines of the 1970s, there was much debate about Juzo Itami. Many regarded his acting, the way he spoke, and even his slightest gestures as all very calculated. One said, "There is a hint of theatrical calculation in his pauses," while another said, "Despite his intellectual charm, his manufactured atmosphere is somewhat on the nose. These opinions indicate that he was not just an actor, but an expressive person who consciously manipulated every word and gesture.

At this time, Japanese cinema was on the verge of extinction. Major film companies such as Shochiku, Toho, and Nikkatsu, which had supported the golden age of Japanese cinema in the past, were struggling to find a new direction as their audiences were drifting away. Instead, genre films such as Toei's real-life yakuza films and Nikkatsu's romantic pornography were gaining momentum. However, there was little room in those films for an intelligent character like Juzo Itami. Therefore, he gradually distanced himself from the film world and shifted his emphasis to activities as an essayist and TV personality.

In the 1970s, the number of "cultural figures" appearing in the Japanese media began to increase, and writers such as Akiyuki Nosaka and Hiroyuki Itsuki emerged, who were able to move freely between the worlds of literature and the media. Itami was also part of this trend, but his style was unique. He was not just an intellectual, but had the ability to entertain his audience with humor in every word he said. He staged his remarks as "works of art," skillfully blending intelligence and entertainment as if he were standing on a stage.

However, while he was active in the world of television and essay writing, Itami could not give up his unfulfilled desire for films. His aesthetic sense and commitment to directing had no choice but to turn toward visual expression. Finally, in 1984, Itami made his debut as a film director with "Funeral. This film depicted the Japanese funeral culture from a unique perspective, and exquisitely interweaved satire and humor. Since then, he has established himself as a director with a series of films such as "The Woman in Martha," "Tampopo," and "Aceman.

The reputation of Juzo Itami in the 1970s as a "calculated expressive person" may have been exactly what he was. He calculated and directed everything, and even created his own life as a work of art. Actor, essayist, cultural figure, and filmmaker - he may not have been satisfied with any of these titles. But the works he created have not faded away with the passage of time, and they still live on in Japanese culture today. Juzo Itami, a master of intellectual games, was the very embodiment of the "aesthetics of expression" in 1970s Japan.