Yes - several times. It's one of my all time favourite films.

It sums up the awful 'closed shop' anal attitude of the ballroom world, with its bickering, in fighting and over-controlling old fogeys!

It is absolutely brilliant, and it reminds of so much of .... oh never mind

As do I.

Good for you! Can't understand all this USA irrational hatred and blaming them for the choices of the SCD production team. Barmy!

I shall be watching SCD on Fast Forward tonight and, if all goes according to plan, will miss all the ghastly charlestons, Ann, Peter and any flying buttresses

I shall be looking forward to Scott, Matt (if I can cover his face in some way) and Craig's wisdom. About 10 mins should do the trick

I love DWTS, the presenter Tom B, the Band, the costumes, the camera work is better, love it. Why won't it work over here, the Americans do pizzaz, I'm sorry but here in Britland we just don't do pizzzaz.

I have seen the film and it is funny in it's own right but there are plenty of serious dancers who really hate that film. Yes there are bits that are very true to life but others really not.

As to the bit I've highlighted, SCD has never ever been based on Strictly Ballroom. When SCD first started the dance world was up in arms that SCD would make a mockery of the sport. Many of the pros came on board to make sure that it didn't happen. The story of how SCD came about is mentioned in the first SCD annual and it certainly makes no refernce to Strictly Ballroom in there. It was originally going to be called Pro-celebrity Come dancing as it was a re-vamp of the original come dancing formula with the celebrity and public voting element to engage the audience.

I completely agree with the OP. This new version of Strictly is really disappointing compared with the way it used to be. I have never enjoyed DWTS because of all the props and faffing and the bastardisation of the traditional ballroom/latin dances and now it seems my beloved Strictly is heading down the same route. Sad. It's still not as awful as DWTS but given a few more series I'm sure it'll get there.

It's one of my all time favourite films and I can't remember how often I've watched it - such a feel good film! Even my husband does impressions of Barry Fife saying "It's not strictly Ballroom now is it?" (usually when talking to the dog)! I'm humming Love is In The Air now and my shoulders are twitching!



The band and singers do sound better to me this series and to be honest, most of the time I think the singers and the band do a good job. It's just every now and then I think "Oh dear..." when I hear a song and I never think that watching DWTS. It was a bit better when Laurie Holloway was in charge.

I think you've actually missed the point about us even mentioning the film No one has ever suggested that the film has anything to do with SCD, but that it is a very accurate portrait of the very insular world of ballroom. And I am sorry, but it is a world unto itself.

SCD is a reworking of the old Come Dancing for a much wider audience. That's all. I find it hard to believe that 'serious (whatever that means!) dancers' would find Baz Lurhman's film cruel - unless of course you are talking about ballroom dancers. It pokes fun at them - is that why?

The problem with that view is that actual dancers - those of us in the ballet, jazz, stage world - often regard ballroom people as a fairly cliquey bunch who operate in their own world. When I think of dance the last thing I think of is ballroom....

So very true. No wonder there is such resentment about DWTS amongst certain factions

There is a tendency over here to knock something you can never do, and people who say they can. It's so not British to be confident or snazzy, or let your heart hang out.

I would guess the word 'Strictly' is a lift from Strictly Ballroom, but I can't comment other than that onhow the show was name, although I do find it strange that serious dancers hated the film. After all it was a comedy, so does that imply they can't laugh at themselves? I do find it strange that people from the dance world would be up in arms about a new family entertainment show, given that it could only raise the profile of the dance world. From what I remember of Come Dancing the original series of SCD was a long way from it.

I'm quite surprised dancers would hate that film. Luhrman himself was a ballroom dancer, and though some people go on about the caricatures in the movie, I think Luhrman said it was a fairly accurate portrayal. Actually, that may have been the girl that played Tina Sparkle that said that, who also used to be a ballroom dancer.
I remember the year it was released, the commentators on the aussie dancesport were saying how the pros had started to take up flamenco as a result of the movie.

You are right about Baz Luhrman and in fact his Mum was a ballroom dance teacher. He was a good replacement judge for Len on DWTS too.

Have to take issue with you on that one SK . Irrespective of what other dancers think about ballroom and whether they take it seriously, Strictly was introduced as a ballroom show. To change the content now would be like keeping the same label on the tin but now filling it up with something completely different.

