Tora-san's Promise (男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Kamifūsen), also called Torasan and a Paper Balloon in some regions,[1] is a 1981 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Mikiko Otonashi as his love interest or "Madonna".[2] Tora-san's Promise is the twenty-eighth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.
| Tora-san's Promise | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Yoji Yamada |
| Written by | Yoji Yamada Yoshitaka Asama |
| Starring | Kiyoshi Atsumi Mikiko Otonashi |
| Cinematography | Tetsuo Takaba |
| Edited by | Iwao Ishii |
| Music by | Naozumi Yamamoto |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Synopsis
editTora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.[3][4][5]
Cast
edit- Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō[6]
- Chieko Baisho as Sakura
- Mikiko Otonashi as Mitsue Kuratomi
- Kayoko Kishimoto as Aiko Odajima
- Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō
- Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
- Hiroshi Inuzuka as Shigeru
- Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
- Takeo Chii as Kenkichi Odajima
- Hidetaka Yoshioka as Mitsuo Suwa
- Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
Critical appraisal
editStuart Galbraith IV writes that Tora-san's Promise is a middle-quality entry in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series, though the series has a high standard.[4] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Promise three and a half out of five stars.[7]
Availability
editTora-san's Promise was released theatrically on December 28, 1981.[8] In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1986 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2002 and 2008.[9]
References
edit- ^ "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ "男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (Madonna)" (in Japanese). www.tora-san.jp. Retrieved 2010-01-21. (official site)
- ^ 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ a b Galbraith IV, Stuart (2007-04-03). "Tora-san 28: Tora-san's Promise (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ "Tora-San's Promise" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ "男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- ^ 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (1981) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
Bibliography
editEnglish
edit- "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro kamifusen (1981) at IMDb
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (2007-04-03). "Tora-san 28: Tora-san's Promise (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
German
edit- "Tora-San's Promise" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
Japanese
edit- 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (1981) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- "男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
External links
edit- Tora-san's Promise Archived 2014-07-29 at the Wayback Machine at www.tora-san.jp (official site)