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Imagine a world where there is glittery clothing, and fierce competition. The moves are not easy to pull and require a lot of practice to ensure preciseness and fluency. There must be a partnership between two people that works well together physically and mentally. This is the world of ballroom dancing. Strictly Ballroom directed by Baz Luhrmann uses a highly stylized theatrical presentation to convey a simple story of love, life and dancing. Strictly Ballroom was created in Australia and released in the US in 1993.
A young man by the name of Scott Hastings jeopardizes his career as a ballroom dancer by attempting new dance steps forbidden by the competitions and man in charge Barry Fife. This scares his longtime original dance partner, Liz Holt, to another competitors arms. A brave beginner dancer, Fran, steps in as Scott’s new partner and together her and Scott attempt to win over the hearts of the judges and the crowd.
The movie is a linear film. It starts and finishes in a chronological order. However, it makes references to and flashes back to the past several times through out it. When the movie flashes back in time Luhrmann always used the same gaudy effects which was a very creative aspect to the movie. It really helped make it easy to follow and was rather funny. He dressed the characters in gaudy clothing, applied wild make up (no matter what the persons sex was) and altered the sound and editing to make it one of a kind.
The popular theme of “following your dreams” and “underdog on top” is the uplifting story line for the movie. When the news hit the dancing world that the handsome, talented Scott Hastings was up for grabs every girl and woman gave it there all to become his new partner. Fran, a less than attractive, beginner dancer, had taken lessons at his studio for a little over two years, was one of the many to compete for his attention. Luckily, Fran was persistent, not afraid to speak up and had a few...