Strictly Ballroom (1992)

A maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner.

Director:

Baz Luhrmann

Writers:

Baz Luhrmann (original idea), Baz Luhrmann (earlier screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 19 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Mercurio	...	Scott Hastings
Tara Morice	...	Fran
Bill Hunter	...	Barry Fife
Pat Thomson	...	Shirley Hastings
Gia Carides	...	Liz Holt
Peter Whitford	...	Les Kendall
Barry Otto	...	Doug Hastings
John Hannan	...	Ken Railings
Sonia Kruger	...	Tina Sparkle
Kris McQuade	...	Charm Leachman
Pip Mushin	...	Wayne Burns
Leonie Page	...	Vanessa Cronin
Antonio Vargas	...	Rico
Armonia Benedito	...	Ya Ya
Jack Webster	...	Terry

Storyline

Scott Hastings is a champion caliber ballroom dancer, but much to the chagrin of the Australian ballroom dance community, Scott believes in dancing "his own steps". Fran is a beginning dancer and a bit of an ugly duckly who has the audacity to ask to be Scott's partner after his unorthodox style causes his regular partner to dance out of his life. Together, these two misfits try to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championships and show the Ballroom Confederation that they are wrong when they say, "there are no new steps!"

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Plot Keywords:

dance | father son relationship | mother son relationship | cinderella story | ballroom dancing | 

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Taglines:

There's something in the air. It might be love -- but it isn't.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ballroom - Gara di ballo

Filming Locations:

Marrickville Road and Victoria Road, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$11,738,022

Company Credits

Production Co:

M & A, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Beyond Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Original co-producer Ted Albert died suddenly from a heart attack during the early stages of production. Despite this, and with the blessing of Albert's wife Popsy, Ted's family company Albert Productions (which also produced the soundtrack) decided to stick with the production and put up $1 million of the $3 million budget.

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Goofs

In the flashback sequence from 1967 Shirley and Doug dance to a boogie-version of John Paul Young's "Yesterday's hero", which was first released in 1978. However since this flashback turns out to be a lie by Barry Fife this could be deliberately.

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Quotes

Barry Fife: There are no new steps!

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Crazy Credits

Preceding the end credits is the note: This film is dedicated to Ted Albert

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Connections

Featured in 40,000 Years of Dreaming (1997)

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Soundtracks

Love Is In The Air
Vocal by John Paul Young
Written by Harry Vanda & George Young
(c) 1978 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd
by Courtesy of Albert Productions

User Reviews

Never has a movie been so completely engaging

From beginning to end. Wow. This is the best Baz Luhrmann film, without a doubt. I've seen it maybe half a dozen times. The characters are hilarious, but even the most obvious parodies are real. They're all so absorbed in their crazy, strange, fantastic world of dancing, you can't help but get absolutely involved in what transpires onscreen. Fran's (Morice) 'transformation' is done very well, and she is possibly the only sane person in a world of over-the-top loons. Scott (Mercurio) is astoundingly handsome and believably self-involved. Go see it!