| Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset | |
| Director: | Yoji Yamada |
| Starring: | Kiyoshi Atsumi Kiwako Taichi |
| Music: | Naozumi Yamamoto |
| Cinematography: | Tetsuo Takaba |
| Editing: | Iwao Ishii |
| Distributor: | Shochiku |
| Runtime: | 109 minutes |
| Country: | Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
a.k.a. Torasan and the Painter and Tora-san's Sunset Glow[1] is a 1976 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kiwako Taichi as his love interest or "Madonna".[2] Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset is the seventeenth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.
During his travels, Tora-san meets Ikenouchi, a drunken old man whom he assumes is poor and homeless. Tora-san takes the old man home. When he wakes up, Ikenouchi begins ordering Tora-san's family around in such an authoritarian manner that no one can muster the courage to suggest he leave. On the road again, Tora-san meets Botan, a geisha who has lost her life savings to a dishonest customer. He and his family's neighbor are determined to help her out. It later turns out that Ikenouchi is a famous artist and a drawing he has made for Tora-san is worth ¥70,000.[3] [4] [5]
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset was the third top Japanese box-office winner of 1976.[4] The Japanese academic film journal Kinema Junpo named it the second best Japanese release of the year.[4] For her role in the film Kiwako Taichi was named Best Supporting Actress at both the Hochi Film Awards and the Kinema Junpo Awards ceremonies.[4] [7]
Stuart Galbraith IV judges Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset to be one of the best of the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series, singling out the performances of guest stars Kiwako Taichi and Jūkichi Uno.[4] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset three and a half out of five stars.[8]
Tora-san's Sunrise and Sunset was released theatrically on July 24, 1976.[9] In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 1997 and 2008.[10]