STRICTLY BALLROOM
A film review by Max Hoffmann
Copyright 1993 Max Hoffmann
RATING = 10 (scale of 0 -> 10, 10 = must see) Australian, (general distribution in Australia August 1992.) No nudity, little profanity, no violence.
Why would anyone want to go to a film about the cut-throat, competitive world of ballroom dancing, that some critics might be tempted to label as a cross between DIRTY DANCING and FLASHDANCE?
If PRETTY WOMAN is your favorite film, go for the costumes, the dancing and the terrific hairstyles. If you lean towards THE PLAYER, go see this film for the touching parable of growing up, and overcoming repressive unquestioned "traditional values." But most of all, go because the film is a gift: a thoroughly Aussie maverick that kicks up its heels at film-making conventions, and has some great comedy and dancing to boot.
The film's slight plot grew from a fifty-minute Australian stage play, that started out as a student project at NIDA (National Institute for the Dramatic Arts). It toured Oz to great acclaim and won awards at an international competition in Czechoslovakia. The Aussie producers were unable to convince overseas distributors of financiers to help fund the film, so they turned to their own devices for fund-raising, and made it "their way."
Though lacking stars of any renown in North America, STRICTLY BALLROOM is a thoroughly engaging film chock full of Oscar-worthy supporting performances, terrific dancing, comedy drawn in brush strokes broad enough to make Monty Python envious. This film may be the international launching pad for Paul Mercurio, a highly gifted choreographer and lead dancer with a stream of hits in Oz. (I had the privilege to watch him dance live from front row seats in August, where he sucked up the audience's attention like a black hole ... what 5 other dancers in the company?) With a young Tyrone Power's face on Marky Mark's body, Mercurio is a candidate for the decade's next "poster boy" role.
The film's only disappointment (which won't affect Americans) is that the camera isn't "kind" enough to Mercurio, and film stock flattens much of his dynamic energy. It's a shame that more of his brilliant dance career wasn't shared by a world audience. A chance to see Mercurior perform live on stage is well worth whatever means it takes to get "down under" to his next venue.
The film is an uneven mix of visual and acting styles, but taken as a whole, the film is reminiscent of the works of Swiss artist Paul Klee, who according to the Encyclopedia Britannica "attempted through his own highly inventive pictorial language to convey the essential spiritual significance of things." That wouldn't be a bad description of director Baz Luhrmann's style. From the deadpan seriousness of the love story to the giddy Peter Max colored dance sequences and flashbacks, each scene carries much more than meets the eye.
Synopsis: Scott Hastings (Mercurio) appears to have it all: looks, charm, and a shoe-in for the next Pan Pacific Grand Prix Champion. He shocks the Ballroom Federation's dictatorial director, and his lifetime ballroom dancing parents (who missed their chance and are counting on Scott...) by introducing some wild new steps in the rhumba competition. Losing his partner of 15 years, Scott's only hope is to bring ugly duckling Fran (Tara Morice) up to speed. Along the rocky path to the finals Scott learns a thing or too about love and loyalty from Fran, and about "real" dancing from Fran's flamenco dancing immigrant father.
Tara Morice brings sensitivity and charm to what could have been a throw-away role. Pat Thomson gives a world-class performance as the bleached blond comet of a stage mother who'll stop at nothing to hitch her son Scott to his rightful partner "Tina Sparkle" (instead of the little "nothing" with the bad complexion.) The rest of the cast lend some flesh and substance to cartoon-like characters.
Though on the surface, *very* Australian in it's fixation with Ballroom Dancing and class structure, the film has a heart-felt message for anyone who grew up to be something other than their parents best-laid plans. The "rebellion" carried out in dance steps will speak to anyone who's had to put a lid on it at work, or in any other highly compromising environment. In spite of this, I fear for the film's acceptance, in that much of it's satire may be misinterpreted, and the broader comic icons will make easy targets for myopic critics who collapse into comparisons on any film with vaguely familiar themes.
Though it remains to be seen how American audiences will warm to this quirky film, it's been picked up for distribution in 86 countries, and was voted audience favorite at both the Toronto and Cannes film festivals. If the film accomplishes nothing more than exposing Paul Mercurio to a wider audience (though so far he's a better dancer than actor) the film will proved its worth on at least one level.
While in Sydney recently, I was also able to visit the Powerhouse museum and see an exhibit about the creation of the film. Though Americans might think some of the ballroom scenes are overblown caricatures, Polaroids of actual events reveal the film to be visually very true to its topic. Some of the competition scenes were filmed on the floor of the *real* Pan Pacific Ballroom Competition, which ironically created an eerie sense of unreality. (Also got a close up look at the costumes, which are dynamite.)
Local Australian critics interpreted STRICTLY BALLROOM as a coming of age film for Australia, in which a more diverse population is revealed to have more to offer than the stodgy Anglo values of countless decades. Even if you have trouble taking the love story between Mecurio and Morice seriously, you'll still enjoy broad references to shameless plugs for Coca Cola, and some smug camera angles that wink satirically at DIRTY DANCING. Though not the Hope Diamond, the film has enough facets and catches enough light to make the nearly two-hour length seem to fly by all too fast.
To be distributed by MiraMax, look for openings in major cities sometime in February/March.
-- Max Hoffmann
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