Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 17-April-05
Spoiler Rating: Low

Strictly Ballroom (1993)

With each of his three films, Australian director Baz Luhrmann has grown more famous for telling classic stories in an energetic new way, but his first outing remains his best. "Strictly Ballroom" (the forerunner of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge") is a souped-up version of "Dirty Dancing" that takes familiar elements like a young rebel, a wallflower, a tragic secret, and an evil dictator, sprinkles them with sequins and stardust, and proves that timeless tales are just as effective when goofy ‹ and maybe even more so.

The movie takes place in the brutal world of competitive ballroom dancing, in which the up-and-coming stars are Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio) and his partner Liz. All his life, Scott has been groomed to be a champion by his mother (Pat Thomson) and coach (Peter Whitford), and their years of dreaming and training seem about to pay off. But en route to the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Amateur Five-Dance Latin American Finals (that pinnacle of life's achievement), Scott suddenly develops an itch to try his own innovative steps — not just in the seclusion of his parents' studio, mind you, but in front of rivals, judges, and the revered and powerful Federation President Barry Fife (Bill Hunter). Before that crowd, innovation means disqualification, so Scott's radical notions are nothing short of madness.

Everyone in Scott's life tries to sway him from his course (except his father [Barry Otto], who initially stays mum), so he secretly takes a new partner who will follow him on his hopeless quest. This is Fran (Tara Morice), a two-year rookie at dancing and a lifelong expert at being a nerd who ingenuously gains his attention by questioning his courage. Using visual panache, a great soundtrack, and a sure grasp of the story's many characters, Luhrmann relates how Scott and Fran blossom in spite of the obstacles they face. The effect is intoxicating. In one scene, he captures their giddiness with a rhumba framed by a shimmering billboard; in another, he draws magic from a Paso Doble that leads Scott to the heart of rhythm.

Just as it should, the movie ends with a dazzling bang in which the hero slays the (figurative) dragon, discovers a necessary truth, and releases himself and his loved ones from tyranny. (What's more, he wears a really cool matador's jacket while doing it.) From first to last, "Strictly Ballroom" is strictly good fun, but it truly conveys the meaning of the mantra, "a life lived in fear is a life half lived." The seduction of dance, the appeal of the underdog, the vibrance of spectacle — these are all inherently rousing, and together they emphasize the thrill and joy of uninhibited self-expression. This is why "Strictly Ballroom" is the kind of movie I love to watch again and again: it encompasses all the best reasons to stand up and cheer.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.