Strictly Ballroom

Riding the coattails of the box office success and Oscar buzz of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, this DVD premiere of his first film is a flamboyantly funny 1992 crowd-pleaser set in the world of Pan-Pacific Grand Prize Ballroom Dancing competition. Paul Mercurio stars as Scott Hastings, a defiant champion whose insistence on dancing his own way costs him his partner…until he meets one woman who is willing to follow his lead (and more)--a frumpy, bespectacled beginner named Fran (Tara Morice). Strictly speaking, this is a trifle, but one can see in it the tentative first steps of Luhrmann's later grand opus set in the notorious French nightclub. The DVD's dance card also includes commentary by Luhrmann and others, as well as Samba to Slow Fox, the ballroom dancing documentary that inspired the film. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[Blu-ray Review—Apr. 23, 2013—Lionsgate, 94 min., PG, $14.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1992's Strictly Ballroom features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by director Baz Luhrmann, production designer Catherine Martin, and choreographer John “Cha Cha” O'Connell, the 1986 featurette “Samba to Slow Fox Dance” on real-life dancers (30 min.), a “From Stage to Screen” making-of featurette (23 min.), a design gallery with narration by Luhrmann (7 min.), and a deleted scene (2 min.). Bottom line: an audience charmer makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]