| Another major difference between the American and Japanese versions involves the characters of the wife and daughter, who are mere background objects in the Japanese version. In the American remake, both women figure in more prominently. Unlike the Japanese wife who does not ask or interfere in her husband's unexplained, weekly evening absences, the Sarandon character, when faced with identical circumstances, must naturally assume that her loving and trustworthy husband of 17 years is having an affair. So, does she confront her husband with her suspicions? Not on your life! She does what any red-blooded American movie wife would do under these circumstances: she hires a private detective. |
| As mentioned earlier, this is a semi-faithful remake of the original, but its conclusion is less subtle and very typical of what often happens when a big studio takes on a simple story. |
| Also hard to overcome is the fact that our society is far from restrictive in its cultural attitudes. Since ballroom dancing in the U.S. is not regarded as scandalous, there is no need to keep it a secretly-conducted activity as in Japan. Therefore, both the fear of discovery and the human yearning to find freedom through art are not factors in the American film, which greatly diminishes the overall impact of the American version. |
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| If you haven't seen either version, rent them both for a rainy Sunday afternoon. I strongly recommend you watch the original first. It might make you feel so good that you'll skip the remake altogether. |
Shall We Dance? (1996) Color
U.S. Release Date: 5/97 (limited)
Running Length: 2:06
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Mild Language)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Director: Masayuki Suo
Cast: Koji Yakusyo, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe, Akira Emoto, Yu Tokui
Producers: Hiroyuki Kato, Seiji Urushido, Shigeru Ohno, Kazuhiro Igarashi, Tetsuya Ikeda, Shoji Masui, Yuji Ogata
Screenplay: Masayuki Suo
Cinematography: Naoki Kayano
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
In Japanese with English subtitles |
Shall We Dance? (2004) Color
U.S. Release Date: 10/15/04 (wide)
Running Length: 1:38
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, sexual situations)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Ann Walter, Anita Gillette
Director: Peter Chelsom
Producer: Simon Fields
Screenplay: Audrey Welles, based on the screenplay by Masayuki Suo
Cinematography: John de Borman
Music: John Altman, Gabriel Yared
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films |
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