Tora-san's Promise
Tora-san's Promise (男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Kamifūsen), also called Torasan and a Paper Balloon in some regions,[1] is a 1981 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Mikiko Otonashi as his love interest or "Madonna".[2] Tora-san's Promise is the twenty-eighth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.
| Tora-san's Promise | |
|---|---|
![]() Theatrical poster  | |
| Directed by | Yoji Yamada | 
| Written by | Yoji Yamada Yoshitaka Asama  | 
| Starring | Kiyoshi Atsumi Mikiko Otonashi  | 
| Cinematography | Tetsuo Takaba | 
| Edited by | Iwao Ishii | 
| Music by | Naozumi Yamamoto | 
| Distributed by | Shochiku | 
Release date  | 
  | 
Running time  | 101 minutes | 
| Country | Japan | 
| Language | Japanese | 
Synopsis
    
Tora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.[3][4][5]
Cast
    
- Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō[6]
 - Chieko Baisho as Sakura
 - Mikiko Otonashi as Mitsue Kuratomi
 - Kayoko Kishimoto as Aiko Odajima
 - Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō
 - Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
 - Hiroshi Inuzuka as Shigeru
 - Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
 - Takeo Chii as Kenkichi Odajima
 - Hidetaka Yoshioka as Mitsuo Suwa
 - Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
 
Critical appraisal
    
Stuart Galbraith IV writes that Tora-san's Promise is a middle-quality entry in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series, though the series has a high standard.[4] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Promise three and a half out of five stars.[7]
Availability
    
Tora-san's Promise was released theatrically on December 28, 1981.[8] In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1986 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2002 and 2008.[9]
References
    
- "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - "男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (Madonna)" (in Japanese). www.tora-san.jp. Retrieved 2010-01-21. (official site)
 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - Galbraith IV, Stuart (2007-04-03). "Tora-san 28: Tora-san's Promise (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - "Tora-San's Promise" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - "男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (1981) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 
Bibliography
    
    English
    
- "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -TORAJIRO KAMIFUSEN". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro kamifusen (1981) at IMDb
 - Galbraith IV, Stuart (2007-04-03). "Tora-san 28: Tora-san's Promise (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 
German
    
- "Tora-San's Promise" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 
Japanese
    
- 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (1981) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - "男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-03-05. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎紙風船 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
 
