Strictly Ballroom

Baz Lurhmann, Australia, 1992, minutes

Winning the Pan Pacific Grand Prix has always been Scott’s dream. It has also been the dream of his mother’s, and everyone else at his local Dance Academy. But when Scott’s passion for dancing takes him beyond the steps set out by the Australian Dance Federation, soon that winning trophy seems further and further out of reach. His dance-partner leaves him, his hysterical and domineering mother almost has a nervous break-down, and if he can’t find a new partner, he might have to forgo the Pan Pacifics altogether.

Hope comes in the unlikely form of Fran, a Dance Academy beginner in need of a makeover. She has her heart set on dancing with Scott, and nothing he says can dissuade her. With her Latin roots and his fancy footwork, soon the duo are sizzling to the rhythm of the paso doble!

This is Baz Lurhmann’s debut film, and any fan will recognize his trademark quirky directing, filling the screen with vibrant colour, sound, and larger-than-life characters. Though maybe not as slick or big-budgeted as later works such as “Romeo & Juliet” or “Moulin Rouge”, this film does not take itself too seriously (the dizzying first 10 minutes of the film is even styled as a pseudo-documentary) and is warm-hearted and touching in its simplicity. Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice are dynamic in their spectacular dance sequences, and delightful as the two leads, drawing out the familiar ‘Dirty-Dancing’-style plot with subtlety and charm. The world of Ballroom Dancing can be seen to be a fake one, full of peroxide hair, neon, shiny costumes, and backstabbing competitors. Fran provides a refreshing break from this, teaching Scott that it’s not all about winning, and that “a life lived in fear is a life half-live.

Not just a film for those of you who love to dance, but for all of you who believe in following your heart.

Review by Clara Shakespear
Written for EUFS Programme Spring 2004