MOVIE REVIEW : 42nd ‘Tora-san’ Examines First Love

With “Tora-san, My Uncle” (at the Little Tokyo Cinemas), writer-director Yoji Yamada makes something of a departure in No. 42 in the world’s longest-running film series.

Usually, Tora (Kiyoshi Atsumi), that short-tempered but kindly and lovable itinerant peddler, plays Mary Worth to an individual or a couple he meets on the road. This time, his advice to the lovelorn is directed toward his nephew Mitsuo (Hidetaka Yoshioka), a recent high school graduate whose all-important preparation for Japan’s stiff college entrance exam is threatened by the throes of first love.

This Tora-san, like all the others, in its depiction of warm family life and natural beauty, exudes a strong nostalgic pull for a Japan that was more spacious, beautiful and personal than it is today.

Also at Little Tokyo is a revival of the near-three-hour version of Kon Ichikawa’s splendid “Tokyo Olympiad.”