Strictly Ballroom [Special Edition]

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Overview

This wildly off-beat comedy is about a male dancer (Paul Mercurio) who refuses to follow the accepted rules of ballroom dancing and creates his own style of choreography, which infuriates the ballroom dancing establishment. Before he's scheduled to compete in the Pan-Pacific ballroom championships, he's forced to take up a new partner (Tara Morice), a beginner who initially seems without promise. With his help, she turns into an assured and wonderful dancer. Baz Luhrmann's visual style may be too bright, gaudy and exaggerated for some tastes, yet he treats his characters with compassion, which makes Strictly Ballroom such an engaging comedy.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2011
UPC:	0031398138068
Original Release:	1992
Rating:	PG
Source:	Miramax Lionsgate
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:34:00
Sales rank:	11,190

Special Features

Strictly Ballroom: From Stage to Screen; Deleted Scene; Design Gallery with Narration; Samba To Slow Fox Dance Featurette; Audio Commentary

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Paul Mercurio	Scott Hastings
Tara Morice	Fran
Bill Hunter	Barry Fife
Barry Otto	Doug Hastings
Pat Thomson	Shirley Hastings
Gia Carides	Liz Holt
Peter Whitford	Les Kendall
John Hannan	Ken Railings
Sonia Kruger-Taylor	Tina Sparkle
Pip Mushin	Wayne Burns
Leonie Page	Vanessa Cronin
Antonio Vargas	Rico
Armonia Benedito	Ya Ya
Peter Lynch	Extra: Kendall's Studio
John O'Connell	Try-out Coach
Bob Adams	New Steps Family
Michael Burgess	Merv
David Hirschfelder	Composer
Kris McQuade	Charm Leachman
Jack Webster	Terry
Steve Grace	Luke
Paul Bertram	J.J. Silvers, State Finals MC
Lara Mulcahy	Natalie
Brian M. Logan	Clarey
Todd McKenney	Nathan Starkey

Technical Credits

Craig Pearce

Baz Luhrmann

Andrew Bovell

Craig Pearce	Screenwriter
Baz Luhrmann	Screenwriter
Ted Albert	Producer,Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Tristram Miall	Producer,Producer
Roger Savage	Sound Mixer
Ian McLoughlin	Sound Mixer
Phil Judd	Sound Mixer
Andrew Bovell	Screenwriter
Julius Chan	Sound Effects

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Strictly Ballroom: Special Edition
1. Opening Titles/Wabatan Championship [:00]
2. It Take Two To Tango [:00]
3. Dance Your Own Steps [:00]
4. The Try-Outs [:02]
5. A New Partner [:00]
6. Tina Sparkle [:00]
7. Scott and Fran? [8:28]
8. Paso Doble [8:25]
9. "New Steps Rumored" [6:43]
10. The Truth About Doug Hastings [5:58]
11. Pan Pacific Grand Prix [3:47]
12. The Latin Finals [6:28]
13. Disqualification [7:43]
14. "Love Is In The Air"/End Credits [8:33]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Strictly Ballroom: Special Edition
Play
Scenes
Set Up
Subtitles
English For The Hearing Impaired
Français
Español
Subtitles: None
Register Your DVD
Bonus Features
Strictly Ballroom: From Stage to Screen
Samba to Slow Fox
Deleted Scene
Design Gallery
Behind The Red Curtain (Backstage Snapshots)
That's Looking Good (Production Design)
Dance To Win (Promotional & Various)
Yesterday's Hero (Baz's Family Album)
Love Is In The Air (Scott and Fran)
Audio Commentary
View the Film with Commentary By Director and Co-Writer Baz Luhrmann, Production Designer & Co-Costume Designer Catherine Martin And Choreographer John (Cha Cha) O'Connell: On/Off
Sneak Peeks

Editorial Reviews

A charmingly packaged dose of camp irony, Strictly Ballroom is equal parts witty satire, contemporary storybook romance, and expertly choreographed music video. Directed with exceptional assurance by first-time director Baz Luhrmann, the film was a surprise international hit, winning over audiences and critics with its giddy blend of tongue-in-cheek humor and exhilarating dance sequences. It was arguably Australia's most popular export since Crocodile Dundee, sparking a new fad for ballroom dancing and winning cult status on both sides of the Pacific. Part of the film's appeal stemmed from its inventive ways of avoiding the pitfalls of its unapologetically familiar plot; in this conventional triumph-of-the-underdog/unlikely romance, Luhrmann didn't so much avoid the story's cliches as wallop them with knowing irony. More important in explaining the film's appeal, however, was its overwhelming sense of fun, and a genuine streak of mad exuberance. A paean to bucking the rules and following your heart, Strictly Ballroom is anarchy wrapped in gold lamé.