Shall We Dance?
(1996)
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| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Shall We Dance?
(1996)
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| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kôji Yakusho | ... | ||
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Tamiyo Kusakari | ... |
Mai Kishikawa
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| Naoto Takenaka | ... |
Tomio Aoki
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Eri Watanabe | ... |
Toyoko Takahashi
(as Eriko Watanabe)
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Yu Tokui | ... |
Tokichi Hattori
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Hiromasa Taguchi | ... |
Masahiro Tanaka
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Reiko Kusamura | ... |
Tamako Tamura
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Hideko Hara | ... |
Masako Sugiyama
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Hiroshi Miyasaka | ... |
Macho
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Kunihiko Ida | ... |
Teiji Kaneko
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Amie Toujou | ... |
Hisako Honda
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Ayano Nakamura | ... |
Chikage Sugiyama
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Katsunari Mineno | ... |
Keiri-kachô
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Tomiko Ishii | ... |
Haruko Haraguchi
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Maki Kawamura | ... |
Eiko Miyoshi
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Shohei Sugiyama has attained all that he has wanted in life. But he is still depressed and unhappy. One day, he gathers up the courage to sign up for dancing lessons. He hopes they will rid his depression and help him get his life back together. Written by Robert Krzanowski <stonedpsycho@hotmail.com>
How many of us wish that we could throw away social and cultural obligations and be free? Most of us, I suspect. Shall we dance? is not a movie about dancing. It is about learning about ourselves, recognising what we are looking for in life and having the courage to go in search of it. Mr Sugiyama is a middle-aged member of a Japanese society where ballroom dancing is viewed as unsuitable behaviour.
One day Mr Sugiyama sees a beautiful girl leaning out of the window of a dancing acadamy. he is fascinated by her and eventually signs up for dancing lessons. He is ashamed of his dancing and afraid of ridicule. He hides the fact that he is attending dancing classes from his colleagues and family.
There is a hilarious scene in the mensroom at the office when Sugiyama and Watanabe, a workmate who also dances, are interrupted practising some dance steps. There are many other funny and warm-hearted scenes.
The ending is not a fairytale, but it leaves the viewer feeling good.
This movie helped me to understand the Japanese people a little better. It is a warm and very worthwhile film to see.