Shall we dansu?

I kind of liked Shall We Dance (2004), a sweet light-weight tale of a bored middle aged businessman (Richard Gere) and how he secretly learns to ballroom dance with a group of no hopers. The whole film was lifted lock stock and barrel from the 1997 Japanese film Shall we dansu? and I have been wanting to watch the original movie for quite some time now. Today I had the opportunity as I found the film in the bargain bucket st Sainsburys, and as Chris is away again and a huge thunderstorm made me flee from the allotment early I settled down with the dogs to watch it.
What the earlier film lacks in stars (Gere,Lopez,Tucci) it gains in charm, as the normally reserved Japanese obtain freedom and escapism through the culturally frowned upon physical intimacy of ballroom dance.(I did not realise that physically holding your dance partner in Japan is generally not done)
The film also has leading man Kôji Yakusho,in the Gere staring role, and it his venerability in the portraying a man who has lost his way somewhat in the banalities of life, that actually carry the film's emotion and warmth.
The whole thing was well worth £3.00.