''Tora-san Riding High'' 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
He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...
. It stars
Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美 清 ''Atsumi Kiyoshi''), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所 康雄 ''Tadokoro Yasuo'', 10 March 1928 – 4 August 1996), was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show the ...
as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and
Kaori Momoi
is a Japanese actress.
Life and career
Momoi was born in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 12, she traveled to London to study dance at the Royal Ballet Academy. After 3 years, she returned to Tokyo. She graduated from Japan's Bungakuza School of ...
as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' is the twenty-third entry in the popular, long-running ''
Otoko wa Tsurai yo
is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as , 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 released between 1969 and 1995, all of the ' ...
'' series.
Synopsis
Tora-san convinces the hesitant Hitomi to go through with her plans to marry her intended spouse.
Cast
*
Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美 清 ''Atsumi Kiyoshi''), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所 康雄 ''Tadokoro Yasuo'', 10 March 1928 – 4 August 1996), was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show the ...
as Torajiro
*
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 th ...
as Sakura
*
Kaori Momoi
is a Japanese actress.
Life and career
Momoi was born in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 12, she traveled to London to study dance at the Royal Ballet Academy. After 3 years, she returned to Tokyo. She graduated from Japan's Bungakuza School of ...
as Hitomi Irie
*
Akira Fuse
is a Japanese singer and actor. He debuted in 1965 with the single . Career
His greatest hits are and . He currently makes consistent appearances on television, performs occasional seasonal tours, hosts a late night talk show, and is involve ...
as Kunio Koyanagi
*
Michiyo Kogure
(31 January 1918 – 13 June 1990) was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in nearly 200 films in a career which spanned 45 years, starring in works by Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and others. Film histor ...
as Kuniko Irie
*
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
Chieko (written: , , , , or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese sprint canoeist
*, blind Japanese computer scientist
*, Japanese actress and singer
*, Japanese voice actress and singer
*, Japanes ...
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
*
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)
*
Hiroshi Inuzuka
(born 23 March 1929, Tokyo) is a Japanese actor, comedian and bassist. Inuzuka is 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 rol ...
as Taxi driver
*
Gajirō Satō as Genkō
*
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 County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, the most southe ...
as Gozen-sama
*
Tatsuo Matsumura as Reikichi Matsuda
Critical appraisal
''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' was the third top box-office film in Japan for the year of 1979.
For his performances in ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' and the next entry in the series, ''
Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' (also 1979),
Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美 清 ''Atsumi Kiyoshi''), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所 康雄 ''Tadokoro Yasuo'', 10 March 1928 – 4 August 1996), was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show the ...
was nominated for Best Actor at the
Japan Academy Prize ceremony.
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 th ...
was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the same ceremony for both films also.
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 ...
writes that one of the pleasures of ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' is in the performance of noted actress
Michiyo Kogure
(31 January 1918 – 13 June 1990) was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in nearly 200 films in a career which spanned 45 years, starring in works by Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and others. Film histor ...
in one of her last roles.
The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' three out of five stars.
Availability
''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' was released theatrically on August 4, 1979. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 2000, 2005, and 2008.
References
Bibliography
English
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German
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Japanese
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External links
''Tora-san, the Matchmaker''at www.tora-san.jp (official site)
{{Yoji Yamada
1979 films
Films directed by Yoji Yamada
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