Starring: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson
Release Date: Sept. 26, 1992 (USA)
Running Time: 94 min
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Commentary Strictly Ballroom is a wonderful Australian dance movie, based upon a play from 1986. The dance scenes are extraordinary, as is the acting. The story is for the most part comical and satirical, exagerating the importance of keeping in line with traditional ballroom dance steps.
Plot Summary
Scott Hastings (Mercurio) is an Australian champion ballroom dancer who appears certain to win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix, Australia's biggest dance competition. However, he gets tired of the traditional style of dancing and decides to try out some new crowd-pleasing steps, much to the disdain of the rest of the ballroom dancing organization and in particular to Barry Fife (Hunter), the president of the organization. Scott finds a new dance partner named Fran (Morice), who agrees to enter the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix with him dancing to unorthodox steps. The two practice the Pasa Doble together and end up performing it at the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix. Barry Fife tries to stop the contest by turning off the music, but the audience claps their hands in rhythm, whence the dance continues. In the end, Scott and Fran get a huge round of applause and everyone starts dancing to their own style.
Music Strictly Ballroom features some wonderful dance music. Here are a few songs played in the movie and featured on the soundtrack:
"The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss
"Time After Time" by Mark Williams and Tara Morice
"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by Doris Day
"Yesterday's Hero" by Ignatius Jones
"Love Is In the Air" by John Paul Young
Movie Clips
Here's a scene of Fran and Scott dancing behind the curtain.
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Title: Strictly Ballroom 
