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Shall We Dance (Japanese Version) Actors: Kôji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka Director: Masayuki Suo Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Closed-captioned Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Walt Disney Home Video Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-02-01 Buy from Amazon |
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From Amazon.com On his evening commute, bored accountant Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) always looks for the beautiful woman who gazes wistfully out the window of the Kishikawa School of Dancing. One night he gets off the train, walks into the studio, and signs up for a class. Soon Sugiyama is so engrossed in his dancing he practices his steps on the train platform and under his desk, and becomes good enough for competition, compelling his wife to hire a private investigator to find out why he stays out late and returns home smelling of perfume. Among the colorful characters Sugiyama meets is his coworker Aoki (Naoto Takenaka), who transforms himself from geeky systems analyst to hilariously flamboyant (and bad-wigged) lounge lizard. Aoki explains to Sugiyama, "When I finish work, put on the clothes, the wig and become Donny Burns, Latin world champion, and I start to move to the rhythm, I'm so happy, so completely free." Here lies the chief charm of Shall We Dance, the contrast between the ultracompetitive women of the studio--including the one who caught Sugiyama's eye, Mai (Tamiyo Kusakari)--and the men who dance simply because they enjoy it. This 1996 film is somewhat comparable to the flamboyant Aussie favorite Strictly Ballroom, but Shall We Dance is especially noteworthy for contrasting the boldness of social dance with the buttoned-up societal mores of Japan, where people avoid public displays of emotion. Even in Japan, the joy of dance is irresistible. --David Horiuchi |
 "Great film"Even if you don't like foreign films, you will love this movie. The uptight accountant learning to dance and learning to enjoy dancing is a great story and the characters are terrific.  "The World says 4!"Well the movie I think is great. Better than the new one with Richard Gere. Though there was just one problem with the dvd it takes a chunk out of your wallet. The movie itself is 5 stars it's just that $30 dollars for 1 dvd is just a bit too much "Worth Six Stars!"I will second and third all of the previous glowing reviews and take my turn castigating Disney for cutting a most splendid film. I checked out the Japanese version but it is over 40 bucks. I found a Hong Kong editon at sensasian.com, where I have sucessfully purchase the newly digitized Shaw Brothers films for years. It is region 3, but 20 bucks. My copy has yet to arrive. One caveat, several years ago I purchased copies of very early Hong Kong editions of Kurasawa films and discovered that in the English subtitles, all of the character names had been changed to Chinese surnames! We shall see about Shall We Dance when it arrives. "Shall We Dance beats yankee version"I'm sorry to be so critical of the American version of this film, but it lacks so much compared with this one. There is none of the emotional pain and distress that abounds in this movie. Sugiyama is a Tokyo work drone who has just bought a house, the ulitimate status symbol, and is now going to have to work for the rest of his life to pay for it, a fact which depresses him. On his way home from work one night he sees a beautiful woman staring out of the window of a dance studio. After a few more trips, always looking for her out of the train window, he gets up the courage to get off at the stop and go up to the studio. In Japan, dancing is akin to one of the seven deadly sins, because even husbands and wives don't touch each other in public and do so with a stranger is more than embarassing. Since ballroom dancing not only involves touching, but being close to, a stranger in public, it is not regarded highly by society in general. The object of his affection, a beautiful champion ballroom dancer who made the finals at Blackpool, makes it quite clear he shouldn't be dancing just to get close to her, but to his surprise he finds that, even though he started out for that reason, he enjoys the dancing. His older teacher soon enters him in a dance contest and he makes the final. As a ballroom dancer myself, I enjoy this film for the highly realistic portrayal of what it is like to learn to dance. I also empathise strongly with the characters, particularly the fat guy dancing to lose weight. It is not easy to be one of society's outcasts, and all the dancers at the studio verge on outcasts. If you're quick enough reading subtitles and enjoy a truly great film that manages to be engrossing, subtle, heart-wrenching and yet uplifting, without all the need for Hollywood talk and special effects, then this is the film for you. I loved it. "Superb!"Excellent, original piece of a man who rejuvenates his life through dance. A tad better than the American remake but I would advise most to see the American one as it's made more for the country. Lovers of the themes that run through this tale should compare both pieces, and, preferably the audio commentary on the American version as well. |
