Strictly Ballroom overview – Baz Luhrmann’s dizzying, dance-tastic swirl of enjoyable is a traditional ugly-duckling story | Movie

Generations who don’t know why TV’s Strictly Come Dancing known as that (and even what the previous Come Dancing present was) must meet up with Baz Luhrmann’s debut directing characteristic from 1992; it’s goofy, lovable and as sweetly romantic as you want. It was the feelgood crowdpleaser from Australia that made Luhrmann a star, and that “strictly” sounded a defiant observe. Ballroom dancing could not have been cool (although it’s now, roughly), however the movie revealed it had passionate followers and underdog cred, like being an Abba nut in PJ Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding from 1994, which additionally starred veteran Oz comedy flip Bill Hunter in a really comparable position.

Strictly Ballroom additionally laid down the narrative template for Strictly Come Dancing; the movie’s pairing of the sensible dancer and the gutsy ingenue turned the skilled/celeb partnership on TV, and the not-so-secret eroticism of their rising relationship within the rehearsal studio turned the small-screen’s all-important observe montage and backstory content material. Brilliant younger ballroom dancer Scott Hastings (smoulderingly performed by Paul Mercurio) has been getting ready for a prestigious nationwide championship since he was six years previous. His blowsy mum Shirley (Pat Thomson) is a trainer and pissed off dancer, whereas timid dad Doug (Barry Otto) is depressed, because of an terrible dance-related trauma climactically revealed on the finish. Scott has prior to now acquired into bother for departing from the strictly conceived dance steps, controversially improvising flashy strikes of his personal devising, however now appears to be like as if he can win, reined in by his competent however uninspired companion.

Yet when destiny decrees that she will’t compete, shy ugly-duckling newbie Fran (Tara Morice) asks the preening Scott if she might maybe dance with him; her pure humility and expertise redeems his tendency in the direction of conceitedness, particularly when her Latin American grandma (Armonia Benedito) faculties Scott within the passionate method of actually feeling the rhythm and the music. Now Scott and Fran must confront the older era’s bland, smug corruption, epitomised by the Australian Dancing Federation’s hideous president, the toupéed and permatanned Barry Fife (Hunter).

We can see in prototype the fashion that might later evolve into Luhrmann’s settled directorial mannerisms (analogous to watching an early Wes Anderson movie): the zoom, the garish closeup, the massive eyes-and-teeth flourish. Maybe each subsequent Luhrmann image has its origin in ballroom dancing, though he has to this point not once more tried a straight-ahead comedy characteristic. It’s a dizzy swirl of enjoyable.