MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This wildly off-beat comedy is about a male dancer (Paul Mercurio) who refuses to follow the accepted rules of ballroom dancing and creates his own style of choreography, which infuriates the ballroom dancing establishment. Before he's scheduled to compete in the Pan-Pacific ballroom championships, he's forced to take up a new partner (Tara Morice), a beginner who initially seems without promise. With his help, she turns into an assured and wonderful dancer. Baz Luhrmann's visual style may be too bright, gaudy and exaggerated for some tastes, yet he treats his characters with compassion, which makes Strictly Ballroom such an engaging comedy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: French, Spanish, English
• Features:
  • • "Samba to Slow Fox" dance featurette
    • 3-D gallery
    • Audio commentary with Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, and John O'Connell
    • French and Spanish subtitles
    • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
    • Widescreen (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 televisions

AWARDS

• Australian Film Institute Awards

•     Won Best Director - 1992 (Baz Luhrmann)
•     Won Best Picture - 1992
•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 1992 (Barry Otto)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 1992 (Pat Thompson)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 1993 (Craig Pearce)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1993 (Catherine Martin)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1993 (Baz Luhrmann)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1992 (Tara Morice)
•     Nominated Best Production Design - 1992 (Catherine Martin)
•     Nominated Best Score - 1992 (Mary Dibley)
•     Nominated Editing Award - 1992 (Jill Bilcock)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1993

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1992

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Baz Luhrmann

• Producer:

  Tristram Miall, Jane Scott

• Screenwriter:

  Andrew Bovell, Craig Pearce, Baz Luhrmann

• Cinematographer:

  Steve Mason

• Composer (Music Score):

  David Hirschfelder

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  David Hirschfelder

• Editor:

  Jill Bilcock

• Production Designer:

  Catherine Martin

• Art Director:

  Faith Martin

• Executive Producer:

  Antoinette Albert

• Costume Designer:

  Catherine Martin, Angus Strathie

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Phil Judd

• Choreography:

  John O'Connell

• Line Producer:

  Jane Scott

REVIEW:

• A charmingly packaged dose of camp irony, Strictly Ballroom is equal parts witty satire, contemporary storybook romance, and expertly choreographed music video. Directed with exceptional assurance by first-time director Baz Luhrmann, the film was a surprise international hit, winning over audiences and critics with its giddy blend of tongue-in-cheek humor and exhilarating dance sequences. It was arguably Australia's most popular export since Crocodile Dundee, sparking a new fad for ballroom dancing and winning cult status on both sides of the Pacific. Part of the film's appeal stemmed from its inventive ways of avoiding the pitfalls of its unapologetically familiar plot; in this conventional triumph-of-the-underdog/unlikely romance, Luhrmann didn't so much avoid the story's cliches as wallop them with knowing irony. More important in explaining the film's appeal, however, was its overwhelming sense of fun, and a genuine streak of mad exuberance. A paean to bucking the rules and following your heart, Strictly Ballroom is anarchy wrapped in gold lamé. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi