List Price: $14.99You Pay Only: $9.99 You Save: $5.00 (33%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0786936166712
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Label: Miramax
Manufacturer: Miramax
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Miramax
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 19, 2002
Running Time: 94 minutes
Sales Rank: 2396
Studio: Miramax
Theatrical Release Date: February 12, 1993
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Description:
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!
Amazon.com:
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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - quirky fun film
I really like this "quirky" off-beat film. It has a kind of "English" dry humor to it. If you liked "The hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy" you will like this film too. I liked this film enough to buy and send my mother a copy.
Rating: - STRICTLY BALLROOM
Outstanding movie! I never get tired of watching it. I've purchased it for myself and as a gift to friends.
Rating:  - Luhrmann's visionary style makes this unoriginal concept feel vibrant and new...
Once you get past the fact that this films plot is nothing more than regurgitated clichés you can actually enjoy the film for what it isn't; generic. Yes, the plot may be entirely unoriginal but there is nothing formulaic about the delivery. Baz Luhrmann has a very distinct style; one that either repulses or engages the audience. We've seen this style manifest in his infectious take on `Romeo + Juliet' and of course in his big hit `Moulin Rouge!' but his style is working overtime in his debut film `Strictly Ballroom'. With sporadic bursts of flare and imagery, `Strictly Ballroom' dances around the audience like a flamenco dancer on speed, and this works wonders in making this film feel fresh and new despite the fact that, when stripped of its visionary delivery, its not new at all.
The film tells the story of Scott Hastings, a championship ballroom dancer who is bucking the system by insisting on dancing his own steps instead of the standard dance steps forced on him by the dance committee. His mother Shirley is up in arms about what to do with him. She at one time was a famous dancer herself and lost out on her shot at gold and just wants her son to have what she never had; but his arrogance is standing in the way of her dream. When his dance partner leaves him because of his stubbornness he finds himself training Fran, the homely girl who is just a beginner at dance, to be his partner.
The film follows that same formula of boy meets girl, girl isn't too pretty ... Read More
Rating:  - Good film
I recently watched the first film in the noted Red Curtain Trilogy by Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, Strictly Ballroom. This 1993 indie classic preceded its more well known and more highly budgeted siblings, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge. While I enjoyed the twists to modernize Shakespeare in the former and the non-stop rollercoaster of the latter- and I am notoriously averse to musicals, I believe that Strictly Ballroom is probably the best of the three films, followed by Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet. They are all good films, mind you, and Luhrmann is one of the most innovative filmmakers around, but there is an emotional punch that this film packs that the two later films lack- as they are more style over substance, albeit wonderful style. This is not to argue that Strictly Ballroom is flawless- it's not, but it is a prime example of a film making use of a `classic' formula, yet avoiding cliché by virtue of its innovation and excellence of execution in all areas.... Yet, the film is also a wonderfully filmed piece. There are two scenes that are just gorgeously composed. Early in the film Scott and Fran are practicing on the roof of the Les Kendall (Peter Whitford) dance studio, where his parents teach, under a Coca-Cola sign, as the sun sets. Alone, the composition is wonderful, but as a version of the Cyndi Lauper hit song Time After Time plays on it is a memorable shot. Then, there is the scene, set near Fran's parents' home at a railyard, that could have been right out of Dr. Zhivago ... Read More
Rating: - Fun Film, Meaningful Theme
Strictly Ballroom is a movie that you can watch again and again and its still entertaining each time. Many cliches are used to bring humor to this very funny film, however the movie has a slightly serious hidden theme: "A life lived in fear... is a life half lived."
I recommend this film for people who enjoy musicals or entertaining foreign films. A tidbit for those of you who are more concerned with pop culture, the star, Paul Mercurio, was a choreographer/movement consultant for the popular film iRobot. Mercurio again proves himself an expert in the field of movement.
Browse for similar items by category:
|
