Tora-san, the Matchmaker
Introduction   '''''Tora-san Riding High''''' is a 1979 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Kaori Momoi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' is the twenty-third entry in the popular, long-running ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series.
Synopsis Tora-san convinces the hesitant Hitomi to go through with her plans to marry her intended spouse.
Cast * Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajiro* Chieko Baisho as Sakura* Kaori Momoi as Hitomi Irie* Akira Fuse as Kunio Koyanagi* Michiyo Kogure as Kuniko Irie* Masami Shimojō as Kuruma Tatsuzō* Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)* Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa* Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa* Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)* Hiroshi Inuzuka as Taxi driver* Gajirō Satō as Genkō* Chishū Ryū as Gozen-sama* Tatsuo Matsumura as Reikichi Matsuda
Critical appraisal ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' was the third top box-office film in Japan for the year of 1979.For his performances in ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' and the next entry in the series, ''Tora-san's Dream of Spring'' (also 1979), Kiyoshi Atsumi was nominated for Best Actor at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony. Chieko Baisho was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the same ceremony for both films also.Stuart Galbraith IV writes that one of the pleasures of ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' is in the performance of noted actress Michiyo Kogure in one of her last roles. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' three out of five stars.
Availability ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker'' was released theatrically on August 4, 1979.In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 2000, 2005, and 2008.
References
Bibliography ===English===* * * * ===German===* ===Japanese===* * * *
External links *  ''Tora-san, the Matchmaker''  at www.tora-san.jp (official site)