Tora-san Loves an Artist

Tora-san Loves an Artist (男はつらいよ 私の寅さん, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Watashi no Tora-san) aka Tora-san Goes French[1] is a 1973 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Keiko Kishi as his love interest or "Madonna".[2] Tora-san Loves an Artist is the twelfth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

Tora-san Loves an Artist
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Yoji Yamada
Written by	Yoji Yamada Yoshitaka Asama
Starring	Kiyoshi Atsumi Keiko Kishi
Music by	Naozumi Yamamoto
Cinematography	Tetsuo Takaba
Edited by	Iwao Ishii
Distributed by	Shochiku
Release date	December 16, 1973
Running time	107 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Synopsis

Tora-san watches the family shop while the rest of his family takes a vacation to Kyushu. An old friend introduces Tora-san to his sister Ritsuko, and he promptly falls in love with her. She is an artist and has no time for Tora-san.[3][4][5]

Cast

• Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō[6]
• Keiko Kishi as Ritsuko Yanagi
• Takehiko Maeda as Fumihiko Yanagi
• Chieko Baisho as Sakura
• Tatsuo Matsumura as Ryūzō Azuma
• 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 Ryū as Gozen-sama

Critical appraisal

Stuart Galbraith IV calls Tora-san Loves an Artist a "solid" entry in the series, which is "alternately sweet and touching, funny and biting."[4] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san Loves an Artist three and a half out of five stars.[7]

Availability

Tora-san Loves an Artist was released theatrically on December 16, 1973.[8] In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1995, and in DVD format in 2008.[9]

References

1. "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -WATASHI NO TORAJIRO". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
2. "男はつらいよ 私の寅さん (Madonna)" (in Japanese). www.tora-san.jp. Retrieved 2010-01-18. External link in |publisher= (help) (official site)
3. 男はつらいよ 私の寅さん (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
4. Galbraith IV, Stuart (2006-02-05). "Tora-san 12: Tora-san Loves an Artist (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
5. "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO WATASHI NO TORA-SAN (1973)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
6. 男はつらいよ 私の寅さん (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
7. "Tora-San Loves an Artist" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-18. External link in |publisher= (help)
8. "男はつらいよ 私の寅さん". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
9. 男はつらいよ　私の寅さん(1973) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-18.

Bibliography

English

• "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO WATASHI NO TORA-SAN (1973)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
• "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -WATASHI NO TORAJIRO". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
• Otoko wa tsurai yo: Watashi no tora-san (1973) at IMDb
• Galbraith IV, Stuart (2006-02-05). "Tora-san 12: Tora-san Loves an Artist (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-18.

German

• "Tora-San Loves an Artist" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-18. External link in |publisher= (help)

Japanese

• 男はつらいよ　私の寅さん(1973) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
• "男はつらいよ 私の寅さん". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2012-02-26. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
• 男はつらいよ 私の寅さん (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
• 男はつらいよ 私の寅さん (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-18.

External links

• Tora-san Loves an Artist at www.tora-san.jp (Official site)