''aka'' ''Torasan Dreams Springtime'' is a 1979 Japanese comedy film directed by
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ('' The Twilight Samurai'', '' The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor'').
Biography
Yamada was born in Osaka, but due to his father' ...
. It stars
Kiyoshi Atsumi
, born , was a Japanese actor. He is best known for portraying Tora-san in the Japanese comedy film series Otoko wa Tsurai yo, a role he played 48 times over 26 years.
Life and career
Atsumi was born in Tokyo suffering from childhood malnutr ...
as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and
Kyōko Kagawa
is a Japanese actress. During her career spanning 70 years, she has worked with directors like Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse, appearing in films such as ''Tokyo Story'', ''Sansho the Bailiff'', '' The Bad Sleep W ...
as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' is the twenty-fourth entry in the popular, long-running ''
Otoko wa Tsurai yo
is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma, whose nickname is , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "''Tora-san''" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments rel ...
'' series.
Synopsis
Tora-san returns to his family's home in Shibamata, Tokyo, to find a large American peddler living in his room, leading to various conflicts. As Tora-san struggles through his love with the local Madonna (references?) the American admits to falling for Sakura. Ultimately the two men find they have more in common than they thought.
Cast
*
Kiyoshi Atsumi
, born , was a Japanese actor. He is best known for portraying Tora-san in the Japanese comedy film series Otoko wa Tsurai yo, a role he played 48 times over 26 years.
Life and career
Atsumi was born in Tokyo suffering from childhood malnutr ...
as Torajirō
*
Herbert Edelman as Michael Jordan
*
Chieko Baisho
is a Japanese actress and singer.
In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won t ...
as Sakura
*
Kyōko Kagawa
is a Japanese actress. During her career spanning 70 years, she has worked with directors like Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse, appearing in films such as ''Tokyo Story'', ''Sansho the Bailiff'', '' The Bad Sleep W ...
as Keiko Takai
*
Hiroko Hayashi as Megumi Takai
*
Masami Shimojō
was a Japanese film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films.
Career
Hoping to become a film director, Shimojō traveled to Tokyo in 1935 but ended up joining a theater troupe, debuting on stage in 1936. He made his film debut in 194 ...
as Kuruma Tatsuzō
*
Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
*
Gin Maeda
(born February 21, 1944) is a Japanese actor. He had a regular role in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' films, beginning with the first in the series (1969), as Sakura's husband.
Filmography Film
*''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series (1969–2019), Hiroshi S ...
as Hiroshi Suwa
* Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa
*
HIroshi Inuzuka
was a Japanese actor, comedian and bassist. Inuzuka was one of the members of the Crazy Cats.
His first starring role in the film was in ''Suteki na Konban wa'' directed by Yoshitarō Nomura and played the leading roles in six films in his acti ...
as Carpenter
*
Hisao Dazai
Hisao (written: 央生, 久生, 久雄, 寿雄, 寿夫, 尚雄, 尚久 or 尚勇) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese voice actor
*, Japanese government official
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japa ...
as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
*
Taiji Tonoyama
was a Japanese character actor who made many appearances in films and on television from 1939 to 1989. He was a close friend of Kaneto Shindo and one of his regular cast members. He was also an essayist. In 1950 he helped form the film company ...
*
Chishū Ryū
was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting 65 years, appeared in over 160 films and about 70 television productions.
Early life
Ryū was born in Tamamizu Village, Tamana, Kumamoto, Tamana County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu ...
as Gozen-sama
Critical appraisal
Kiyoshi Atsumi
, born , was a Japanese actor. He is best known for portraying Tora-san in the Japanese comedy film series Otoko wa Tsurai yo, a role he played 48 times over 26 years.
Life and career
Atsumi was born in Tokyo suffering from childhood malnutr ...
was nominated for Best Actor at the
Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his performances in ''Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' and the previous entry in the series, ''
Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' (also 1979).
Chieko Baisho
is a Japanese actress and singer.
In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won t ...
was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the same two films.
Stuart Galbraith IV
Stuart Eugene Galbraith IV (born December 29, 1965) is an American film historian, film critic, essayist, and audio commentator.
Early life and education
Raised in Livonia, Michigan, Galbraith first worked professionally as a film reviewer and ...
notes that the American influence on this film, in the writing and in the acting, and the amusing conflicts between US and Japanese culture portrayed in the film makes it a particularly good entry point in the series for non-Japanese audiences.
The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' three and a half out of five stars.
Availability
''Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' was released theatrically on December 28, 1979. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.
References
Bibliography
English
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German
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Japanese
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External links
''Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' at www.tora-san.jp (official site)
{{Yoji Yamada
1979 films
Films directed by Yoji Yamada
Films set in Kyoto
1979 comedy films
1970s Japanese-language films
Otoko wa Tsurai yo films
Shochiku films
Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada
Japanese sequel films
1970s Japanese films