Best of Tora-san at Japan Society

Best of Tora-San at Japan Society

Japan Society Film Program presents the Best of Tora-san , a director's tribute to the world's longest running film series. Following the clumsy yet lovable character of Tora-san as he stumbles across fun and mischief throughout Japan, Best of Tora-san celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first Tora-san film and the 80th anniversary of star Kiyoshi Atsumi's birth. Having written and directed all but two of the 48 films, Yoji Yamada (Twilight Samurai ) hand selects his top eight films, including three that are being presented for the first time with English subtitles. Best of Tora-san launches on Friday, October 17 at 7:30 pm with the first episode, Tora-san, Our Loveable Tramp and continues with monthly screenings through May 2009. Immediately after the October 17 launch screening, Japan Society presents a special live Q&A with Yoji Yamada from Tokyo via Keio Universitys high-speed, high-def digital video network specially installed at Japan Society.

The Tora-san series chronicles the life of an unruly vagabond traveling through Japan with mostly the same characters and actors, following his gangly adventures and budding new love interests ("The Madonna") in each film. In an age when cool yakuza superstars such as Ken Takakura and Yujiro Ishihara dominated the screen, actor Kiyoshi Atsumi as Tora-san emerged in 1969 as Japan's comic anti-hero, and remained the country's beloved icon for over 25 years. Over the years, Tora-san came to embody an old, distant world, humorously winning over vast audiences nostalgic for simpler times. To date, over 80 million people have seen Tora-san in theaters in Japan.

SCREENING SCHEDULE
Friday, October 17, 7:30 pm
Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp (Episode 1 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo), 1969
Directed by Yoji Yamada, with Kiyoshi Atsumi, Sashiko Mitsumoto, Chieko Baisho. Launch Screening; followed by a live Q&A with Director Yoji Yamada.
20 years after leaving his small hometown of Shibamata in downtown Tokyo, Tora-san returns to reunite with his younger sister, Sakura. Raised by their aunt and uncle, Tora-san finds Sakura as a beautiful young woman, who is courted by many suitors. When Hiroshi, a neighborhood factory worker vows to win Sakura over, Tora-sans clumsy schemes backfire into disaster.

Friday, November 21, 7:30 pm
Tora-san Meets the Songstress Again (Episode 15 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Torajiro aiai-gasa), 1975.
Directed by Yoji Yamada. With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Ruriko Asaoka. Disgruntled with his life in Tokyo as an established business man with a good family, Hyodo escapes to Hokkaido to look for his high school love with Tora-san in tow. On the way, Tora-san runs into the beautiful singer, Lily, who has divorced her husband since their last meeting. Can Tora-san hold onto her this time? Ruriko Asaoka stars as Lily, who played the "Madonna" in five of the Tora-san filmsthe most of any other "Madonna" in the series.

Friday, December 5, 7:30 pm
Tora-san Goes Religious? (Episode 32 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Kuchibue wo fuku Torajiro), 1983.
With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Keiko Takeshita. Tora-san stops into the town of Okayama to pay respects to his brother-in-laws late fathers grave, and is taken in by the temples priest. When Tora-san falls in love with Tomoko, the priests charming daughter, he dons a robe and begins chanting sutras to win over her heart and realizes he might just be cut out for the pious life despite his familys doubts.

Friday, January 23, 7:30 pm
Tora-san's Love Call* (Episode 8 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Torajiro koiuta), 1971
Directed by Yoji Yamada. With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Junko Ikeuchi.
After Tora-san attends the funeral of his sister's mother-in-law in Okayama, he overstays his welcome and becomes inspired by the stories and wise words of the widower. Returning to Shimabata with dreams of starting a family, Tora-san falls in love with a lovely coffee shop owner Takako and befriends her young son.

Friday, February 13, 7:30 pm
Tora-sans Dear Old Home* (Episode 9 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Shibamata bojo), 1972
Directed by Yoji Yamada. With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Sayuri Yoshinaga.
In the historic, charming city of Kanazawa, Tora-san befriends a group of 3 young women who all adore Tora-san's goofiness, but shy, pretty Utako particularly catches his eye. A few weeks later, Utako visits Tora-san in Shimabata to cheer her up when her grumpy father refuses to let her marry the man she loves.

Friday, March 13, 7:30pm
Tora-san's Dream-Come-True (Episode 10 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Torajiro Yumemakura) 1972.
Directed by Yoji Yamada. With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Kaoru Yachigusa.
Tora-san is furious when he finds that his family has rented out his room to Mr. Okakura, a local university professor. But when he reconnects with Chiyo, a childhood friend who has lost custody of her son, he develops feelings for her-and so does the professor.

Friday, April 17, 7:30pm
Hearts and Flowers for Tora-san* (Episode 29 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Torajiro Ajisai no koi), 1982.
Directed by Yoji Yamada. With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Ayumi Ishida. After a debaucherous evening in Kyoto with Kano, an elegant older man, Tora-san wakes up in his home oblivious that he is the National Living Treasure of ceramics. Tora-san falls in love with his maid Kagari and follows her to her coastal hometown when she moves out after being abandoned by the man she was set to marry.

Friday, May 22, 7:30pm
Tora-san, My Uncle (Episode 42 - Otoko wa tsuraiyo: Boku no ojisan) 1989
Directed by Yoji Yamada. With Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baisho and Kumiko Goto.
Secretly in love with Izumi, Tora-san's restless teenage nephew Mitsuo embarks on a motorcycle journey to find her in Saga, where she has moved with her aunt. On the way, he coincidentally runs into his uncle, and Tora-san joins him to try bringing the two together. Kumiko Goto stars as Izumi, who played the "Madonna" for four consecutive Tora-san films as Mitsuo's love interest.

*Presented for the first time with English subtitles.

About Yoji Yamada
Born in Osaka in 1931, Yamada started work as an assistant director at Shochiku in 1954. In 1961, Yamada made a debut as a director with Nikai no tannin. He began work in 1969 on the Tora-san series. His other seminal works include Where Spring Comes Late (1970), Home from the Sea (1972), The Village (1975) as well as the award-winning Yellow Handkerchief (1977), My Sons (1991) and A Class to Remember (1993). Twilight Samurai (2002) was nominated for the American Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Love and Honor (2006) won 13 categories of the Japan Academy Prize. His latest film, Kabee was invited to the Berlin international Film Festival's Competition in 2008.

Best of Tora-san tickets are $11 general/$7 members, students, seniors and students (first 20 tickets per screening, $7 thereafter). Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th St., between First and Second Aves (4/5/6 at 42nd St.-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Ave and 53rd St.) www.japansociety.org or call the box office at 212-715-1258.