October 23, 2014
Our Lovable Tramp –
Japan, 1969
To get a sense of the sort of person Torajiro Kuruma is,
imagine an amalgamation of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp and Shintaro Katsu’s
wandering samurai, Zatoichi. Like these two iconic characters, Torajiro is a poor
drifter with little chance of ever finding financial success, and like Zatoichi
he is apt to reminisce about the beauty of nature and places from his
childhood. He may even break into song and dance when his youthful energy can
no longer be contained. Also, like these two characters, he is called upon to
assist someone in need. However, in this aspect, his circumstances diverge from
the more noble exploits of the Tramp and Zatoichi, for Torajiro is prone to be the
cause of the very problems he must somehow solve.
Torajiro Kuruma is the main character in Our Lovable Tramp, a film that begins
very much like a Zatoichi film. In the film’s opening moments, we hear Torajiro
reflect philosophically on the power that the scent of flowers and the passage of
the seasons have on his thoughts and yearnings. It is as if they were fairies
from one of Shakespeare’s plays, luring him home with their magic and music.
And so Torajiro returns home – to his aunt and uncle, to his younger brother,
and to his younger sister. In a scene practically yanked out of a Yasujiro Ozu film,
we see Torajiro sitting in front of his aunt and uncle, as if he were the
rightful head of the family. He passes out gifts as a man of great wealth and
influence would, and when his younger sister returns from a hard day at work,
the two of them have one of those touching reunions that seems destined to
elicit tears. Then Torajiro utters those memorable words: “I’m going to take a
piss.”
From there, the film is a series of madcap misadventures in
which Torajiro first messes things up and then must make things right again.
Most of these are humorous in rather painful ways, for while Torajiro’s mayhem
is never intentional, it is rather agonizing to watch, especially when it
negatively affects characters as nice as some of the one’s in this film. In one
of the film’s most cringe-worthy moments, Torajiro relates the story of his
conception. The story involves a womanizing father, a geisha, and a great deal
of alcohol, and it is rather eye-opening, offering a glimpse into what make
Torajiro tick. However, as the explanation progresses, we see the shocked
expressions on the faces of the well-dressed people at the table, one of whom
is his sister’s potential suitor.
This is not an uncommon storyline, for characters have been
ruining other people’s weddings since the beginning of comedy. In fact, we have
grown accustomed to seeing such films end with a character making up for his or
her mistakes by putting the wedding back on track and being forgiven for
whatever foolishness brought about the disharmony in the first place. What
separates Our Lovable Tramp from such
films is the way the film is not content simply to resolve the conflict and
then cut to the end credits. Instead, it uses the storyline involving Torajiro’s
sister to show something truly heartbreaking about love and marriage – mainly,
that sometimes compatibility and common ground are not enough.
Our Lovable Tramp
is both heartfelt and humorous. However,
I suspect that how much you laugh during the film will depend on how well you
understand Japanese. This is because much of what makes Torajiro such a
humorous character is the way he continually mangles the Japanese language,
often using terms that are far too colloquial for the circumstances, as well as
some that are more common among triad members. I know this only because the
good people at AnimEigo had the foresight to provide it. However, the way they
did so is slightly problematic. The information appears suddenly at the top of
the screen during moments in which Tora-San appears to be trying hard to impress
his audience, yet failing miserably. The explanations indeed help clarify the
reasons for his failures, but I suspect that many viewers will find it
difficult to read text at the top of the screen while simultaneously reading
subtitles at the bottom.
The film has a stellar cast. Kiyoshi Atsumi, with his straw
hat, worn-out suitcase, and inadequate comprehension of the obvious, is a delight
to behold, as is Chieko Baisho as his likeable, sweet younger sister. Ozu
regular Chishu Ryu makes a nice appearance as Gozen-sama, a friend of the
family, and Sachiko Mitsumoto is quite impressive as Gozen’s daughter, Fuyuko,
one of the only characters who accepts Torajiro as he is. The film was directed
by Yoji Yamada, who at 83 is still making quality films, one of which, The Twilight Samurai, already appears on
my list of films that deserve to be seen. Our
Lovable Tramp will soon join it there.
Our Lovable Tramp
is a funny and poignant film. It could easily have been another one of those
silly slapstick comedies about an abrasive character that causes mischief
wherever he goes, yet it is more than that. It is about an indelible character
that almost everyone can relate to, and this character is not sensationalized
in the way that some other comedic oddballs have been. Instead, Torajiro is an
underdog who refuses to see himself as such. He is a man secure in his way of
life and completely unaware of his many shortfalls. He can be rude and
confrontational one minute and sweet and obliging the next. And throughout it
all, there is his broad smile, which conveys his incredible youthful innocence,
his adolescent energy, and his adult stubbornness. It is a perfect combination.
In short, Torojiro is the kind of character that audiences often want to see again,
and in this case, we have been rewarded –
forty-seven more times, in fact. (on DVD)
3 and a half stars
*Our Lovable Tramp
is in Japanese with English subtitles.
*The Tora-San
films have the distinction of being the longest-running series with the same
actor in the title role.
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