However, I agree that it is wrong to equate all that is bad in Strictly with Americanisation. After all, if we took that to its ultimate conclusion and excluded anything of American origin we'd be taking out my favourite dance, the foxtrot, definitely of North American origin.

There are some things I've liked this year - the energy and fun element. Some things I've hated - not so much the props (although I think that Ann on wires is going to be a step too far tonight ) or even the extended dancing out of hold (although I do think that American Smooth week is going to be less interesting because we'll have already seen a lot of AS like performances). But I do like the dances to retain some of their original nature. Otherwise a tangoesque foxtrot gets to look a bit like a tango and all the weeks start to blur into one and get a bit samey.

TBH, I'm more relaxed about things now since I've come to the conclusion that they've always taken liberties with the dances. It's just more in the open now. Best just to sit back and enjoy the show.

Me too - it's made the show far more lively and exciting. Love the new set, and even more I love the new pros - especially Robin and Artem (Jared still has to prove himself I think).

Although I like to see the dances performed "properly" (i.e. a foxtrot needs to have plenty of proper foxtrot steps) I do like the freedom the dancers have been given to introduce more innovative entrances and exits to their dances, which is, of course, what dancers do when dancing a demonstration (as opposed to a competition).

Last year many people moaned about the show getting boring; this year it's been made more lively and there are still moans.

Have seen this film so many times I virtually know the script, and it still has me in stitches everytime I see it! It was such an amazing tongue-in-cheek take on the ballroom world, and unfortunately horribly accurate in places as well!

However, Strictly Ballroom the film, has nothing whatsoever to do with Strictly Come Dancing.

I wouldn't say it's more lively. When you are already 60 seconds into the routine and they are still faffing about on their intro it gets really dull and you just want to scream at them to GET ON WITH IT!

I didn't think there was anything wrong with it last year, apart perhaps from the dire music choices but that never changes

I'm not a fan of the new pro's. They aren't a patch on those they have replaced, especially Jared who seems to be outdanced by some of the celebs.

This sadly is quite a true image many people have of the ballroom world, partly because unless people can get foreign tv programs, they are never likely to see "real" ballroom dancing on tv, as they can other dance forms.

Also the BBC did so much damage to the image of ballroom with the old Come Dancing show. There were some excellent dancers on that show - Matt Cutler, Ian, Karen Hardy, to name but 3, but the way the show was presented was a disgrace. Old codgers such as Terry Wogan making crass remarks and sending it up in such a way that it stuck.

The BBC also caused so much trouble when they were allowed to televise the UK Championships from Bournemouth, that the "powers-that-be" of the dance world, kicked them out and vowed "never again".

Top ballroom dancers themselves work really hard to get that image changed, and to be recognised as the athletes they are, but it is difficult in UK where ballroom dance is still regarded as a "silly bit of old-fashioned fun". Different on the Continent, etc.,where it is regarded as, and respected as the sport it is.

Given that only 30% of the dance is allowed out of hold, I'd like to know which performance you mean.

I doubt very much btw that the only reason the viewing figures have gone up is the lack of the clash with X-Factor.

I think you have made it very clear that you don't like any of the changes, but there is plenty of support for the view that for the last year or two the show has been less than at its best.

I want to watch that film now with every fibre of my being though!

Saw it at the pictures when it came out. My date for the evening was a rugby playing murse who also later came out.
We both loved it.

Thats fantastic

Robin and Patsy immediately spring to mind:

38 seconds of intro before taking hold
54 seconds in hold (although I would be tempted to disqualify about 7 seconds of that for not being in 'ballroom' hold)
10 seconds out of hold at the end

Total out of hold: 47.1%

As for the last few years not being at its best, I would tend to agree with but I would suggest that is because we haven't had the number of dancers in recent years who have achieved anything like the standard that, for example, Jill Halfpenny/Zoe Ball/Colin Jackson etc reached in earlier series. I don't think it had anything to do with the format.

And completely true! I haven't seen it since, desperately want to now

Bet Blockbusters won't have it

Don't worry, it gets repeated all the time so you won't have to wait long for it be on the telly

I wonder if thats the test we should use to test the 'gayness' of a potential boyfriend......how much they love Strictly Ballroom.

Awesome But what's a murse?

I am really enjoying this years series and will do more so when AW is gone.