Tora-san's Dream-Come-True (男はつらいよ 寅次郎夢枕, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Yumemakura) a.k.a. Torasan Appears in a Dream is a 1972 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kaoru Yachigusa as his love interest or "Madonna". Tora-san's Dream-Come-True is the tenth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.
Contents
Synopsis
When Tora-san returns to visit his family, he is surprised to find an arrogant professor occupying his room. The professor and Tora-san become rivals for the affection of Chiyo. Both lose, and the professor leaves for America while Tora-san returns to his travels.
Cast
Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajiro
Chieko Baisho as Sakura
Kaoru Yachigusa as Chiyo Shimura
Masakane Yonekura as Prof. Kin'nosuke Okakura
Tatsuo Matsumura as Kuruma Tatsuzō
Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa
Masaaki Tsusaka as Kawamata Noboru
Hisao Dazai as Tarō Ume
Gajirō Satō as Genkō
Masao Shimizu as Yunaka
Critical appraisal
Yoji Yamada was given the Best Director prize at the Mainichi Film Awards for Tora-san's Dream-Come-True and the next entry in the series, Tora-san's Forget Me Not (1973). Stuart Galbraith IV writes that the film is hit-and-miss, with some amusing sequences, but suffers due to the overly clownish professor character. One of the highlights of the film, according to Galbraith, is the performance of the noted actress and director Kinuyo Tanaka. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Dream-Come-True three out of five stars.
Availability
Tora-san's Dream-Come-True was released theatrically on December 29, 1972. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1995, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.