Strictly Ballroom [DVD] [1992]

This perceptive and well-executed film still after nearly 15 years since its release comes over as one of the most original films I've ever watched. The storyline is nothing more than a re-working of a classic fairy tale of handsome princes and ugly frogs (or dance partners) and yet the magical retelling make this film the success it is.

Scott Hastings is the ballroom dance prodigy who since being groomed to win the all important Pan-Pacific Grand Prix championship from the age of 6 looks like he could be throwing it all away by continuing to use un-registered and therefore illegal dance steps in his routine. His mother is shocked and dismayed that Scott could throw his chance of the title, his dance coach, Les Kendell is similarly gob smacked but most effected of all is Scott dance partner, who quits dancing with Scott and takes up with arch rival, the peroxide blonde Ken Railings.

Scott on the other hand is less concerned and seems more bothered with trying to dance true to the tune in his heart, a feeling that is shared by plain beginner dancer Fran. Scott and Fran begin to practice in secret, Scott deciding that his mother and Les wouldn't approve of such an unattractive and unorthodox partner and Fran deciding that her authoritarian and unforgiving Latino father would definitely not approve of her associating with such a boy. The backdrop the whole film is the outrageous and colourful world of Australian Ballroom Dance championships. There's more sequins and fake tan going on here than ever seen in one place before. Overseeing it all is chairman of the dance association, the toupeed and orange Barry Fife.

As I say, it doesn't take the brains of an Archbishop to work out what is going to happen here but the enthusiasm and energy that the pretty unknown cast bring to the film makes it almost compulsive viewing. Both Paul Mercurio (Scott) and Tara Morice (Fran) bring a charming innocence to their roles and it's really nice to see a proper ugly duckling to beautiful swan story. There's great support from the rest of the cast but both Pat Thomson and Bill Hunter deserve special mentions.

It's not that Baz Luhrman's success has gone to his head, far from it....it's just that his other two movies to date...Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge...are not a patch on Strictly Ballroom. This film reeks of warm sentimentality that crawls onto you and sinks into your every pore. It's full to the brim with quirky comedy moments that flood effortlessly from the entire cast, who are all Australian...not a Leonardo or Nicole amongst them. The fact that no heavy weight star is present only serves to enforce the feeling of empathy that you build for the main protagonists. Scott Mercurio is fantastic as the tortured classical dancer who strives to break free from the established laws of Ballroom and redefine it's expression. Tara Morice is equally as impressive in the role of Fran, who's only a trainee dancer but shares Scott's passion for flare and free movement. Of course the love plot bubbles quietly beneath them as they try to take the dance world by storm. All in all it's a wonderfully balanced film of heart, wit, great dancing and outstanding performances. You can see that Luhrman has an undoubted ability to dazzle with dance, music and comedy it's therefore such a shame that Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge lean heavily into a more serious genre. It's not that they're bad movies but personally I'd like to suspend my disbelief with the help of laughter and not suspense. Especially where dance is concerned. Strictly Ballroom is NOT TO BE MISSED!

A smash hit at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, this hugely enjoyable film launched director Baz Luhrmann's career, created a renaissance of popular interest in latin and ballroom dance - and named a host of television talent shows! I love Strictly Ballroom. I've seen it about six times since it was released in 1992, each time with mixed amusement and exhilaration. Paul Mercurio is superb in the lead role as Scott Hastings, a sizzling dance talent torn between his - and his mother's - lifelong ambition to win the prestigious Pan-Pacific Dance Championship, and the subversive urge to dance his own original steps. Tara Morice plays his 'ugly duckling' dance partner Fran to perfection, his whimsical father is endearingly eccentric, and the entire cast of engaging characters never misses a beat. This brilliantly quirky, fast-paced film manages to combine spectacular dancing, tongue-in-cheek visual humour and John Waters-style camp kitschness with a gentle romantic subplot. Not to mention some striking cinematic moments - for example the camera movement as Scott and Fran dance together for the first time, while above them, Scott's father prances gleefully around the washing line alone on a moonlit rooftop. Even by the generally high standards of the Australian film industry, Strictly Ballroom shines. If you haven't yet seen it, you've a real treat in store!