Strictly Ballroom (IMPORT - Region B)

Baz Luhrmann at his finest. This terrific film is really three movies in one. First, there's the tremendous dance movie whcih centers on Scott Hastings (Paul Mecurio) and his struggles to introduce 'new steps' to the sheltered world of Austrailian ballroom dancing. For dance afficiandos, despite the broad comedy that infuses the movie, the dancing is the real thing. Mecurio is a formally trained dancer and you simply can't fake, edit, or body-double the moves he pulls off in this film. Even if you're not a dancer, Mecurio's athletiscism alone is worth seeing.

The second movie is a Dirty Dancing-style, boy-meets-ugly-duckling tale. The story allows you to peek behind the covers of a first generation Australian and her awkward attempts to fit into a new culture while maintaining her European ties at home.

The third movie is what sets Strictly Ballroom apart from the field tremendously funny, broad caricatures squabbling around the periphery of Scott and his struggle to bring his 'new steps' to the Pan-Pacific Championships. Pat Thompson is hysterical as Doug's mother Shirley, and Bill Hunter is wonderfully over-the-top as dancing kingmaker Barry Fife ('There are no new steps!'). But attention first-time viewers keep your eyes on Barry Otto as Scott's father, Doug Hastings. This odd, seemingly shell of a man is actually the emotional core of the film. He provides the movies funniest moments (particularly as other reviewers have alluded to a flashback sequence so over-the-top hilarious that it defies description) and its most relevatory ones.

Play this film over and over again and you will never be disappointed.

This Australian gem is one of those rare films that entertains, thrills and pokes fun at an established activiity (in this case, a ballroom dance federation).

To take this film seriously is to miss out on one of the great moviegoing/ moviewatching experiences of the 1990s.

In a nutshell, an up-and-coming champion ballroom dancer gets bored dancing the same tired steps that everyone has danced in competition the past 50 years and wants to break out and do things his way. Of course, his way is the better way, but that causes all the angst, high drama, dashed hopes and utter hilarity that ensues as forces clash to prevent the young man from taking the ballroom dancing world by storm and up to a new level.

Of course, it's what we've all, always, expected: Things don't change in such events because those who judge and teach can only judge/teach that with which they are familiar.

The cast is perfect, from the dashing young lead embodied by Australian ballet principal Paul Mercurio to the shy, at-first clumsy female lead played by Tara Morice (who also lends her vocals to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" in a stunning rooftop pas de deux as she starts learning how to dance with him).

Paul's mother -beautifully and hysterically portrayed by Pat Thomson -and his seemingly introverted, odd father -a wonderfully giddy Barry Otto -are perfectly realized, as are all the other roles, including Bill Hunter's terrifically change-resistant Barry Fife, president of the dance federation.

This is probably Baz Luhrmann's most mainstream movie, since it's more firmly grounded in the now than anything else he's done.

Be on the lookout for a stunning cinematic moment during an outdoor sequence at the girl's house with the lead learning from her father how to correctly dance the Paso Dobles. When it's clear he's gotten the hang of it, the camera does a closeup on him turning and then cuts to an oncoming train, that parallels the house, sweeping down the lower right of the screen. It's one of those Luhrmann touches that set him apart from most other working directors.

"Strictly Ballroom" is a wonderful entertainment that flows along so quickly..and has dramatic highs...and even more thrilling dancing highs...that most of you will be very sorry when it's over.

But never fear...it holds up very well on repeat viewings. It's one of my most-played videos.

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Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but the first time I watched this movie, I checked it out of the library. I was a recently divorced single parent of two, struggling with a house note and bills I couldn't pay. On this particular day, I was fighting a bad cold, and feeling generally tired and unhappy. I took this movie out based only on the "Two Thumbs Up" recommendation of Siskel & Ebert at the bottom of the case. After viewing this film, I felt energized and full of good humor. I eventually bought it and have shared it with my mom, sister, kids, friends, and new husband. They all loved it! Where do I start? 1. The performances. Everyone in this movie is wonderful. They are believable and credible even though the material is completely over the top so much of the time. I love these people. 2. Then there's the romance. The main love story is very sweet, but all throughout the film, you feel like romance is literally in the air. It's also amazing how much sensuality is conveyed without any overt sexuality. 3. The dancing. I never gave ballroom dancing a thought until I saw this movie. Now, I love watching it. 4. The family relationships. They may seem unbelievable, but that mother is all too familiar to me. 5. Paul Mercurio--he's hot! Enough said.

This movie is funny, touching, and like nothing I've ever seen before or since. I can't even compare it to anything else. I'm happy to see how favorably other people have reviewed it.

Read Best Reviews of Strictly Ballroom (IMPORT - Region B) Here

I skimmed through several reviews and kept seeing comparisons to Dirty Dancing. This movie can't even be compared to that!!! First of all, the dancing in SB moves the plot along, while in DD, it could be edited out and no one would know it was ever there. Secondly, this movie is the MASTERPIECE that DD is not and will never, ever be. Every thing about this movie is perfect--I especially love the chemistry between Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice. They really make Scott and Fran credible and believable characters. Being that this is a small movie, it really works--and that is probably why it is better than anything Hollywood has produced in some time. And charming extras to the movie-Tara Morice sings the TIME AFTER TIME song that runs throughout some of the movie. Paul Mercurio did his own dancing--including adding additional choreography. (He was a former ballet dancer before making this movie as his acting debut.) There are many others, but I'll leave you to discover them.

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The story is pretty conventional : since childhood Scott Hastings' parents have pointed him towards the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Amateur

Championships. But in direct contravention of the rules and traditions of ballroom dancing (which have as much to do with the teaching of dance to

willing customers as with dance itself), Scott has recently developed a dangerous desire to dance his own "crowd-pleasing steps". When Scott's

partner leaves him, he's forced to audition new ones, none of whom are very satisfactory, until, improbably, the homely and awkward Fran, who

usually has to dance with another girl, demonstrates that she understands what he's aiming at. As Scott's mother and teacher try to find a more

acceptable alternative, Scott and Fran practice in secret, eventually receiving assistance from Fran's aforementioned father and her loving

grandmother, who does a mean rumba herself.

What follows is largely predictable but still endearingly romantic and exciting. Baz Luhrmann, who had directed a stage version of the story for some

ten years before turning it into a movie, brings a pulsing energy (which mixes soundtrack, color, and motion in fascinating ways) and an off-kilter

sense of humor to the film that make it quite distinctive. If you liked Mr. Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge but thought it was a bit over-the-top, you'll like

this one much better.

The best aspect of the film though is the way in which Scott, who when we meet him is totally self-absorbed, has to learn that for all his desire to

express himself in dance, he must do so together with his partner. He and Fran must communicate with one another, share themselves, and be able to

yield something of the personal in order to be true to their art. They must respect the conventions of ballroom dance, with its basis in the couple,

even as they expand its possibilities and violate the self-serving diktats of the corrupt elders who run the competitions. So much of modern art and

literature celebrates egotistical individualism unfettered by any restraint; it's unusual to find such a compelling story about the requirement of

submerging purely selfish concerns in order to achieve higher purposes.

One of the leitmotifs of the film is that "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived". Much of the atomization of modern life is a function of fear, a fear of

being hurt by those we open up to. Scott begins the film as only half of a couple, unable to share anything, even a dance, with his partner. He is

living only a half-life. But he becomes wholly human, begins to live a whole life, when he becomes a true partner with Fran. It's rare enough to see

such profound truth portrayed in film, but that it's done here such a joyous and exuberant fashion makes this a remarkable movie.

GRADE : A+

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