Shall We Dance? (1996)

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

55 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôji Yakusho	...	Shohei Sugiyama (as Koji Yakusho)
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 (as Raiko Kusamura)
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:

self discovery | husband wife relationship | dance | ballroom dancing | dance contest | 

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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 USA:

$88,106, 13 July 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$9,676,677, 23 January 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daiei Studios, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Hakuhodo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min 119 min (USA) (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

Tamako Tamura: Dance is more than the steps. Feel the music and dance for sheer joy.

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Alternate Versions

Different prologue: In the beginning of the Japanese version, a voice-over introduces the history and meaning of ballroom dancing in European culture and explains "enjoyed by people of all ages, it is a healthy diversion". The prologue of the US release explains the reserved mannerisms of Japanese culture and that ballroom dancing is considered something like a scandalous pasttime there.

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Connections

Referenced in Dennis Pennis R.I.P. (1997)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Ordinary yet extraordinary. Simply beautiful.

Watched this last night and was bowled over by the heartfelt story line, the excellent character development, and the good karmic vibe emanating from the acting and movie as a whole.

Without giving away too much of the plot, it begins with an ordinary joe who commutes to his office job every day who becomes inspired to take dance lessons. Along the way the protagonist and the assorted characters he meets in his quest to be smooth on the dance floor learn lessons about others and about themselves.

The story has a prologue about what dancing in Japan symbolizes sociologically, so it isn't exactly as simple to learn to dance in Japan as it is here in the U.S.

The film is lighthearted; you'll laugh out loud at some of the sight gags. Yet it is also dignified in a way hard to describe. All of the film's characters are taken seriously, as they are, and none are diminished because of their "imperfections."

I've been thinking about taking social dance classes with some friends. It just so happened a friend lent me the video on learning to dance. Is this synchronous or what? I think so because now I'm really geeked to give it a try.

Watch this wonderful family film (small children might not get it, but teens certainly would) and smile at the genuine caring you see shown in it time and again.

Why they would make a remake of Shall We Dance is a mystery, as it is perfect as-is.