If asked to describe director Australian director Baz Luhrmann in one word, I might use hyper-stylized—watching Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and the epic Australia take you to a hyper-stylized universe where everything is almost cartoonishly exaggerated, yet the campy trappings are welcomed by many (The one exception to that rule, Australia, was just a straight out disappointment). However, if you’re a film fan who’s never appreciated Luhrmann’s style, you might want to give his first film, 1992’s Strictly Ballroom, a shot. A rather subdued piece of work, the film is a funny, yet bizarre love story set in the world of professional ballroom dancing.
Luhrmann began work on Strictly Ballroom as a drama student, and then reworked to become an award-winning production at a Czech theater festival, and still further retooled into a successful stage show. In bringing it to the screen, Luhrmann created the first of what he now refers to as his “red-curtain cinematic form,” using a highly stylized, theatrical presentation to tell a simple, classic story, with lots of self-aware film references thrown in for good measure.
Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio) was raised to be a champion of ballroom dance. He and his parents, Doug and Shirley (Barry Otto and Pat Thomson), former dance competitors themselves, want Scott to win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Championships, the biggest prize on the circuit. While Scott wants to win, he also wants to try some of his own dance steps. Unfortunately for him, his parents and the Australian Dance Federation won’t allow it. His partner is so flustered by it all; she leaves him in the dust. With little choice, Scott takes on an eager, but in experienced partner. Fran (Tara Morice) has promise, but she’s a bit of a klutz and somewhat plain looking for the world of ballroom dance. Nevertheless, they develop a Spanish dance routine, and, of course, she develops into a lovely young woman. I bet you can guess the rest from there…
Presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, Lionsgate’s 1080p transfer offers a reasonable level of definition, but there’s some noticeable cloudiness throughout, particularly during close-ups. Colors are rather vivid throughout. It should be noted that the color and shading differentiation in light and dark areas isn’t as well balanced as one might expect. There’s a slight layer of grain that gives the proceedings a filmic appearance.
The English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is a serviceable one, largely highlighting the film’s soundtrack of classical and pop songs. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout.
English SDH, English, and Spanish subtitles are available.
The included special features were previously available on the 2010 Special Edition DVD release:
- Audio Commentary with director Baz Lhurmann, production designer/co-costumer Catherine Martin and choreographer John O’Connell: All of the participants are light and breezy, providing interesting information on the production, casting, and more.
- Strictly Ballroom: from Stage to Screen (SD, 23:11) In an extended interview, Baz Luhrmann discusses the evolution of the project, from play to motion picture. From there, he delves into the process of making the film on a very limited budget.
- Deleted Scene (SD, 1:56) One scene that wouldn’t have added anything to the film.
- Samba to Slow Fox (SD, 30:15) A documentary about various Australian dance competitions.
- Design Gallery: We get several animated galleries, a couple of which include narration from Lhurmann. The sections are: backstage snapshots, production design, promotional and various, Baz’s family album and Scott and Fran.
