Strictly Ballroom (1993)

Really Surprised!

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This week I watched Baz Luhrmann's dramedy romance Strictly Ballroom (1992). The logline reads "A maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner." I was excited to see the movie that launched Luhrmann into larger things, and I was not disappointed. There are parts of the film where you see his early directing choices that improved with time and parts of the film where he does his Baz-y thing and treats our eyes to something rich, original and beautiful. The story definitely took some over-the-top liberties, but remembering this is cinema the eccentricness can be overlooked. Typical of a Luhrmann piece, the mother and one other female is a complete diva, while the true starlett is of a calmer, quieter, and arguably more "ladylike". The story was a playful, parts were silly, but the climax of the film was a great payoff. The acting was good, some actors were naturally stronger than others. Overall, the production values were good, there were a few shooting errors, and a lot of overused elements, but I think that directors get experience over time. I think this is apparent through his later films like The Great Gatsby (2013) and Moulin Rouge! (2001). I enjoyed this movie and can't believe that I waited so long to see it!

Take a good dose of humor, a dash of drama, great dancing, vibrant music, fabulous costumes and a hint of weirdness, whisk it all together and the result is a thoroughly entertaining musical.

Long before the visually flamboyant director Baz Luhrmann gave us the blockbuster "Moulin Rouge", he made his debut with this quirky Aussie dancecom. The spirit of "Strictly Ballroom" is very campy, tongue-in-cheek and outright parodic, mercilessly skewering the pretentious world of ballroom dance competitions in a way that makes us wonder what planet this film was shot on.Immediately you might be reminded of the hilarious Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, etc), but Baz gives this production an extra little push over the cliff. Unapologetically departing from reality, he hits us with a hyper-saturated visual feast, coupled with the fact that the story is set in the 1970s, taking us to the edge of absurdist fantasy. The presentation is almost claustrophobic, in that the entire story takes place on basically just 3 sets: the dance school, the girl's home, and the competition arena), and yet the magnificent use of colorful sets, elegant camera work, and large spaces makes us feel like we're in some sort of bizarre Aussie Wonderland. That's the Terry Gilliam (Brazil) part.And if that blend isn't bizarre enough, get this. The plot itself is rooted in a very cute John Hughes-ish teen rebel story (Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller), thus appealing to our inner misfit youth. The combination is a real treat, and if any of these elements interest you, I guarantee you'll have a wild ride.The dancing and choreography is absolutely stunning. Paul Mercurio ("Scott") definitely has moves that would make Fred Astaire tip his top hat, and Baz allows for a few long segments so we can take it all in. At the same time, the dance segments don't interrupt the pacing and flow of the story. Somehow it all blends together seamlessly. I have to say, dance, comedy and surrealism is an unlikely mix, but it comes together brilliantly. That's something I haven't seen since the days of Jerry Lewis directing."Strictly Ballroom" is one of the most entertaining and engaging movies about dancing I've ever seen. If you enjoy this flick, definitely check out "Razzle Dazzle", another hilarious Aussie dancecom, which also features the lovely Tara Morice ("Fran") but in a role I guarantee you wouldn't recognize her in if I hadn't told you.

The less you know about ballroom dancing, I suspect, the more you might enjoy this movie. It is not really about dancing itself but rather how self-absorption and delusions of grandeur can lead artists down some very silly paths. Movies like Strictly Ballroom are akin to peering through a window into a world that we could never ordinarily fathom, and one that may or may not exist in a similar form in reality. If there is a king of the mockumentary it is Christopher Guest, and in Best in Show he did a similar thing by taking aim at the bizarre practices of dog shows and their owners, resulting in scenes that were both vicious and very funny. There are an endless number of competitive worlds that this same approach can be applied to: models (Zoolander), rock bands (Spinal Tap), athletes, equestrian, ballerinas, you name it. The opening of Strictly Ballroom is charged with the same energy and self-importance that these dancers radiate. Their gliding steps unfurl rhythmically in match cuts, and they make sure their costumes are adorned with as many sequins and shiny beads as possible, so that when the stage lights hit them they glitter like prancing, overdressed angels. Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie come together to construct a world that fashions itself like a grotesque child beauty pageant for adults, full of garishly fake tans, lurid red lips, oodles of drama, and overbearing parents living vicariously through their children. The godlike authority of the ballroom world is one man, never referred to as simply Barry, nor Fife, but always Barry Fife, and often with his full title of Federation President Barry Fife. These 'adults' are shot frequently from below and through wide-angle lenses, distorting their already monstrous features and exposing the leathery cracks in their hide-I mean err, skin. The introduction also makes delightful use of the mockumentary format to poke fun at the scandal of young prodigy Scott Hastings going off book, by not adhering to 'strictly ballroom' moves, but resorting to his own flashier, impromptu moves (at one point he even fits the worm in there). Luhrmann cuts to and from the controversy with great relish, allowing his talking heads to exaggerate, and their horrified reactions to build the drama. He pushes his dramatic zooms to their utmost invasiveness to highlight and underline the shock horror of a dancer who dares defy the code of the ballroom floor. When Scott later goes to 'apologise' to Liz for leading her into a world of darkness and temptation, he doesn't do it through words but through interpretive dance; the passive aggressiveness in their graceful one-two is terribly funny. The story is of course an over-ripe, over-done tale of redemption that we can all see coming a mile away. Scott has a vision and a dream, and with a dumpy, bespectacled amateur (who later turns out to be beautiful) he'll take it to the adults and dance the way he likes or die trying. Fran is so plain that she's been dancing with a girl all along, perhaps because along the way she was mistaken for a boy and was too shy to speak up about it. When an impassionate plea to courage and bravery reveals her Spanish roots, the pair retreat to the railroads to refine their moves with a cultural twist, and come morning, she's removed her glasses and they look like a completely different couple. Earnestness is what keeps the film going. Just look at how Liz storms into the room with tears in her eyes to proclaim that she's been dropped (dumped) by Ken, and therefore the end of the world is nearing. Or listen to Federation President Barry Fife anoint the Pan Pacific champions as immortal heroes, a "guiding light" to all other dancers. Nathan and Tina are no longer two individuals, but Nathan Sparkle and Tina Sparkle, one homogeneous ballroom unit, forever to be referred as such. Unlike some of his later, more audacious features, here Luhrmann knows how to keep his distance, because his dancers do all the flaunting and showboating for him. Such a film could never be made in America because Hollywood would turn it into a life-changing experience (Dirty Dancing, Flashdance). Now here are characters that think and dance as if they have leapt right off the Hollywood big screen, and who substitute the hills and skyline for a glittery Coca Cola billboard. They've brushed off their humble beginnings (the banners say Pan Pacific in big gold letters, but they all have Australian accents), and might never amount to anything higher than the fleeting glory of the ballroom floor, but for them it's more than enough. Few films are as openly honest about its intentions as Strictly Ballroom, and that is how you earn the right to use 'Love is in the Air' to close.