Original Japanese Version

Just acquired the Hong Kong Laserdisc of the 136 min. version. Will be back to give updates but here is the list of differences as posted by the person I'm buying it from.

here's a list of changes:
(1) The cover art is differnt. Obviously in Hong Kong, it's ok to show asian faces on the cover. It's pretty much black, with Mai in her red dress seemingly floating. Two inserts at the bottom shwo Sugiyama and Aoki on the subway. Also, the title is listed as "Shall We " + the katakana for Dance, as shown at the beginning of the film.
(2) At the beginning, instead of giving a brief explanation of the Japanese culture, the same (or very similar) voice explains the European nature of ballroom dancing, making some mention of how ballroom dancing fits their bodies, while not fitting the japanese body.

The changes primarily go to the breadth of the secondary and tertiary characters. It is surprising at times how important a few words at the beginning are to establish a tone for the character throughout the film.

(3) Mrs. Sugiyama. She works; has to help pay the mortgage. After Mr. S goes to work, there is a scene w/her driving the car w/Chikage (the daughter) to her job. This puts the money-crunch idea foremost in the mind as the defining of Mr. S. Later when he hears how much the dance lessons are, how much the shoes are, and when Mrs. S. hears how much the PI is, we feel the money crunch more. They can't really afford to spend all that money.

(4) Tamako-sensei (the elder dance instructor). She is left basically intact.

(5) Young male instructor. The scene where Mr. S. signs up for lessons is extended, including additional talk about money. THen at the end, the young man enters, bids a greeting to all, and grabs Toyoko, doing a little spin-thing. Toyoko then says something affectionately like, "There's just something about you..." This isn't really important, but it does establish the character, so that later when you see him dancing w/Toyoko in the background, you're not saying, 'who's THAT?'

(6) Toyoko (the obnoxious, pushy dancer). Her part was cut quit a bit. In the extended version, there's much more to her. First, after S. and Aoki first meet in the dance studio. They go to an eatery and are talking. Aoki makes an offhand comment about her, "She's probably rich with nothing else to do but dance." This puts an idea in our head that she's a rich obnoxious bitch, which gives the truth more impact. Later, S. sees Toyoko delivering dinners (Meals on Wheels or some such) . She greets a man and makes goo-goo with his young son; this prior to the hospital scene. Hospital scene (after Toyoko's collapse): this scene is much longer, with the daughter giving more of a family history. She (daughter) never knew her father, but Toyoko would tell her about him. Her (toyoko's) favorite story was that they met at a office dance party. Toyoko's regret was that her daughter never had a chance to see her father dance the waltz. This gives greater impact to the final dance scene (since Mr. S. looks much like Toyoko's late husband.). Additionally, the daughter says that Toyoko gave up dancing to raise her (the daughter). The motif of sacrifice (esp. parents for children) is repeated.

(7) Hattori and Watanabe. Short guy (with the short steps) and the Fat Gentleman. They are basically left intact. Minor extension to the scene where they are all sharing a drink after the first lesson, shows how embarrassed Watanabe is.

(8) Aoki. He is basically left intact. Small addition to a scene where he and S. are talking, where he "checks out" a cute young girl as she walks by. This really helps build the idea that Aoki is attracted to young girls. Also, some people had mentioned to me that they thought Aoki might be gay; though i never felt this myself, this scene helps dispel that.

(9) Mai. She is definitely the most extended character and the film REALLY needs it. The problem with the cut version is you never get a full sense of Mai (or even much of one) until you hear the letter. By then, it lacks some of the punch that occurs with seeing the results.

(a) She's a spoiled brat. absolutely. There's a scene with Mai and her father, where she basically throws a tantrum. She wants to compete, but her father says "no." She wants to dance w/the best; after all, she's the best, why SHOULDN'T she dance with the best? She then throws and breaks a picture. Her father says something like, "You still don't understand dance."

(b) She hates teaching at the studio. In the same scene, she calls teh students "clods." The father then says that it was their (father and mother) dream to open the school and that SHE, herself, learned to dance on that same floor. This establishes that she really is a bitch and all her actions are really put into place. She stares out the window b/c she wishes she wasn't there. She says what she does to Mr. S. (when he asks her to dinner) b/c she's so very haughty. And so the evolution of Mai, as she helps S & Toyoko, more evident.

(c) The letter (flashback to Blackpool) scene is extended. There's a brief statement that says that she sacrificed everything to try to be the best. also, briefly, Her parents wanted to dance at blackpool, but the mother was pregnant, so they gave up Blackpool for Mai.

(d) The letter. There's a scene showing Mai + partner arriving at Blackpool (a train station, i guess). The partner opens the door for Mai and carries the luggage. Mai walks out ahead and keeps walking rather swiftly without waiting or turning back to see how he was doing; he was struggling slightly under the load, trying to catch up.

(e) The letter. The statement "Win or lose, he wanted us to break up after the competition." I can't remember if this was in the cut version.

(10) The PI. There's a brief scene after teh PI's assistant takes pix of Mr. S dancing w/Mai. In the alleyway outside the dance studio, the two PIs are talking. The elder one says something like, "I guess he is just a dirty old man after all." This gives the basic Japanese attitude towards dancing, helps establish the switching of the two PIs, and then helps show the evolution of teh PI as the film goes on. i think this makes it more obvious that when Mr. S. is asking Mai to dinner, that the PI is watching.

(11) There are many other miscellaneous addenda like seeing S. taking the posture apparatus out of a locker, Mrs. S. & the PI scene is longer, etc. etc. But nothing else really major.