FIRST there was Dirty Dancing - now the hit Australian comedy Strictly Ballroom is set to create a revival on the dance floor.
    And like Patrick Swayze, lead actor Paul Mercurio is destined to become one of the movie world's hottest stars.
    A hit at the 1992 Cannes film festival, Strictly Ballroom brings together one of the strongest production and acting teams assembled for an Australian feature film.

It started out as a NIDA exercise which was later adapted into a stage production, where it toured overseas.
    There it received a standing ovation and won two prizes for best production and best director (Baz Luhrmann).
    It is already a commercial winner and it has recouped its $3.5 million budget over and over again.
    Strictly Ballroom is a romantic comedy about the dreams of youth, rebellion and ultimate fulfilment.
    Set in the present with nostalgic flashbacks to the 1960s, it deals with the staid pastime of ballroom dancing.
    And yet there is nothing boring or staid about this film.
    Scott Hastings (Mecurio) rebels against the powerful dance federation and commits the cardinal sin of dancing his own steps.
    He is filled with determination to do his own thing but his overbearing mother (Pat Thomson) is afraid it will cost him the chance to win the Pan-Pacific grand prix.
    No one understands him until he meets Fran (Tara Morice), the ugly duckling who has shown little dancing ability. But through sheer persistence Fran convinces Scott to give her a chance and an unlikely partnership is born.
    Through her family Scott discovers the excitement of true Latin-American dancing and together they forge a potent dance combo in readiness for the competition.
   

    But there are many obstacles to overcome: a scheming mother, a timid father and a powerful dance federation president who will stop at nothing to keep Scott from dancing in the titles.
    Director Luhrmann is without a doubt one of the most exciting and creative talents to emerge in the Australian film industry in years. His background is broadly based in the performing arts and is probably one of the major secrets to his success.
    Luhrmann's most recent production, La Boheme, was an atonishing success both critically and commercially.
    AND producer Tristram Miall was convinced Luhrmann's energy and enthisiasm would make the movie something very special.
    As for Luhrmann's view: "Fran's story relates to the Cinderella myth. "In a sense we are all like Fran, with self-inflicted obstacles that block us from being the person we truly are." Mercurio, the son of actor Gus Mercurio, is one of Australia's best dancers and choreographers and has been performing with the Sydney Dance Company since 1982.
    Despite confidence gained from his years of dancing, the ballroom arena offered him fresh challenges.
    Morice is a new talent on the Australian movie scene and was quick to identify with her character.
    "As a child I moved around alot, and was constantly the new kid at school," she said. "Fran is an outsider, and I can relate easily to feeling on the outer, shy and nervous when it comes to making friends." One of the country's favorite veteran actors, Peter Whitford, plays Scott's dance teacher Les Kendall. His humor, along with an amazing over-the-top performance by Pat Thomson, makes the movie irresistible.
    Barry Otto plays Scott's father, Doug, the only man who had faith in Scott's determination and can relate to his son's dilemma of wanting to go beyond the accepted boundaries.
    Otto is brillant and charming in his performance. He had little dance experience before the production but his individual style has a zany exuberance similar to that of Groucho Marx.
    Strictly Ballroom will touch every everyone - dancing has never looked so good. --Herald Sun
21 September 1992