Strictly Ballroomis a 1992 Australianromantic comedyfilm directed and co-written byBaz Luhrmannin his feature directorial debut. The film is the first in hisRed Curtain Trilogyof theatre-motif-related films; it was followed by 1996'sRomeo + Julietand 2001'sMoulin Rouge![2]
| Strictly Ballroom | |
|---|---|
 Australian theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Baz Luhrmann |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Strictly Ballroom by Baz Luhrmann |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Steve Mason |
| Edited by | Jill Bilcock |
| Music by | David Hirschfelder |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Ronin Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | AUD 3 million |
| Box office | AUD 80 million[1] |
Strictly Ballroomis based on a critically acclaimed stage play, originally set up in 1984 by Luhrmann and fellow students during his studies at theNational Institute of Dramatic ArtsinSydney.An expanded version of the play became a success at the Czechoslovakian Youth Drama Festival in Bratislava in 1986. In 1988, it had a successful season at Sydney'sWharf Theatre,where it was seen by Australian music executiveTed Albertand his wife Antoinette. They both loved it, and, when Albert, soon after, set up the film production company M&A Productions with ex-Film Australiaproducer Tristram Miall, they offered Luhrmann their plan totransform his play into a film.[3]He agreed on the condition that he would also get to direct it.[4]
Plot
editScott Hastings, the frustrated son of a family ofballroom dancers,has been training since the age of six. His mother Shirley teaches ballroom dancing, and his father Doug meekly handles maintenance chores at the dance studio, while secretly watching old footage of his bygone dance competitions as well as Scott's in a back room. Scott struggles to establish his personal style of dance to win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dancing Championship, but his innovative and flashy "crowd-pleasing" steps are not considered "strictly ballroom", and as such are denounced by Australian Dancing Federation head Barry Fife.
Scott and his dancing partner Liz Holt lose the Southern Districts Waratah Championships due to Scott dancing his own steps. Three days later, Liz leaves him to team up with Ken Railings, the recent Waratah Championships winner; his partner Pam Short has broken both her legs in a car accident. With Scott now alone only three weeks until the championships, Shirley teams up with his coach Les Kendall, her co-instructor at the studio, to start desperately hunting for a new partner for him. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to both, Scott is approached by Fran, an overlooked "beginner" dancer at the studio. He eventually agrees to partner with her, intrigued by her willingness to dance "his way".
The pairing faces its first hurdle when Fife, attempting to prevent Scott from threatening the Dancesport status quo, arranges for his partnership with established Champion dancer Tina Sparkle. When Shirley and Les hear the news, they are overjoyed. Fran, happening upon them exclaiming over their happiness about Scott's new dance partner, misunderstands initially and believes they have discovered that she and Scott have become partners. When she realises the truth, she leaves, devastated. Scott pursues her and, although she is hurt, entices her to dance backstage with him, and her anger is forgotten. However, several onlookers witness their dance, including Shirley and Les, who then do everything possible to persuade both Scott and Fran that the best way forward for all concerned is for Scott to forget about Fran and sign on as Tina Sparkle's partner.
Fran, accused of damaging Scott's chances, reluctantly accedes and returns home crestfallen. Scott tells his mother he won't dance with Tina. He follows Fran home, where her overprotective Spanish father, Rico, discovers and challenges him. To appease Rico, Scott proposes aPaso Doblefor the assembled company. Rico and Fran's grandmother Ya Ya demonstrate the proper Paso Doble technique and offer to teach the couple, who spend the next week training with Fran's family. However, Fife intervenes, telling Scott that Doug (his father) ruined his own career by dancing his own steps, which he has regretted ever since. Unwilling to upset his parents further, Scott re-teams with Liz.
During the competition, Doug explains to Scott that Fife lied: Fife had convinced Shirley to dance with Les instead of Doug so that Fife could win the competition. It is also revealed that Fife is plotting to sabotage Scott in favor of audience favorite, Ken. Scott runs after Fran and persuades her to dance with him.
In the next round, Scott and Fran make a dramatic entrance and begin dancing, immediately riveting the audience. Fife tries to disqualify them, but Scott's friend Wayne Burns, having overheard Fife's treachery along with his partner Vanessa Cronin, disconnects thePA system,allowing Scott and Fran to dance a Paso Doble routine that impresses the audience. Desperate, Fife tries to turn off the music, but Scott's younger sister Kylie and her partner Luke interfere until Fife's girlfriend Charm Leachman disconnects the sound system. Fife then disqualifies Scott and Fran, but Doug begins clapping out a beat to enable the pair to continue dancing. The audience claps along, as Scott and Fran resume dancing. Liz, having had achange of heart,turns on Fife and Leachman and restores the music, and Scott and Fran's spirited dancing brings down the house. Doug asks Shirley to dance with him and the whole audience joins them on the floor. As the performance finishes, Scott and Fran kiss.
