Strictly Ballroom
Short description
Scott Hastings is a talented ballroom dancer who has spent years preparing for the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix, but he is frustrated by the strict rules of the Australian Dancing Federation, which dictate every step competitors may perform. When he improvises his own moves at a major competition, his regular partner Liz walks out on him, leaving his career in doubt. He finds an unlikely new partner in Fran, a shy beginner from a Spanish-speaking family, and together they set out to dance their own way despite pressure from officials and from Scott's mother Shirley, a former champion who wants him to play by the rules.
Strictly Ballroom is the first feature directed by Baz Luhrmann, who wrote the screenplay with Craig Pearce and went on to make Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge! over the following decade. Paul Mercurio plays Scott, with Tara Morice as Fran, Bill Hunter as federation official Barry Fife, Pat Thomson as Shirley Hastings, and Gia Carides as Liz Holt. Made for about 3 million USD, it took roughly 34 million USD worldwide.
On IMDb the film holds a 7.4/10 critics' rating from 49 reviews, while on TMDB it has a 6.6/10 from 397 votes, so critics rated it somewhat more favourably than the wider audience did.
What's left behind the scenes
- Baz Luhrmann's directorial debut.
- The sets for Fran's house were built on an operating railway station. At one point, a train was hired to pass by the house a couple of times. These turned out to be the most expensive shots in the film.
- The very first scene filmed was the finale of the dance competition at the end of the movie. It was shot at a real dance competition during a one-hour break.
- The film received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
- For the trophies and prizes in the dance studio, they used real trophies and prizes from dance competitions, borrowed from various dance studios.
- Paul Mercurio was a dancer, but he practiced ballet, not ballroom dancing. When he was cast in the role, he had to undergo six weeks of intensive training.
- In the finale, Paul Mercurio danced with an injured knee.
- Tara Morris played Fran on stage, but she might not have been approved for the film role because the film's sponsors didn't want to cast someone who couldn't dance. Acne was added to her face for the early scenes.
- Scott's jacket in the finale became the most expensive costume in the film. It took 6 weeks to create. Some of its embellishments, as well as the shoes, were specially brought from Spain.
- Among the actors, only a few were professional dancers. These were Paul Mercurio, Todd McKenney, Antonio Vargas, Sonia Kruger, and Leonie Page.
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