| Tora-san Plays Cupid | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Yoji Yamada |
| Written by | Yoji Yamada Yoshitaka Asama |
| Starring | Kiyoshi Atsumi Shiho Fujimura |
| Cinematography | Tetsuo Takaba |
| Edited by | Iwao Ishii |
| Music by | Naozumi Yamamoto |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Tora-san Plays Cupid (男はつらいよ 寅次郎頑張れ!,Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Gambare!)akaTora-san, Hold Out![1] is a 1977 Japanese comedy film directed byYoji Yamada. It starsKiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Shiho Fujimura as his love interest or "Madonna".[2]Tora-san Plays Cupid is the twentieth entry in the popular, long-runningOtoko wa Tsurai yo series.
Tora-san plays at matchmaker, trying to arrange a romance between Ryōsuke and Sachiko. His advice proves disastrous and Tora-san instead falls in love with Ryōsuke's sister.[3][4][5]
Kiyoshi Atsumi was nominated for Best Actor at theJapan Academy Prize ceremony for his performances inTora-san Plays Cupid,Tora-san Meets His Lordship andYatsuhaka-mura (all 1977).Chieko Baisho was also nominated for Best Actress and Shinobu Otake for Best Supporting Actress at the same ceremony.[7]Stuart Galbraith IV judges the film to be another good entry in theOtoko wa Tsurai yo series, funny and with a strong supporting cast.[4] The German-language site molodezhnaja givesTora-san Plays Cupid three and a half out of five stars.[8]
Tora-san Plays Cupid was released theatrically on December 29, 1977.[9] In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 1998, 2002, and 2008.[10]