Cast
edit- Paul Mercurioas Scott Hastings
- Tara Moriceas Fran (Francisca)
- Bill Hunteras Barry Fife
- Pat Thomsonas Shirley Hastings, Scott's mother
- Gia Caridesas Liz Holt
- Peter Whitfordas Les Kendall, Scott's coach
- Barry Ottoas Doug Hastings, Scott's father and Shirley's husband
- John Hannan as Ken Railings
- Sonia Krugeras Tina Sparkle
- Kris McQuadeas Charm Leachman, Barry's girlfriend
- Pip Mushin as Wayne Burns, Scott's best friend
- Leonie Page as Vanessa Cronin, Wayne's partner and fiancé and Liz's best friend
- Antonio Vargas as Rico, Fran's father
- Armonia Benedito as Ya Ya, Fran's grandmother
- Steve Grace as Luke, Kylie's dance partner
- Lauren Hewettas Kylie Hastings, Scott's sister
- Jack Webster as Terry Best
- Kerry Shrimpton as Pam Short
- Michael Burgess as Merv Landon
Production history
editThe film version ofStrictly Ballroomwas developed from an original short play of the same name. It drew on Luhrmann's own life experience—he had studied ballroom dancing as a child and his mother worked as a ballroom dance teacher in his teens[5]and inspired by the life of Keith Bain (who grew up in the same town as Luhrmann).[6]While studying at NIDA in the early 1980s, Luhrmann and a group of fellow students devised a short comedy-drama set in the cutthroat world of competitive ballroom dancing.[3]This original 1984 NIDA production was a critical success and, after graduating, Luhrmann was invited to re-stage the play for the Czechoslovakian Youth Drama Festival inBratislavain 1986. He invited his school friend Craig Pearce to help him rewrite and expand the script. With its themes of artistic repression and underdogs battling against the odds, the play was a success at the festival, winning both the best director and best production awards.[3]
This led Luhrmann to direct more theatre productions back in Australia, and in 1988, as part of theAustralian Bicentenarycelebrations, theSydney Theatre Companyinvited him to establish an experimental theatre ensemble, Six Years Old, which took up a residency atThe Wharf Theatrefor that year.[citation needed]Alongside Luhrmann and Pearce, the new company included one of the original NIDA collaborators, actorCatherine McClements,plus production designerCatherine Martin(whom Luhrmann subsequently married), set dresserBill Marronand costume designerAngus Strathie,all of whom went on to collaborate with Luhrmann on his films. The group work-shopped the expanded version of the play, which had a trial season at theBrisbane Expoin 1988 before opening at the Wharf Studios on 24 September 1988.[3]
During its successful run at the Wharf, the play was seen by an influential Australian music executive.Ted Albertwas a leading record producer and music publisher, best known in Australia as the discoverer and original producer of 1960s pop sensationsThe Easybeats.By the time he sawStrictly Ballroom,Albert was the managing director of his family-owned music publishing companyAlbert Music(formerly J. Albert & Sons) and its subsidiary, the highly successful record labelAlbert Productions,which scored a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s with acts includingJohn Paul YoungandAC/DC.
