FILM · 1992 · AUSTRALIA
Strictly Ballroom
- Directed by
- Baz Luhrmann
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Studio
- Beyond Films, M & A, Australian Film Finance Corporation
23 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Brave new steps put Scott's career in jeopardy. With a new partner and determination, can he still succeed?
23 Interesting Facts About Strictly Ballroom
Interesting Facts (14)
- #001
Fran's house was a set built over an existing train station. For the film's most expensive scene, a train was hired to pass in front of the house twice. On one occasion a real food inspector came to the set and asked for the paperwork because he thought it was a real shop.
- #002
The first scene shot was the grand final of the dance competition. It was filmed during a one-hour lunch break at a real dance competition.
- #003
Although Paul Mercurio was a dancer, he had trained in ballet rather than ballroom. After getting the role, he attended an intensive six-week basic training camp to learn the choreography. Although Mercurio was well known as a dancer thanks to his work with the Sydney Dance Company, Strictly Ballroom was his first acting role.
- #004
Paul Mercurio danced the final scene with a sprained ankle.
- #005
Although Tara Morice played the character in the stage version, she was nearly not cast as Fran because the financial backers were reluctant to choose a non-dancer for the role. In her first scenes, pimples were drawn on her face.
- #006
When the film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, it received a 15-minute standing ovation; there a representative of Rank Films immediately snapped up the UK distribution rights for one million pounds in cash.
- #007
On the cover version of Time After Time, Tara Morice sings the female lyrics.
- #008
Antonio Vargas wore entirely his own clothes throughout the shoot.
- #009
It was the first film directed by Baz Luhrmann.
- #010
The producers had to beg Coca-Cola to let them put the sign above the studio. The company stopped paying part of the cost of the sign but did not pay the full price.
- #011
Paul Mercurio nearly lost the role because at 28 he was ten years older than his character was supposed to be.
- #012
The trophies at Kendall's Dance Studio were real trophies borrowed from dance studios.
- #013
The main cast includes only a few professional dancers, among them Paul Mercurio, Todd McKenney, Antonio Vargas, Sonia Kruger and Leonie Page.
- #014
Strictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed by Baz Luhrmann, who wrote the screenplay with Craig Pearce. The film drew on Luhrmann's own life experience: he had trained in ballroom dancing as a child, and his mother worked as a ballroom dancing teacher during his adolescence; it was also inspired by the life of Keith Bain, who grew up in the same town as Luhrmann.
Production Story (2)
- #015
Original co-producer Ted Albert died suddenly of a heart attack in the early stages of production. Despite this, and with his wife's approval, Ted's family company Albert Productions (which also produced the soundtrack) decided to continue with the production and contributed 1 million dollars of the 3 million dollar budget.
- #016
The flashback to Doug's past was originally planned as live action. Budget constraints forced the filmmakers to turn it into a cartoon.
Behind the Scenes (3)
- #017
Baz Luhrmann competed in ballroom dance competitions of the kind shown in the film. The film began life as an improvisation piece in which Luhrmann performed, and was later staged at the Sydney Theatre Company.
- #018
The most expensive costume was the jacket Scott wears in the grand finale. The jacket took more than six weeks to make, and some of its embellishments and the flamenco shoes were imported from Spain.
- #019
The trophies at Kendall's Dance Studio were real trophies borrowed from dance studios. This gave the set an authentic atmosphere.
Characters & Cast (3)
- #020
Tara Morice provides the female vocals on the cover version of the song Time After Time.
- #021
In the stage production, the role of Scott Hastings was played by Thomas Lacey. Tara Morice worked with Lacey on the series Dance Academy (2010).
- #022
During the early stages of production, co-producer Ted Albert died suddenly of a heart attack. Despite this, with his wife's approval, Albert's family company Albert Productions (which also handled the film's music) decided to continue with the project and covered 1 million dollars of the 3 million dollar budget.
Deeper Meaning (1)
- #023
When the BBC turned the professional ballroom dancing competition 'Come Dancing' into a celebrity show, it chose the name 'Strictly Come Dancing' as a nod to the film. Known simply as 'Strictly' in the UK and Ireland, the format spread around the rest of the world under the name 'Dancing with the Stars'.
Related pages
- William Fichtner — Strictly Ballroom comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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