a.k.a. ''Torasan and the Painter'' and ''Tora-san's Sunset Glow'' is a 1976 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 Kiwako Taichi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset'' is the seventeenth 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

During his travels, Tora-san meets Ikenouchi, a drunken old man whom he assumes is poor and homeless. Tora-san takes the old man home. When he wakes up, Ikenouchi begins ordering Tora-san's family around in such an authoritarian manner that no one can muster the courage to suggest he leave. On the road again, Tora-san meets Botan, a geisha who has lost her life savings to a dishonest customer. He and his family's neighbor are determined to help her out. It later turns out that Ikenouchi is a famous artist and a drawing he has made for Tora-san is worth ¥70,000.

Cast

as Torajirō * Chieko Baisho as Sakura *

Jūkichi Uno (real name ; 27 September 1914 – 9 January 1988) was a Japanese actor. In 1950, he formed the with Osamu Takizawa was a Japanese actor. He was born in Ushigome, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Starting at the Tsukiji Little Theater, Takizawa particip ...

as Ikenouchi *

Kiwako Taichi was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in 20 films between 1967 and 1985. Biography Kiwako Taichi was born in Tokyo on 2 December 1943. She graduated Shoin Junior and Senior High School and, after training in the Haiyuza Theatre Compan ...

as Botan (Geisha) * Masami Shimojō as Kuruma Tatsuzō * Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt) * Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa * Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura) * Gajirō Satō as Genkō * Asao Sano * Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa * Senri Sakurai as Tourist agency manager * Yoshiko Okada as Shino * Akira Terao as Tourist agency employee

Critical appraisal

''Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset'' was the third top Japanese box-office winner of 1976. The Japanese academic film journal ''

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

'' named it the second best Japanese release of the year. For her role in the film Kiwako Taichi was named Best Supporting Actress at both the

Hochi Film Award The are film-specific prizes awarded by the '' Hochi Shimbun''. Categories *Best Picture *Best International Picture *Best Animated Picture (since 2017) *Best Actor *Best Actress *Best Supporting Actor *Best Supporting Actress *Best New Artist ...

s and the Kinema Junpo Awards ceremonies. Stuart Galbraith IV judges ''Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset'' to be one of the best of the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series, singling out the performances of guest stars Kiwako Taichi and Jūkichi Uno. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset'' three and a half out of five stars.

Availability

''Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset'' was released theatrically on July 24, 1976. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 1997 and 2008.

References

Bibliography

English

* * * *

German

Japanese

* * * *

External links

*
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset
' at www.tora-san.jp (official site) {{Mainichi Film Award for Excellence Film 1976 films Films directed by Yoji Yamada 1976 comedy films 1970s Japanese-language films Otoko wa Tsurai yo films Japanese sequel films Shochiku films Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada 1970s Japanese films