Albert's wife Antoinette (known as "Popsy" ) took him to see the play after seeing a newspaper ad; they loved the energy, colour and musicality of the play and Ted Albert immediately saw the potential to develop the play into a film using the musical resources available to him through Alberts' publishing and recording enterprises. Soon after, Ted set up the film production company M&A Productions with ex-Film Australiaproducer Tristram Miall; they tracked Luhrmann down through NIDA and approached him with the offer to transform his play into a movie.[3]In its early stages, with the involvement of writerAndrew Bovell,the script took a more serious tone, including a subplot set around the trade union at theBHPNewcastle Steelworks.Luhrmann balked at the move towards naturalism and eventually, with Albert's agreement, the director brought in his old friend Craig Pearce, who was able to translate Luhrmann's theatrical vision into a workable screenplay.[3]
The producers had difficulty in securing funding for the project, which mostly featured a cast of newcomers. The only "bankable names" in the cast wereBarry Ottoand screen veteranBill Hunter,and although co-star Paul Mercurio was well known as a dancer through his work with theSydney Dance Company,Strictly Ballroomwas his first acting role. With the original budget set at overAUD5 million, government film funding bodies were reluctant to back such a left-field project with few major names in the credits. The script was then pared back and the subplot dropped, but when Miall approached theFilm Finance Corporation,he was told that they would not back such a high-budget film (in Australian terms) with a first-time director. He was told to replace Luhrmann, but he refused, promising to make further cuts. Miall and Albert then pared the budget down to AUD 3.3 million and the FFA then agreed to provide around 65%, on condition that the producers were able to raise the remaining AUD 1 million and secure a local distributor. They sent Luhrmann to theCannes Film Festivalin hopes of finding an overseas distributor, but this came to nothing. After returning to Australia, Miall and Luhrmann had a fortuitous meeting with Andrew Pike, head of theCanberra-based independent distribution company Ronin Films. Intrigued by Luhrmann's colourful pitch which involved sketches, set miniatures and pieces of costume, Pike agreed to back a limited local release, although he later admitted that, had he seen only the script, he would probably have turned it down.[3]
Although the FFC funding was now in the pipeline, the production faced its most serious challenge when, on 11 November 1990, Ted Albert died suddenly from a heart attack (the film is dedicated to him). This threw the entire project into doubt, but Ted Albert's widow Popsy decided that it should go to completion in honour of her husband, so she took over as executive producer, with Miall as producer. With her blessing, Ted's family company Albert Music invested AUD 1 million, with the remaining AUD 300,000 sourced from private investors. Even after completion, the team were greeted with stiff resistance from exhibitors: Luhrmann recalled that one exhibitor walked out before the film had even finished, declaring that Luhrmann was ruined and that he would never work again.[3]
The film was accepted for the Cannes Film Festival, but another tragedy struck just before its first screening—actress Pat Thomson, who played Scott's mother, was diagnosed with cancer and she died in April 1992, only one month before its Cannes world premiere in May.Strictly Ballroomhad its first public screening at midnight in theUn Certain Regardprogramme and proved to be an instant hit—the cast and crew received a fifteen-minute standing ovation, which was repeated the following night; it became one of the major hits of the festival, winning thePrix De Jeunesseand triggering a bidding war among international distributors.[3]
Home video
editThe film was released on DVD on 19 March 2002 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.[7]
Reception
editOn thereview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,88% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "As emotionally rich as it is eye-catching, Strictly Ballroom uses its infectious energy as the fuel for a modern dance classic with all the right moves."[8]Metacritic,which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]Not all major critics responded positively, with Australian film criticAdrian Martincalling it “amateurish and badly pitched in many respects “[10]while AmericanJonathan Rosenbaumreferred to it as “wretched”[11]and “one of the more horrific and unpleasant movies I’ve seen in quite some time”.[12]
Box office
editStrictly Ballroompreviewed in Australia the week ending Wednesday, 19 August 1992 on 35 screens, grossing A$204,726 and finishing sixth at the Australian box office for the week.[13]It officially opened on 20 August on 51 screens grossing A$1,216,376 in its opening week, placing at number 2 at the Australian box office, just behindPatriot Gameson twice the number of screens.[14]In its second week of release, it reachednumber onewith a gross of A$1,307,825.[15]It was knocked off number one the following week byLethal Weapon 3but returned in its sixth week of release after expanding to 85 screens where it remained for 7 weeks before being replaced by another local film,Romper Stomper.[16][17][18]It was thehighest-grossing film in Australiafor the year with a gross of A$21,760,400 and the third highest-grossing Australian film of all time behindCrocodile Dundeeand its sequel.[19][20]It grossed US$11,738,022 in the United States and Canada[21]and eventually took A$80 million at the worldwide box office,[1]making it one of themost successful Australian films of all time.
Accolades
editStrictly Ballroomcompeted in theUn Certain Regardsection at the1992 Cannes Film Festivaland won the Youth Award for Foreign Film. It received thirteen nominations at the1992 Australian Film Institute Awardsand resulted in eight wins, includingBest Film.The film earned eight nominations at the46th British Academy Film Awards,includingBest Film;it wonBest Costume Design,Best Production Design,andBest Original Film Music.It was also nominated forBest Motion Picture – Musical or Comedyat the51st Golden Globe Awards. In addition, the film was screened at several notable festivals to great critical acclaim, winning some major accolades, including thePeople's Choice Awardat theToronto International Film Festivaland the Most Popular Film at theVancouver International Film Festival.
