Strictly Ballroom [Collector's Edition] [DVD] [1992]

one of the best australian films made, and definitely baz luhrmann's best film to date - genuine, heartfelt, funny and unpretentious. if all you've seen of his work is the great gatsby or moulin rouge, pretend they were made by someone else. strictly ballroom is deeply intelligent, with brilliant casting and script. Even its cliches are lovable. after this film, he seems to descended into the lowest common denominator of pop culture with all-to-often terribly miscast A-list leads surrounded by a razzle dazzle of amazing costumes and sets, at the expense of the film's heart and soul. maybe strictly ballroom's relatively small budget/stakeholders left a lot of room, and need, for creative and brilliant story telling.

One of my all time greats. A classic for me. A story that never ages. And a film I can watch over and over. The passion and emotion that ebbs from the acting is for me, amazing. Is it about just dancing, no. Is there a story, hell yes. Goes deeper than just winning a silly competition... its about the sacrifices a parent makes for their child to go further than did. Reach their potential and go beyond. Touching others lives and steering your direction onto a totally different path. An ugly duckling is revealed. An tyrannical monster is confronted. And just when you think its all over, it isn't. When there is silence we need to listen to the rhythm within?

I originally had a copy of this DVD which had come free in a newspaper years ago. I absolutely loved the film, the music and dancing is fantastic, great comedy acting from a superb Australian cast. The only drawback with my original DVD was picture & sound quality, I watched it through a red haze! I suppose it's what you expect from a free copy. I recently discovered it again when sorting through my cupboard of DVDs. Remembering how much I loved the film I decided to update it with a Blu-ray version. I was amazed how much difference it made, it was like watching the film for the first time. Well worth a watch. Love it!

I love this film it's a comedy, with romance and most of all dancing, GREAT film for a winters day...

good film and will be one for any one who loves that type of film

Hot on the heels of Dirty Dancing comes another fun filled dance movie! Scott Hastings (Mercurio), is an amateur competitive ballroom dancer, longing to break free from tradition, and take things up to the next level by transcending dance federation tradition, and reinterpreting the genre, and his unique approach costs him his dance partner, Liz, when he loses a competition on account of answering to the dictates of his soul. So Liz ends up pairing off with the darling of the Dance federation (And a sleazy booze hound to boot!), Ken Rawlings, so, the search is on to find Scott a new partner for the next competition. Meanwhile, a beginner, Fran, having covertly watched him let off a little creative steam in the dance studio his mother runs, after everyone has left for the evening, asks him to teach her how to dance 'his' way. So they train up in secret. But, amid a series of misunderstandings, things don't go according to plan, thanks to the interference of his friends and family. But, through a chance meeting with Fran's father, Scott gets to truly connect with the type of dancing he was born to do. I won't spoil the rest of the film in case you haven't seen it, but, the end dance sequence is wonderful, and it's got a great soundtrack too. It's spellbinding, and the dancing is a wonder to behold.

BOUGHT AS A GIFT RECIPIENT LOVED IT GREAT VALUE

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très bon film ,très belle histoire j'ai vraiment adorer a voir absolument ou a offrir et un prix imbattable merci

Peefetto

Strictly Ballroom [BLU-RAY ] Dass ich das noch mit einem meiner absoluten Lieblingsfilme erleben durfte: Kein verhuschtes Bild mehr, kein nuscheliger Ton mehr. Die Blu-ray von „Strictly Ballroom“ ist ein rundherum gelungenes revirement dieses Films, der bisher nur auf in der Qualität höchst bescheidenen DVDs erhältlich war. Bild und Ton (auch in 5.1 Dolby digital) des 1992 erschienenen Films wurden kräftig aufgeputzt. Die Farben sind satt und klar (Baz Luhrmann ist ja ein sehr farbenfreudiger Regisseur) und mir sind viele Bilddetails erst jetzt so richtig aufgefallen. Ebenfalls ein Plus: Der schöne Soundtrack ist endlich auch in voller Klangfülle zu hören. So macht dieser Klassiker des Tanzfilms auch nach 21 Jahren noch großen Spaß. Da die Blu-ray keine „deutsche“ Produktion ist, gibt es nur die OV inklusive ausschließlich rein englischer Untertitel. Unproblematisch für mich, sicherlich beachtenswert für jene, die von deutschen Synchro-Fassungen nicht wegwollen. Die Blu-ray beinhaltet noch ein unrestauriertes „Making of” von 1992 (ohne Untertitelung). So kann man gut das Originalbild mit dem der Blu-ray vergleichen. Also: 5 Sterne für die Blu-ray und 5 Sterne für den Film sowieso.

This really is an excellent comedy about people, not just about dancing. Anyone involved in the arts, sports or almost any special interest will recognize the ridiculous levels some people go to to elevate and protect their specialty. The bonus features provide great insight into the ballroom and the development and making of the film.

Baz Luhrmann’s unforgettable début feature film, an unlikely hit at the Cannes International Film Festival when it was first screened in May 1992, belongs to a handful of DVDs that my family will re-watch religiously over the winter holidays, year after year, without even becoming bored by the experience. Why? Because the film's fairy tale qualities, amazingly over-the-top dance numbers, nostalgia rich, MTV-era soundtrack, and memorable cast of Australian and immigrant characters never seem to get old. It’s like Sound of Music, but vastly better, especially when it comes to Generation X viewers and their progeny. Here's the holiday viewing list in its entirety: Strictly Ballroom, The Muppet Movie, Sideways, My Neighbor Totoro, Little Miss Sunshine, Goodbye Lenin, and Waking Ned Devine. Quite an eclectic mix, I grant you, but each of the films has such feel-good (and family friendly) cinematic energy that you can’t help but laugh, cry, and celebrate the sheer audaciousness and extreme artistry of the directors, actors, set designers, cinematographers, and producers who willed movies like these into existence. I mean, what were the odds that such ugly duckling movies would even get made, let alone sold years later as DVDs on Amazon? It boggles the mind. Strictly Ballroom may be particularly well suited for viewing with younger children and adolescents schooled on reality TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” or who have never seen an Australian movie from the early 90s. The colors, the accents, the sheer fantasy of it all - simply stunning. Cyndi Lauper's “Time after Time," covered by Mark Williams and Tara Morice, never sounded better, not have I ever wanted to dance to Doris Day's "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" as much as when watching the lead actors practice their dance moves on rooftops, in studios, and while Spanish guitar players strum and strut on a forlorn backyard patio in the railroad district of town. And John Paul Young's "Love is in the Air" makes you want to relive your young adulthood all over again, as if there were not a single cynical bone in your world-weary body. It’s not so much that Baz alluded to fairy tales like the Ugly Duckling and Cinderella in this, his first film from the "Red Curtain Trilogy," as that he actually created an original and timeless fairy tale of his own making. It’s the most autobiographical of his movies, and the one with the greatest staying power. It will strike you like a flash of lightning when you first watch it, so set the stage extremely well. Choose a big screen. Light a fire and collect lots of blankets and pillows. Pour a glass of sparkling wine (and chill a second bottle in the fridge). Hold hands with someone you adore – and settle in for an emotional thrill ride that will leave you breathless!