“It’s hard for a man to live” ( Japanese 男 は つ ら い よ , око-от ц от ; It's It's ; It's Tough Being a Man ) is a Japanese comedy directed by Youji Yamada , released in 1969 . The film was shot as if a continuation of the comedy television series of the same name in 1968, created by the Fuji Terabi television company and enjoyed great popularity among Japanese viewers. In the future, 47 more episodes were shot for the big screen and this was a kind of record entered in the Guinness Book of Records. The film series is recognized as the longest in the history of world cinema (from 1969 to 1995 - 48 films with one hero). The film was nominated for the “Kinem Jumpo” film award, however, according to the results of voting, it took only 6th place [1] .
| It's hard for a man to live | |
|---|---|
| Jap. 男 は つ ら い よ ( outflow tsuray yo ) | |
 | |
| Genre | comedy |
| Producer | Youji yamada |
| Producer | Tsutomu Kamimura |
| Author script | Youji Yamada Azuma Morisaki |
| In the main cast | Kiyoshi Atsumi , Chieko Baisho Chisu Ryu Takashi Shimura |
| Operator | Tetsuo Takaha |
| Composer | Naozumi Yamamoto |
| Film company | "Shёtiku" |
| Duration | 91 minutes |
| A country |  Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Year | 1969 |
| Next movie | It’s hard for a man to live. Continuation (1969) |
| IMDb | |
Content
- 1 plot
- 2 Cast
- 3 Premieres
- 4 About the film
- 5 Awards and nominations
- 6 notes
- 7 References
- 8 Literature
Story
Torajiro, or Tora-san - the main character of this film, as well as the series as a whole - a flimsy small, far from intellectual person, he lacks resourcefulness in business; but he is a simple, open, sincere and kind person, affectionate and good-natured, always ready to help, although at the same time he often gets into trouble. Sometimes he shows assertiveness - somewhere on the verge of impudence, but this is not for long. In a minute he will back down - and with a sweet, contagious smile he will be ready to laugh at himself. He comes from Sibamata, in Katsushika - this is the part of Tokyo where, as before, like many years ago, there are still light wooden houses of purely Japanese architecture; it is a democratic district of the capital where working people settle down and where touching features of frank communication and mutual support are preserved in the relations between people. Born into a poor family, Torajiro lost his parents early and has been wandering since his youth, earning his daily bread by peddling (such sellers call cheap goods in Japan - tekiya). From time to time, he suffers from nostalgia for his native places, and he returns to Katsushika.
The plot of the first tape of the series is precisely connected with his belated, after many years of wandering, arrival to his relatives. Here, his aunt and uncle live his younger sister Sakura, who over the years of her brother’s absence has turned into an attractive young girl and is going to get married. However, the eccentric, if not cruder - foolish Torajiro, having come with her sister to her engagement with her antics, causes a scandal, and the wedding is canceled. An angry uncle slaps his nephew and Tora-san will run again the next morning. However, wandering around the roads of Japan for a month, he, as if nothing had happened, will return to his relatives. Sister fell in love with a modest guy Hiroshi working in a factory. This time everything turned out well and although Torajiro behaved stupidly as usual, he could not interfere with the happiness of his sister, who had safely married her beloved.
It so happens that Tora-san himself falls in love with a modest gentle daughter of a priest named Fuyuko. He accepts compassion as a reciprocal feeling, but Fuyuko marries another. The saddened Torah-san again leaves his native places. In the final frames of the film, Fuyuko receives a letter from Torajiro in which he asks her to take care of his sister Sakura and her newborn baby.
... Recently, I was revising the first series, and you know, I was carried away by its genuineness and spontaneity ... My workmates were sincerely passionate, because the work itself and everything that they had to do was unusual for them, new, unfamiliar; they wanted, by all means, to best cope with their tasks. Can such a sensation arise every time? In the future, everything will be a repeat, and the repeat is always devoid of its original freshness.
... After the success of the film, it’s hard for a man to live, giving the name of the entire series, it could already be said that a new interesting direction is emerging in Japanese cinema. The success of the picture (...) showed that a good comedy close to the national folk tradition can count on the love of the Japanese audience no less than the genres more common in our cinema.