Music
editAmong the songs featured on the soundtrack are:
- "The Blue Danube"byJohann Strauss II
- New versions of "Love is in the Air"and" Standing In The Rain "by John Paul Young. The film's version of" Love is in the Air "re-entered the Australian charts and became a Top 5 hit, peaking at #4 on the national chart in October 1992.[22]
- Acover versionof John Paul Young's "Yesterday's Hero" byIgnatius Jones
- "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"byDoris Day
- A cover version ofCyndi Lauper's "Time After Time"byMark Williamsand Tara Morice
Both "The Blue Danube" and "Time After Time" were played in the 1984 and 1986Strictly Ballroomstage productions.
Stage adaptation
editIn May 2011, it was announced thatStrictly Ballroomwould be adapted into a stage musical and premiere at theSydney Lyrictheatre. It premiered on 12 April 2014.[4]The production moved toHer Majesty's Theatre, Melbournein January 2015,[23]and theLyric Theatre, QPACin Brisbane in September 2015.[24]
The show received its British premiere on 30 November 2016 at theWest Yorkshire PlayhouseinLeeds.The show had its North American premier inTorontoat thePrincess of Wales Theatreon 25 April 2017.
Trivia
editThe film has become a staple of pop culture, being referenced in various media worldwide.
- Many television series have episodes with titles referencing the film, includingPhenom( "Strictly Lunchroom" ),Even Stevens,The Suite Life of Zack & Cody( "Loosely Ballroom" ) andGroove High( "Slightly Ballroom" ).
- The film is frequently referenced on the American iteration ofDancing with the Stars,as well as influencing the name of the original UK versionStrictly Come Dancing.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ab"Subscribe".Theaustralian.com.au.Retrieved17 August2017.
- ^http://www.screensoundjournal.org/issues/n4/06.%20SSJ%20n4%20Coyle.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^abcdefghiAlbert, Jane (2010).House Of Hits: The Great Untold Story Of Australia's First Family Of Music.Richmond, Australia: Hardie Grant Books. pp. 316–331.ISBN978-1740668811.
- ^abStrictly Ballroom The Musical:TimelineArchived10 July 2014 at theWayback MachineLinked 2014-07-10
- ^Fidler, Richard (11 February 2014)."Conversations with Richard Fidler: Baz Luhrmann".ABC Radio: Conversations with Richard Fidler.Australian Broadcasting Company.Retrieved21 May2015.
- ^Baz Luhrmann (Director/co-writer) (2002).Audio commentary fromStrictly Ballroom(DVD). Miramax.
- ^Rivero, Enrique (7 March 2002)."Director Luhrmann Is Busy On the DVD Front".hive4media.com.Archivedfrom the original on 4 June 2002.Retrieved10 September2019.
- ^"Strictly Ballroomreviews ".Rotten Tomatoes.Los Angeles, California:Fandango Media.Retrieved30 December2022.
- ^"Strictly Ballroomreviews Metacritic ".Metacritic.Retrieved2 April2021.
- ^"Romeo + Juliet".filmcritic.com.au.Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^"Moulin Rouge | Jonathan Rosenbaum".jonathanrosenbaum.net.Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^"Strictly Ballroom | Jonathan Rosenbaum".jonathanrosenbaum.net.Retrieved14 January2023.
- ^"International box office".Variety.24 August 1992. p. 40.
$147,403; $A1=$0.72
- ^"International box office".Variety.31 August 1992. p. 43.
$863,627; $A1=$0.71
- ^"International box office".Variety.7 September 1992. p. 40.
$941,634; $A1=$0.72
- ^"International box office".Variety.5 October 1992. p. 40.
- ^"Asia/Pacific box office".Variety.16 November 1992. p. 30.
- ^"International box office".Variety.23 November 1992. p. 32.
- ^""Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office""(PDF).Film.vic.gov.au.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 18 February 2011.Retrieved21 March2011.
- ^George, Sandy (7 April 2000). "Wog Boy still striking box office gold".Screen International.p. 27.
- ^"Strictly Ballroom (1993) - Box Office Mojo".Boxofficemojo.com.Retrieved17 August2017.
- ^"MILESAGO - Groups & Solo Artists - John Paul Young".Milesago.com.Retrieved17 August2017.
- ^"Strictly Ballroom The Musical: Waitlist Tickets".Premier.ticketek.com.au.Retrieved18 August2017.
- ^Dean, Jodie (10 September 2015)."Strictly Ballroom the Musical sweeps Brisbane QPAC crowd off their feet".Brisbane Times.Retrieved17 August2017.
External links
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