Alex Williams, Post #1, Strictly Ballroom 1992, Baz Luhrmann

I have been a fan of Baz Luhrmann's work since his release of Moulin Rouge in 2001, so I was excited to find that he released a film on my birth year that I had never seen before.  Strictly Ballroom is a film about the evolution of dance, and Luhrmann parallels this theme with his extremely stylized pacing techniques.

First of all, in the more hectic scenes, Luhrman uses very fast cuts and transitions from scene to scene with no warning or slow down.  Characters from entirely different scenes finish other characters sentences, and it is not uncommon for three or four conversations to be going on at the same time.  These techniques move the film forward at a breakneck pace, and give the viewer barely any room to breathe, as well as directly paralleling Scott's unusual style of dancing.  Also the use of closeup creates an intimacy with the characters almost immediately.

On the other hand the film also slows down dramatically at moments.  This happens during some of the more intimate moments of the film, such as when Fran and Scott are dancing romantically behind the red curtain before a show.  This is done to show that when these two characters are together all of the chaos surrounding them seems to go away, allowing them to finally have a moment of piece and quiet.  Slowing down the pace also relates to the style of dance currently being presented.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie, I thought that it was funny, original, and very well made.  I would recommend it to anyone who likes dancing, romantic comedies, or any other of Baz Luhrman's films