Screening times:
Friday, July 18, 6:30 PM

Masayuki Suô | Japan | 1996 | 136m
Japanese with English subtitles
with Koji Yakusho, Tamio Kusakari, and Naoto Takenaka

Shohei Sugiyama seems to have it all – a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day while on the commuter train he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a dance-studio window and decides to find her. His search leads him to become obsessed by the world of competitive ballroom dancing.

This feel-good romantic comedy's title is inspired by a line from Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, and in turn the film inspired a Hollywood remake in 2004 starring Richard Gere. When Shall We Dance? was released in North America by Miramax, it was cut down from two-hours-and 17 minutes to under two hours. This new 4K restoration is the original film available uncut for the first time theatrically in North America.

A massive box office success in Japan, it's become a beloved cinema staple across generations in that country.

"The movie has a great deal of zest and charm, and Yakusho gets so exactly that crest of melancholy that is a man’s early 40s, until he decides to go for another kind of life, that the movie is infinitely touching." - Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

"Funny and poignant, this is entertainment in it's kindest and swishiest form." - Ian Freer, Empire Magazine

"'Shall We Dance?' holds forth the sunny possibility that beyond the most timid exterior there may be a tangoing Walter Mitty to be found." - Janet Maslin, New York Times

Tickets $12 ($11.40 cash at the door if available)