Cast
- Kiyoshi Atsumi - Torajiro Kuruma (or Tora-san)
- Chieko Baisho - Sakura, his sister
- Sachiko Mitsumoto - Fuyuko
- Tishu Ryu - Priest
- Takashi Shimura - Heiichiro Suva, father of Hiroshi
- Gin Maeda - Hiroshi Suva
- Shin Morikawa - Ryuzo
- Taisaku Aquino - Noboru Kawamata
- Gajiro Sato - Genkiti
- Keiroku Seki - Shikaisa
- Chieko Misaki - Tsune Kuruma
- Hisao Dazai - Umetharo Katsura
Premieres
- - The national premiere of the film took place on August 27, 1969 in Tokyo [4] .
- - Premiere in the USA on July 18, 1974 [4] .
- - March 31, 2016 the film was first shown in the Republic of Belarus as part of the 5th festival of Japanese cinema in Minsk [5] .
About the movie
The popular hero of Japanese viewers Tora-san appeared for the first time in 1968 on a television screen, where he was embodied by actor Kiyoshi Atsumi. The script for the television series was also written by Yoji Yamada (in collaboration with Shin Inogaki and Azuma Morisaki). After Tora-san died in episode 26, thousands of letters of indignant viewers came to the Fuji Terabi television station. They expressed their indignation at the fact that they had been deprived of Thorsan, who had become their homeland. Such a popularity of the hero led the management of the film company "Setika" to the idea of extending the hero's life, but already on the big screen. So in 1969, one of the most successful cinema series, both commercially and artly, was launched, noted for its film incarnation in 48 films in the Guinness Book of Records, as the longest in the history of world cinema. The series also saved "Setika" from bankruptcy, which was experiencing a serious financial crisis in those days, like all Japanese film companies. Most likely, the movie series would continue to be filmed further, bringing the company "Shёtiku" and subsequently decent profits, if not for the death in 1996 of the main character Kiyoshi Atsumi.
... The special appeal of Thorsan lies in his disorder, in his eternal lack of money, in his loneliness, which even loving relatives cannot brighten up. At the same time, he never fails, is cheerful, hides his sadness behind ostentatious bravado and a juicy joke. This makes him related to the audience filling the cinema halls. Torah-san is a kind of example of vitality, an example of vitality.
He speaks in a juicy, popular dialect, teeming with puns. Unfortunately, this side of the film is inaccessible to foreign viewers, which is why the charm of the film is largely lost.
Awards and nominations
Kinema Jumpo Magazine Award (1970) [7]
- Award for best performance of the main male role - Kiyoshi Atsumi.
- The nomination for an award for the best film of 1969, however, according to the results of the voting, it took only 6th place [1] .
The Mainity Film Award (1970) [7]
- Award for best performance of the main male role - Kiyoshi Atsumi.
- 1969 Best Director Award - Youji Yamada
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Kinema Junpo Top YBY on Rinkworks.com
- ↑ Yamada Yoji . Jiden To Jisaku-o Qatar, S. 190
- ↑ Iwasaki, Akira . “Strokes to the Portrait of Yoji Yamada” - The Art of Cinema, 1974, No. 5, p. 151.
- ↑ 1 2 Otoko wa tsurai yo (1969) on IMDb-Release Info (Japanese)
- ↑ Fifth retrospective of Japanese cinema in Minsk on the website of the Japanese Embassy in the Republic of Belarus (Russian)
- ↑ Gens, Inna Yuliusovna . “Challenging: Japanese filmmakers of the 60-70's." / Poslesov. V. Tsvetova; All-Russian Research Institute of Art History. - M.: Art, 1988 .-- 271 S. (p. 217).
- ↑ 1 2 Otoko wa tsurai yo (1969) on IMDb-Awards
Links
- “It's Hard for a Man to Live” on the Internet Movie Database
- Tora-san, Our Lovable Tramp on Molodezhnaja.ch (German)
- 男 は つ ら い よ at the Official Torasan site (Japanese)
Literature
- Gens, Inna Yuliusovna . “Challenging: Japanese filmmakers of the 60-70's." / Poslesov. V. Tsvetova; All-Russian Research Institute of Art History. - M.: Art, 1988. - 271 S. (pp. 213–218)
- Sato, Tadao . "Cinema of Japan": Translation from English - M., "Rainbow", 1988. - S. 181-182. - 224 p. ISBN 5-05-002303-3
- Iwasaki, Akira . “Strokes to the Portrait of Yoji Yamada” - The Art of Cinema, 1974, No. 5, pp. 149–153.