It's Tough Being a Man
Encyclopedia
aka Am I Trying and Tora-san,Our Lovable Tramp is a 1969 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada
and starring Kiyoshi Atsumi
. It is the first entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo
series.
as the Best Actor for his role in It's Tough Being a Man, and Yoji Yamada
was given the Best Director prize at the Mainichi Film Awards. The Japanese academic film magazine Kinema Junpo
gives It's Tough Being a Man a rating of five out of five stars. The German language site molodezhnaja gives It's Tough Being a Man four out of five stars.
released the film on DVD in the US along with the other first four films in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series on November 24, 2009.
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....
and starring Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi , born Yasuo Tadokoro , was a Japanese film actor....
. It is the first entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo
Otoko wa Tsurai yo
Otoko wa tsurai yo is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as "Tora-san" , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans...
series.
Synopsis
Torajiro, a traveling salesman and gambler, returns to his home after many years' absence. He attends his sister's wedding, falls in love with Fuyuko, who is engaged to another man, and causes embarrassment for the family. Broken-hearted, Torajiro leaves after writing a letter of advice for Fuyuko to help take care of his sister and her new baby.Cast
- Kiyoshi AtsumiKiyoshi AtsumiKiyoshi Atsumi , born Yasuo Tadokoro , was a Japanese film actor....
as Torajiro - Chieko BaishōChieko Baishois a Japanese actress and singer.In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series . In addition, she has acted in most films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s...
as Sakura - Sachiko Mitsumoto as Fuyuko Tsubouchi
- Chishū RyūChishu Ryuwas a famous Japanese film actor, a favourite of the director Yasujiro Ozu. From 1928 to 1992 he appeared in at least 155 films, including Ozu's Tokyo Story and Yoshitaro Nomura's Castle of Sand...
as Gozen-sama - Takashi ShimuraTakashi Shimurawas a Japanese actor.He was born in Ikuno, Hyogo, Japan.His debut as actor was the film Akanishi Kakita and cast in the Kenji Mizoguchi's film Osaka Elegy ....
as Hyōichirō Suwa - Shin Morikawa as Kuruma Tatsuzō
- Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
- Taisaku Akino as Noboru Kawamata
- Gajirō Satō as Genkichi (Man at the Temple)
- Keiroku Seki as Master of Ceremonies
- Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
- Hisao Dazai as Tarō Ume (Print Shop)
- Shunsuke Ōmi as Manager
- Taichirō Hirokawa as Michio
- Fusatarō Ishijima as Michio's father
- Matsuko Shiga as Michio's mother
Critical appraisal
The Mainichi Film Awards and the Kinema Junpo Awards chose Kiyoshi AtsumiKiyoshi Atsumi
Kiyoshi Atsumi , born Yasuo Tadokoro , was a Japanese film actor....
as the Best Actor for his role in It's Tough Being a Man, and Yoji Yamada
Yoji Yamada
is a Japanese film director best known for his Otoko wa Tsurai yo series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ....
was given the Best Director prize at the Mainichi Film Awards. The Japanese academic film magazine Kinema Junpo
Kinema Junpo
, commonly called , is a Japanese film magazine which began publication in July 1919. The magazine was founded by a group of four students, including Saburō Tanaka, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology . In that first month, it was published three times on days with a "1" in them. These first three...
gives It's Tough Being a Man a rating of five out of five stars. The German language site molodezhnaja gives It's Tough Being a Man four out of five stars.
Availability
It's Tough Being a Man was released theatrically on August 27, 1969. In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1995 and 1996, an in DVD format in 2008. AnimEigoAnimEigo
AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. The company was founded in 1988 in Ithaca, New York by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams, III. It is now based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and run by Natsumi Ueki, Robert's wife...
released the film on DVD in the US along with the other first four films in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series on November 24, 2009.
External links
- It's Tough Being a Man at www.tora-san.jp (Official site)