Stage-Struck Tora-san

Stage-Struck Tora-san

Theatrical poster
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Written by Yoji Yamada
Yoshitaka Asama
Starring Kiyoshi Atsumi
Nana Kinomi
Music by Naozumi Yamamoto
Cinematography Tetsuo Takaba
Edited by Iwao Ishii
Distributed by Shochiku
Release dates
  • August 5, 1978 (1978-08-05)
Running time
 107 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

Stage-Struck Tora-san (男はつらいよ 寅次郎わが道をゆく Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Wagamichi o Yuku) aka Tora-san's Stage-Struck[1] is a 1978 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Nana Kinomi as his love interest or "Madonna".[2] Stage-Struck Tora-san is the twenty-first entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

Synopsis

Tora-san returns from his travels throughout Japan to his family's home in Tokyo to find his uncle recovering from an illness. After a family fight erupts, he returns to the road and becomes friends with Tomekichi. When the pair come to Tokyo, they both fall in love with stage dancers.[1][3][4]

Cast

Critical appraisal

Kiyoshi Atsumi was nominated for Best Actor at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his work in Stage-Struck Tora-san and the following film in the series, Talk of the Town Tora-san (also 1978). Yoji Yamada was also nominated for Best Director for these two films.[6]

Stuart Galbraith IV writes that Stage-Struck Tora-san is one of the weaker entries in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series. He notes that co-star Tetsuya Takeda, a popular comic actor in Japan at the time, comes across as hammy in western eyes. According to Galbraith, the film works best as a nostalgic look at late-1970s popular culture. The opening dream segment is a spoof of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and there are references to Pink Lady as well as glimpses into Japan's economic situation of the era.[1] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Stage-Struck Tora-san three out of five stars.[7]

Availability

Stage-Struck Tora-san was released theatrically on August 5, 1978.[8] In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 2002 and 2005.[9]

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 Galbraith IV, Stuart (2006-03-14). "Tora-san 21: Tora-san's Stage-Struck (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  2. ↑ "男はつらいよ 寅次郎わが道をゆく (Madonna)" (in Japanese). www.tora-san.jp. Retrieved 2010-01-19. External link in |publisher= (help) (official site)
  3. ↑ 男はつらいよ 寅次郎わが道をゆく (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  4. ↑ "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO: TORAJIRO WAGA MICHI O YUKU (1978)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  5. ↑ 男はつらいよ 寅次郎わが道をゆく (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  6. ↑ "Awards for Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro wagamichi wo yuku (1978)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  7. ↑ "Tora-San's Stage-struck" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-19. External link in |publisher= (help)
  8. ↑ "男はつらいよ 寅次郎わが道をゆく". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Retrieved 2010-01-19. External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. ↑ 男はつらいよ　寅次郎わが道をゆく(1978) (in Japanese). www.allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-19. External link in |publisher= (help)
Bibliography

English

German

Japanese

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