Strictly Ballroom

Strictly Ballroom
by Baz Luhrmann

Strictly Ballroom
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DVD details

Actor: Bill Hunter, Gia Carides, Pat Thomson, Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Brand: Disney
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-03-19
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Miramax

DVD Reviews of Strictly Ballroom

DVD Review: Strictly Ballroom
Summary: 5 Stars

I had seen this movie on TV twice, but never in its entirety. I was happy to have found it available at Amazon.com. I can now watch it anytime.

DVD Review: Great film, a splendid fable
Summary: 5 Stars

(Five stars for the film, three for the DVD quality). I first watched this movie in the 1990s (taped from Bravo) and loved this movie so much that I watched it eight times in one week. Every time I see this film, it makes me very happy. It's a light-hearted fable about letting go of fear, living your own path regardless of what others think. To be honest, I think it's the best of his "red curtain trilogy" (Romeo and Juliet and Mulan Rouge). I k

Although the storyline is fantastic, the DVD is lacking. There are no extras. It would helped had there been an interview with Baz Luhrman about this movie, or with members of the cast, etc;. The only "extras" are the "sneak peeks" at the studio's new films. Blah. Also, I think that the picture and sound quality need to be remastered.

DVD Review: Strickly Ballroom
Summary: 5 Stars

If you love dancing this is a great movie to watch just for the dancing. But it's funny as well! A Cinderella story, warms the heart.

DVD Review: Ballroom Dancer is Disappointed
Summary: 1 Stars

I am a ballroom dancer and I think this was a horrible movie due to the following reasons ...

Storyline is clich?:
- Dance prot?g? is bored with accepted dance moves and wants to invent his own moves
- Ugly duckling with two left feet becomes prodigy's new partner and becomes a beautiful graceful dancer

Dancing was not spectacular:
- The "new" moves that the protagonist does come up with is not actually new, he's just incorporating modern dance into social dance
- What little social dancing footage there is is interrupted and so we never get to see a complete dance sequence
- The social dancing that is done is expertly done but nothing worth calling home about

Costume, makeup, and hairstyles were just painful to look at:
- Too much unwarranted skin exposure (are we at the beach or on the dance floor?)
- Too gaudy (colors are loud and dissonant)
- Mohawks do no look good on women

Baz Luhrmann was not at his best in making Strictly Ballroom. You do see one good shot of the two lovers in front of a sparkling red Coca-Cola billboard and another stunning shot of the two of then dancing in front of a white curtain with pink backlighting, but other than those two shots, the rest of the cinematography was mediocre.

For a better sample of amazing work by Baz Luhrmann try Moulin Rouge or Romeo & Juliet.

Better ballroom dance films to watch are Dirty Dancing and Shall We Dansu? Make sure you get the originals and not the later versions.

DVD Review: Those Blasted Ballroom Dancing Rules!
Summary: 3 Stars

Here's a different kind of story: mocking the ultra-seriousness of ballroom dancing, at least among people in Australia, where the film was made. The strict rules, perhaps, are mocked as much as the people involved.

Once again, it's the clich?d story of a rebel who is the good guy and the establishment who are the bad people. (Will filmmakers ever get themselves out of the 1960s?)

Add some stupid humor, a very annoying lead woman (the mother of the star dancer), and a predictable storyline and you have another overrated critics' favorite, although it's still worth a rental. The good parts of the film are the colorful dancers and general cinematography. The dancing is excellent, too. For all the latter, I give it three stars.

Description of Strictly Ballroom

From Baz Lurhrmann -- the director of the award-winning hits ROMEO & JULIET and MOULIN ROUGE! -- comes STRICTLY BALLROOM ... the hilariously funny romantic comedy that's sure to leave you laughing, cheering, and feeling great! It's the magical story of a championship ballroom dancer who's breaking all the rules, and his ugly duckling dancing partner. Together they make their dreams come true! Now celebrating its glorious 10th Anniversary -- you're sure to enjoy this exhaustively funny comedy as it dances and soars its way straight into your heart. Critics everywhere fell madly in love with this big-screen treat -- and so will you!
While the plot of this Australian film may seem a bit familiar (The Ugly Duckling meets Dirty Dancing), the whimsical tone and superb dance sequences will make you forget the movie's predictability. Scott (Paul Mercurio) is a champion ballroom dancer who wants to dance "his own steps." Fran is the homely, beginning dancer who convinces Scott that he should dance his own steps... with her. Complicating matters are Scott's domineering mother (Pat Thompson), a former dancer herself, who wants her son to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championship (the same contest she lost years ago), and a conniving dance committee that is determined that "there are no new steps!" The dancing is enjoyable, yet not overwhelming, and the movie strives hard not to take itself too seriously (the beginning of the film is even styled as a pseudo-documentary). Strictly Ballroom, while not so subtly imparting its moral ("A life lived in fear is a life half-lived"), is a laughable romp that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. --Jenny Brown

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