is a 1988 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Yoshiko Mita as his love interest or "Madonna". (official site) Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial is the fortieth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series. The title comes from Machi Tawara poetry collection Salad Anniversary, on which this movie was based.
Synopsis Taking place in Komoro, Nagano. In his travels through Japan, Tora-san meets and falls in love with a female doctor, but he is afraid of committing to a relationship.
Cast Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Chieko Baisho as Sakura Yoshiko Mita as Machiko Hiroko Mita as Yuki 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 Toshinori Omi as Sei Chishū Ryū as Gozen-sama Tomoko Naraoka as Machiko's mother
Critical appraisal Yoshiko Mita was nominated for Best Actress at the Japan Academy Prize for her role in Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial. Kevin Thomas at the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial four out of five stars, labeling it one of the highlights of the series.
Availability Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial was released theatrically on December 24, 1988. In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1989 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.
References
Bibliography
English
German
Japanese
External links Tora-san's Salad-Day Memorial at www.tora-san.jp (official site)