Strictly Ballroom

To be shown: 18 November 2006

Australia 1992
94 minutes
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter.

Synopsis

Strictly Ballroom has a plot and climax that should make an audience walk into the screening and keep walking right out again. Drawing on a number of well-worn themes – the ugly duckling makes good, Cinderella and many others – the film would never lay successful claim to originality. In fact, we would never offer a prize for predicting the ending on the grounds that it would not be a true competition! So why does the film work so well?

The first point, obvious from the outset, is that Strictly Ballroom achieves where most storyline predecessors failed. It is well shot, well acted and tightly scripted. So the foundation is strong. And then there is the story…maverick dancer Scott insists on ‘dancing to his own tune' as he uses steps not considered legal. Abandoned by his partner for a blonde nemesis he takes up with a plain Jane, or Fran in this case, and, in secret, they begin practicing. The storyline works because, though simple, someone has taken the time to write it rather than rely on the well known themes, the dancing or the music.

The film never shies away from using clichés but in a context that will not illicit a groan from a departing audience. Simply, when applied well they work because the script works. The cast is little known, which is usually synonymous with a low budget film sporting a sound track on full, but here the players have been well picked and well coached. In essence Strictly Ballroom stands out in same way that a good narrator can when compared to a featureless monotone.

If you like a good fairytale or a little escapism or even because you want to see dancers fake-tanned to the point of a Tango advertisement, this is the film for you.