Tora-san's Lovesick
Encyclopedia
aka Tora-san's Lovesickness is a 1974
Japan
ese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada
. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi
as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Sayuri Yoshinaga as his love interest or "Madonna". Tora-san's Lovesick is the thirteenth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo
series.
(1972). Her husband has died, and, out of obligation, she is living with his demanding parents. Tora-san persuades her to come to Tokyo, where she meets her estranged father, an author. Torasan's romantic intentions with Utako come to nothing when she decides to devote her life to teaching mentally handicapped children.
writes that Tora-san's Lovesick is "another fine entry in this exceptional series", which he calls "one of Japanese cinema's undiscovered treasures". He judges that the troubled relationship between Utako and her father is one of the highlights of the film. According to Galbraith, Seiji Miyaguchi
-- who played Kyūzō, the sword-fighting expert in Seven Samurai-- gives a subtle performance, portraying the father as "intimidating yet clearly well-meaning". The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Lovesick three and a half out of five stars.
1974 in film
The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....
. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi , born Yasuo Tadokoro , was a Japanese film actor....
as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Sayuri Yoshinaga as his love interest or "Madonna". Tora-san's Lovesick is the thirteenth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo
Otoko wa Tsurai yo
Otoko wa tsurai yo is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as "Tora-san" , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans...
series.
Synopsis
Tora-san returns home informing his family of his intention to marry. The plans are foiled when the woman's long-missing husband reappears. Later, Tora-san meets Utako from Tora-san's Dear Old HomeTora-san's Dear Old Home
aka Tora-san's New Romance is a 1972 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma , and Sayuri Yoshinaga as his love interest or "Madonna"...
(1972). Her husband has died, and, out of obligation, she is living with his demanding parents. Tora-san persuades her to come to Tokyo, where she meets her estranged father, an author. Torasan's romantic intentions with Utako come to nothing when she decides to devote her life to teaching mentally handicapped children.
Cast
- Kiyoshi AtsumiKiyoshi AtsumiKiyoshi Atsumi , born Yasuo Tadokoro , was a Japanese film actor....
as Torajirō - Chieko BaishōChieko Baishois a Japanese actress and singer.In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series . In addition, she has acted in most films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s...
as Sakura - Sayuri Yoshinaga as Utako
- Tatsuo Matsumura as Kuruma Tatsuzō
- Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
- Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
- Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa
- Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
- Gajirō Satō as Genkō
- Chishū RyūChishu Ryuwas a famous Japanese film actor, a favourite of the director Yasujiro Ozu. From 1928 to 1992 he appeared in at least 155 films, including Ozu's Tokyo Story and Yoshitaro Nomura's Castle of Sand...
as Gozen-sama - Seiji Miyaguchi as Shūkichi Takami
- Toshie Takada as Kinuyo
- Motoko Takahashi as Midori
Critical appraisal
Stuart Galbraith IVStuart Galbraith IV
Stuart Galbraith IV is an American cinema historian, film critic, and DVD special features producer, essayist, and audio commentator.-Early life and education:...
writes that Tora-san's Lovesick is "another fine entry in this exceptional series", which he calls "one of Japanese cinema's undiscovered treasures". He judges that the troubled relationship between Utako and her father is one of the highlights of the film. According to Galbraith, Seiji Miyaguchi
Seiji Miyaguchi
was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai despite the actor's confession to have never handled a sword before the role , Ikiru as a yakuza boss from "restaurant row," and Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan...
-- who played Kyūzō, the sword-fighting expert in Seven Samurai-- gives a subtle performance, portraying the father as "intimidating yet clearly well-meaning". The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Lovesick three and a half out of five stars.
Availability
Tora-san's Lovesick was released theatrically on August 3, 1974. In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1995, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.External links
- Tora-san's Lovesick at www.tora-san.jp (Official site)