Shall We Dance

584 Words3 Pages
“Shall We Dance?” is a Japanese film about Shohei, a Japanese accountant who seemed to have a perfect life, a good job, his own house, and a loving family. However, he became discontented because he felt that his life had lost direction. While on the train on his way home, he saw a beautiful lady by the window of a dance studio who inspired him to take ballroom dancing lessons. Through dancing and the wonderful people he met, he found the meaning of life and learned to enjoy it as well. The American version of the film almost has the same plot as the original, but they differ in terms of culture. The original film showed unique characteristics of Japanese culture in terms of family life, and views on dancing and work. Family life is still very traditional in Japan. The husband is the head of the household while the wife has to cater to his needs. While the husband is responsible for working hard and earning money, the wife’s role is to take care of the children and the house. Even though they live under one roof, the couple seems to have separate lives. They sleep in separate beds and hardly talk to each other. Displaying their affections for each other in public is frowned upon. From the first few lines of the original film, they do not go out arm in arm or say “I love you” out loud. On the other hand, Americans have more freedom in terms of their familial roles. The wife is not dependent on her husband and not necessarily confined to household chores. For the Japanese, “the idea that husband and wife should embrace and dance in front of others is beyond embarrassing.” It is unusual for both Americans and Japanese men to take interest in ballroom dancing, but their views on men who do differ. In Japan, middle-aged men who dance are seen as dirty, and so Sugiyama and Aoki were forced to keep their love for dancing as a secret. They would sneak up the stairs
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