Tora-san's Promise

1981 1h 41m JA

🤯

8.7

MASTERPIECE

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★8.7TMDB · 3★6.7IMDB · 84

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Tora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Kiyoshi Atsumi
寅次郎
Chieko Baisho
樱花（阿寅的妹妹）
Mikiko Otonashi
光枝
Masami Shimojō
车龙造（阿寅的叔叔）
Chieko Misaki
车つね（阿寅的婶婶）
Gin Maeda
阿博
Hisao Dazai
桂梅太郎（章鱼厂长）
Gajirō Satō
源公

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yoji Yamada
Writers: Yoji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama, Yoji Yamada
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Tora-san Series" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yoji Yamada, shot by Tetsuo Takaha. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Naozumi Yamamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Iwao Ishii shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kiyoshi Atsumi and Chieko Baisho and Mikiko Otonashi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0082866 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yoji Yamada directs. Tetsuo Takaha behind the camera. Naozumi Yamamoto scores. Iwao Ishii cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

145 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Tora-san Series" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Yoji Yamada, shot by Tetsuo Takaha. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Naozumi Yamamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Iwao Ishii shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kiyoshi Atsumi and Chieko Baisho and Mikiko Otonashi carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0082866 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tetsuo Takaha
Original score: Naozumi Yamamoto
Editing: Iwao Ishii
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Tora-san's Promise (1981)
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 84 votes

Part of

Tora-san Series

Otoko wa Tsurai yo (男はつらいよ, "It's tough being a man") is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as "Tora-san" (寅さん), a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments released between 1969 and 1995, all of the Otoko wa tsurai yo films except episodes 3 (Azuma Morisaki) and 4 (Shun'ichi Kobayashi) were directed by Yōji Yamada, who also wrote (or co-wrote) all the screenplays.