Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san

Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san (男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Ajisai no Koi) is a 1982 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Ayumi Ishida as his love interest or "Madonna".^[1] Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san is the twenty-ninth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Yoji Yamada
Written by	Yoji Yamada Yoshitaka Asama
Starring	Kiyoshi Atsumi Ayumi Ishida
Cinematography	Tetsuo Takaba
Edited by	Iwao Ishii
Music by	Naozumi Yamamoto
Distributed by	Shochiku
Release date	August 7, 1982 (1982-08-07)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Synopsis

During his travels, Tora-san gets drunk with an old man in Kyoto. Though Tora-san never fully comprehends his importance, the old man is a Living National Treasure ceramist. At his home, Tora-san makes a good impression on the old man's maid, who apparently falls in love with Tora-san.^[2][3][4]

Cast

• Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō^[5]
• Chieko Baisho as Sakura
• Ayumi Ishida as Kagari
• Nizaemon Kataoka as Kanō
• Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō
• Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
• Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
• Hidetaka Yoshioka as Mitsuo Suwa
• Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
• Gajirō Satō as Genkō
• Chishū Ryū as Gozen-sama
• Akira Emoto as Kondō

Critical appraisal

Ayumi Ishida was nominated for Best Actress, and Akira Emoto for Best Supporting Actor at the Japan Academy Prize for their roles in Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san. Long-time composer for the series, Naozumi Yamamoto, was nominated for Best Music Score. Enomoto won the award for Best Supporting Actor at the Blue Ribbon Awards.^[6] Stuart Galbraith IV writes that the film "is no better than average for this series, but then again this series' average is awfully high." He notes that this is the first episode in the series in which Tora-san's nephew Mitsuo plays a significant role in the plot.^[3] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san three and a half out of five stars.^[7]

Availability

Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san was released theatrically on August 7, 1982.^[8] In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1986 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2002 and 2008.^[9]

References

Notes

1. "男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (Madonna)" (in Japanese). www.tora-san.jp. Retrieved 2010-01-21.^{[permanent dead link]} (official site)
2. 男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
3. Galbraith IV, Stuart (2006-09-02). "Tora-san 29: Hearts and Flowers For Tora-san (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
4. "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO AJISAI NO KOI (1982)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
5. 男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
6. "Awards for Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro ajisai no koi (1982)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
7. "Hearts and Flowers for Tora-San" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
8. "男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
9. 男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (1982) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

Bibliography

English

• "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO AJISAI NO KOI (1982)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
• "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -TORAJIRO AJISAI NO KOI". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
• Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro ajisai no koi (1982) at IMDb
• Galbraith IV, Stuart (2006-09-02). "Tora-san 29: Hearts and Flowers For Tora-san (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

German

• "Tora-San, the Expert" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

Japanese

• 男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (1982) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
• "男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
• 男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
• 男はつらいよ 寅次郎あじさいの恋 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

External links

• Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san at IMDb
• Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san at www.tora-san.jp (official site)