Tora-san, the Good Samaritan

Tora-san, the Good Samaritan (男はつらいよ 奮闘篇) is a 1971 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Rumi Sakakibara as his love interest or "Madonna". Tora-san, the Good Samaritan is the seventh entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

Cast

 * Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō
 * Chieko Baisho as Sakura
 * Rumi Sakakibara as Hanako Ōta
 * Sachiko Mitsumoto as Fuyuko
 * Chōchō Miyako as Kiku
 * Kunie Tanaka as Prof. Fukui
 * Hiroshi Ōtsuka as Policeman
 * Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
 * Chieko Misaki as Torajiro's aunt
 * Hisao Dazai as Tarō Ume

Critical appraisal
For his work on Tora-san, the Good Samaritan, the previous entry in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series, Tora-san's Shattered Romance, and the following entry, Tora-san's Love Call (all 1971), Yoji Yamada tied for Best Director at the Mainichi Film Awards with Masahiro Shinoda. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san, the Good Samaritan three and a half out of five stars.

Availability
Tora-san, the Good Samaritan was released theatrically on April 28, 1971. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1983 and 1995, and in DVD format in 1998 and 2008.