aka Tora-san's Love Song is a 1971 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Junko Ikeuchi as his love interest or "Madonna". (official site) Tora-san's Love Call is the eighth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.
Synopsis Hoping to find rest from his wandering life, Tora-san returns home. He becomes infatuated with a widow and leaves to travel again, keeping his feelings secret.
Cast Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Chieko Baisho as Sakura Takashi Shimura as Hyōichirō Suwa (Hiroshi's father) Shin Morikawa as Tatsuzō (Torajiro's uncle) Chishū Ryū as Gozen-sama Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa Yasukiyo Umeno as Tsuyoshi Suwa Takanobu Hozumi as Osamu Suwa Yoshio Yoshida as Director of travelling company of actors Chieko Misaki as Torajiro's aunt Hisao Dazai as Tarō Ume
Critical appraisal
For his work on Tora-san's Love Call, and the previous two entries in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series, Tora-san, the Good Samaritan, and Tora-san's Shattered Romance (all 1971), Yoji Yamada tied for Best Director at the Mainichi Film Awards with Masahiro Shinoda. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Love Call three and a half out of five stars.
Availability Tora-san's Love Call was released theatrically on November 20, 1971. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1983 and 1995, and in DVD format in 1995 and 2008.
References
Bibliography
English
German
Japanese
External links Tora-san's Love Call at www.tora-san.jp (official site)