ABC iview may not be the first place you think of when you’re looking for movies to stream, but the national broadcaster has a well-curated selection of fine films to choose from. Here are three to re-watch or catch up with for the first time.
Strictly Ballroom (1992)
The tagline: When 21-year-old ballroom champion Scott Hastings commits the cardinal sin of dancing his own steps and not those of the all-powerful Dance Federation, the retribution is swift. He’s forced to find a partner in the ‘plain’, left-footed local girl Fran, and together they work to find their own style and make dreams of the National Championship title come true.
The director: Strictly Ballroom was Baz Luhrmann‘s first feature film and the one that launched him into the international stratosphere, where he went on to make Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby and more. Strictly Ballroom was adapted for the cinema from Luhrmann’s stage play by producers Ted Albert and Tristram Miall, and established Luhrmann’s signature tongue-in-cheek humour, over-the-top theatrical style, and extravagant choreography, as well as featuring unforgettable costumes and production design by Luhrmann’s partner in work and life, Catherine Martin, who currently has four Academy Awards for her collaborations with Luhrmann.
The stars: Paul Mercurio played the handsome champion dancer, while Tara Morice played the ‘ugly duckling’ character who transforms in this modern fairytale. Other iconic Australian actors in the film include Bill Hunter, Barry Otto, Pat Thompson, Gia Carides and Sonia Kruger.
What the critics and audiences said: Strictly Ballroom was a crowd-pleaser and remains in the top 20 highest grossing Australian feature films of all time. It was selected for the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard program, where it won the the now-defunct Prix De Jeunesse (Youth Prize) which fuelled a warm reception back home at the Australian premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 1992. While not everybody loved the film’s exuberance and bold vulgarity, Strictly Ballroom sits at 88% fresh at critical aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert praised its ‘sense of madness and mania running just beneath its surface‘, and watching it more recently in 2022, the New Yorker’s Anthony Lane said, ‘…it’s a good-humoured ride for the senses, never too sickly sweet, and who can say no to that?’
Watch it if… You feel like a feel-good dance movie and you’ve never seen this camp classic of Australian cinema – the film that begun Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Red Curtain Trilogy’ that includes Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge! (2001). It’s also a great film to watch with kids, and at 92 minutes, it’s short and sweet.
Don’t watch it if… Ocker accents make you sick and you want subtle drama, like… Brooklyn.
Read: Three hidden gems to watch on SBS on Demand
Brooklyn (2015)
The tagline: A romantic period drama about an Irish immigrant, Ellis, who lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
The director: Irish director John Crowley directed Brooklyn, written by Nick Hornby and based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Colm TóibÃn.
The stars: Saoirse Ronan shines in the lead role as a sensitive but spirited young woman who’s torn between an exciting life in the New Country, and the pull of the old. Ronan was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance. The cast also includes Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters.
What the critics said: The consensus was that outstanding performances contributed to a film that was both emotionally and intellectually satisfying. Brooklyn sits at 97% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. Jason Bailey of Flavorwire said, ‘Brooklyn might sound like some sort of starchy period piece, which couldn’t be further from the truth – it’s vibrant and warm and funny.’ Paul Byrnes of the Sydney Morning Herald, said: ‘Part of the film’s charm is the way that Irish director John Crowley manages the mood, without compromising the momentum. His direction is impeccable.’
Watch it if… You’re in the mood for intelligent, sensitive storytelling with great performances and a period setting that doesn’t feel fake. A classic ‘women’s film’ – in the best sense. With its tender depiction of the migrant experience, Brooklyn would make a great companion piece to Celine Song’s acclaimed Past Lives (2023).
Don’t watch it if… You’re after mindless action in a contemporary location.
Casablanca (1942)
The tagline: Rick Blaine, who owns a nightclub in Casablanca, discovers his old flame Ilsa is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo. Laszlo is a famed rebel, and with Germans on his tail, Ilsa knows Rick can help them get out of the country. Casablanca is the acknowledged classic war romance, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and featuring memorable, much-quoted lines like, ‘Here’s lookin’ at you kid’, and ‘Play it again, Sam.’.
The director: Michael Curtiz (1886 – 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director who made his name in the silent era, and had already directed 64 films in Europe when he was invited to Hollywood in 1926 at the age of 39. He went on to direct 102 films during his Hollywood career. Curtiz was known for his versatility across genres, and for introducing a European artistic visual style of lighting and fluid camera angles to Hollywood. His other films include Mildred Pierce, Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade and The Jazz Singer. Curtiz won the Academy Award for Best Director for Casablanca, and the film itself won Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
The stars: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman played the lovers, with Paul Henreid as the heroic husband fighting for the Czech resistance and trying to escape the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca. The supporting cast includes Claude Rains as the suspicious police captain and Peter Lorre as the villain.
What the critics said: Casablanca had consistently good reviews at the time of its release, despite the fact that nobody at Warner Bros expected it to be a critical or box office success. (It was both.) In the years since, it has become iconic and beloved. The New York Times applauded the film’s combination of ‘sentiment, humour and pathos with taut melodrama and bristling intrigue’, while Variety commended the performances of Bergman and Henreid, saying that Bogart was better as ‘the cynical operator of a joint than as a lover, but handles both assignments with superb finesse.’ On Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at 99% fresh.
Watch this if… You’re in the mood for a beautifully shot, black-and-white classic, full of unashamed melodrama and wartime tension.
Don’t watch this if… You’ve seen it a million times already and find it a bit slow and hokey – so full of recognisable catch-phrases and that damned song, ‘You must remember this’, that it’s impossible to see it freshly.
You can watch Strictly Ballroom, Brooklyn and Casablanca for free on ABC iview.
