Elizabeth Audio

Movies can evoke different emotions and captivate viewers through settings, tones, and characters. Haruki Murakami explores the magic of movies in his novel Dance, Dance, Dance, using movie references to challenge the reader's perceptions. The narrator compares reality to imagination and describes his affinity for movie theaters. Murakami also makes a film reference to Spielberg's E.T., as the narrator contemplates returning to reality after a carefree time in Hawaii. The power of movies lies in their ability to influence our perception of what is real and what is not. Movies have the power to make people feel a range of emotions. Directors use various settings, tones, and characters to captivate the viewers in the story. Haruki Murakami is known for his specialty in writing about magical realism. In the novel, Dance, Dance, Dance, he taps into the magic of movies. Murakami pushes the boundaries of the reader's thinking while throwing in a handful of movie references along the way. From Clint Eastwood to Disney, the reader navigates through reality through the eyes of the narrator and deciphers the meaning of pop culture films. Throughout the book, the narrator uses the word movie to describe reality versus imaginary. The narrator doesn't only compare reality to imagination, he often substitutes real things to impersonate imaginary ones. The narrator describes his appreciation for movie theaters, saying, The narrator frequents the movie theater, first to watch Gotanda and Kiki in Unrequited Love, but then also to almost escape reality. Later in the novel, Murakami makes another classic film reference to Spielberg's E.T. The narrator finds himself thinking about going back to the reality of his life in Japan after spending day after day carefree in Hawaii with Yuki. So, when it comes to films, there are slapstick comedies, chair-gripping thrillers, tear-jerking dramas, among many others. How do we let these imaginary realities hold so much power over what we think is real and what isn't?