Shall We Dance? (1996)
"Shall we dansu?" (original title)

A successful but unhappy Japanese accountant finds the missing passion in his life when he begins to secretly take ballroom dance lessons.

Director:

Masayuki Suo

Writer:

Masayuki Suo

Stars:

Kôji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka

56 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôji Yakusho	...	Shohei Sugiyama
Tamiyo Kusakari	...	Mai Kishikawa
Naoto Takenaka	...	Tomio Aoki
Eri Watanabe	...	Toyoko Takahashi (as Eriko Watanabe)
Yu Tokui	...	Tokichi Hattori
Hiromasa Taguchi	...	Masahiro Tanaka
Reiko Kusamura	...	Tamako Tamura
Hideko Hara	...	Masako Sugiyama
Hiroshi Miyasaka	...	Macho
Kunihiko Ida	...	Teiji Kaneko
Amie Toujou	...	Hisako Honda
Ayano Nakamura	...	Chikage Sugiyama
Katsunari Mineno	...	Keiri-kachô
Tomiko Ishii	...	Haruko Haraguchi
Maki Kawamura	...	Eiko Miyoshi

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | train | man with glasses | dance contest | dance hall | 

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Taglines:

He's an overworked accountant. She's an accomplished dancer. Passion is about to find two unlikely partners.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shall We Dance?

Filming Locations:

Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£28,684 (UK) (8 May 1998)

Gross:

£28,684 (UK) (8 May 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Altamira Pictures Inc., Daiei Studios, Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min 119 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is written in English as "Shall We Dansu" since in its original Japanese release, the first two words actual appear in English with only the last word appearing in katakana (one of three Japanese writing systems). The Japanese word for "dance" is pronounced "dansu".

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Quotes

Mai Kishikawa: This may sound rude, but I hope you don't join the class with me as your goal.

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Remembering Gene Siskel (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Save the Last Dance for Me"
Written by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus
Performed by The Drifters

User Reviews

A brilliant film. Not to be missed.

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.