Tora-san's Tropical Fever

Tora-san's Tropical Fever (男はつらいよ 寅次郎ハイビスカスの花, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Haibisukasu no Hana)[1] aka Torasan Goes to Hisbiscus Land[2] is a 1980 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Ruriko Asaoka as his love interest or "Madonna".[3] Tora's Tropical Fever is the twenty-fifth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

Tora-san's Tropical Fever
Theatrical poster
Directed byYoji Yamada
Written byYoji Yamada
Yoshitaka Asama
StarringKiyoshi Atsumi
Ruriko Asaoka
Music byNaozumi Yamamoto
CinematographyTetsuo Takaba
Edited byIwao Ishii
Distributed byShochiku
Release date
  • August 2, 1980 (1980-08-02)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Shochiku theatrically released a Special Edition version to theaters in 1997. It used computer graphics to add Hidetaka Yoshioka (who played Tora-san's nephew in the later films) to the story in added scenes.

Plot

Lily, the lounge singer with whom Tora-san fell in love in film 11 (Tora-san's Forget Me Not, 1973) and film 15 (Tora-san's Rise and Fall, 1975) sends Tora-san a letter informing him that she is terminally ill. Tora-san rushes to Okinawa—taking his first plane trip in the process—to be at her side and nurse her to health.[4][5][6]

Cast
  • Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō[7]
  • Chieko Baisho as Sakura
  • Ruriko Asaoka as Lily
  • Masami Shimojō as Kuruma Tatsuzō
  • Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
  • Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
  • Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
  • Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa
  • Gajirō Satō as Genkō
  • Suzuko Aragaki as Kaori Yamazato

Critical appraisal

Writer-director Yoji Yamada reportedly considers Tora's Tropical Fever his own favorite of the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series films.[6] The Japan Academy awarded Yamada and co-writer Yoshitaka Asama Best Screenplay for the film. Chieko Baisho was also given the Best Actress award, and Kiyoshi Atsumi was nominated for Best Actor at the ceremony.[8] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora's Tropical Fever four out of five stars, naming it one of the highlights of the series.[9] Stuart Galbraith IV judges the film "one of the best of the series", and a "delight in every respect: it's funny, sad, and perceptive about human nature".[6]

Availability

Tora-san's Tropical Fever was released theatrically on August 2, 1980.[10] In Japan, the film has been released on videotape in 1996 and 1998, and in DVD format in 2008.[11]

References
  1. http://shochikufilms.com/product/tora-sans-tropical-fever
  2. "OTOKO WA TSURAIYO -TORAJIRO HAIBISUKASU NO HANA". Complete Index to World Film. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  3. "男はつらいよ 寅次郎ハイビスカスの花 (Madonna)" (in Japanese). www.tora-san.jp. Retrieved 2010-01-21. (official site)
  4. 男はつらいよ 寅次郎ハイビスカスの花 (in Japanese). Kinema Junpo. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  5. "OTOKO WA TSURAI YO TORAJIRO HIBISCUS NO HANA (1980)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  6. Galbraith IV, Stuart (2006-02-24). "Tora-san 25: Tora-san's Tropical Fever (Region 3)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  7. 男はつらいよ 寅次郎ハイビスカスの花 (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  8. "Awards for Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro haibisukasu no hana (1980)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  9. "Tora-San's Tropical Fever" (in German). www.molodezhnaja.ch. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  10. "男はつらいよ 寅次郎ハイビスカスの花". Japanese Cinema Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  11. 男はつらいよ　寅次郎ハイビスカスの花 (1980) (in Japanese). allcinema.net. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

Bibliography

English

German

Japanese
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