Shall We Dance - Prologue

[Kerry Smith]

In discussions during the Modern Japan History Workshop at Harvard this
past weekend,  someone pointed out that the version of _Shall We Dance_ now
appearing in U.S. theatres  begins with a scene of what one viewer assumed
was a European ballroom and a brief commentary on Japanese attitudes
towards humor and the public display of affection.  The commentary pointed
out that Japanese are comfortable with neither humor nor public displays of
affection.

I'm guessing that this contextualization was added to the film for its
foreign release.  Is this a correct assumption?  (I have the Japanese
release of the film at home on video but haven't seen it as yet.)  I've
been trying to remember other, similar "introductions" to Japanese films
but have so far come up short.  I'm wondering if the introduction in this
case serves to introduce American viewers to a set of stereotypes they
might otherwise be unfamiliar with before going on to debunk those images,
or,  and more cynically,  does it help exoticize the characters by placing
them in the context of a uniquely Japanese situation?

How would the film have been different without that introductory sequence?

Thanks,


Kerry Smith
Department of History
Brown University
(401) 863-1246
(401) 863-1040 (fax)

Kerry_Smith at Brown.edu