SHALL WE DANSU?, a.k.a. SHALL WE DANCE? (1996)
3 Donny Aoki wigs (out of 4)
Directed by: Masayuki Suo Written by: Masayuki Suo Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe, Hideko Hara
reviewed by Jonathan Hauer
Invoking the spirit of Yul Brenner, Masayuki Suo's "Shall We Dansu?" invites us to take a long look at a tradition which is as foreign to most of us as it is to the Japanese: ballroom dancing. The film begins by telling us that dancing is almost unheard of in Japan, and that a man embracing a woman in public is considered lecherous and perverse.
The film then jumps to the workaday life of Shohei Sugiyama (excellently portrayed by Koji Yakusho, managing to remind me of both Jackie Chan and Harrison Ford, go figure). Mr. Sugiyama is an accountant who has committed his life to his wife, his child, his work and his new house. However, Sugiyama's soul is in limbo, and as he rides the train home every evening he longs for a lonely soul he sees peering out of a dance studio window. Natch, we find him entering the studio and taking classes without his wive's foreknowledge. Funny, heartwarming capers ensue.
Sometimes, while I'm watching a foreign film, I begin to wonder whether it is the film I'm enjoying or the fact that I understand what's happening on screen. Upon reflection, "Shall We Dance?" did at times succumb to sitcom cliche characterization, and plot devices that might have irritated me in an English language film. However, this film is so lacking in the ever-present self-consciousness of North American filmmaking, and so gleeful in its spirit that I found myself forgiving the simplicity of sub-plots and simply enjoying the film for what it was. There was a more complex message about the stoicism of Japanese society hiding within this film, but this state of mind seemed to leave many of the main characters pretty easily.
I recommend this movie. It's not pretentious, it's a little manipulative and it's a lot of fun. Your significant other will thank you for renting this one, too.
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKED THIS FILM:
Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrman, 1992) http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0105488
The King and I (Walter Lang, 1956) http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0049408
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