Strictly Ballroom Essay Analysis Essay
“A life lived in fear is a life half lived.” Discuss with reference to the characters in Strictly Ballroom.
There are many characters in Strictly Ballroom that had lived their lives in fear. That kind of fear is not like a fear of heights or being afraid of dying, it is being afraid of other people who could destroy their lives forever. That kind of fear forces people to cower in front of others and not be able to make their own decisions. A life half lived is a life full of regrets. Shirley Hastings, Doug Hastings and Barry Fife all lived their life and therefore, their lives were half lived.
Shirley Hastings, Scott’s mother and a cosmetics consultant, was known for her excellent dancing with her husband, Doug, when they were young. She lost her confidence when Barry Fife convinced her that she would lose the Pan Pacifics because of Doug making up dance steps on the stage. Now she is afraid of Scott following on the same path and losing the Pan Pacifics, especially because only federation steps are allowed now. In the film, Shirley exposes how much she wants Scott to win when she panics because Scott couldn’t find a partner, when she tries to push him onto the dance floor with Liz at the Pan Pacifics and when she then weeps as Scott runs off to find Fran. Doug is also afraid of the way Scott dances but in a totally opposite way.
Doug had lived his life in fear and when you look at him, you can see he regrets his past decisions. Doug Hastings, Scott’s father, was known for his excellent dancing when he was young. He was passionate about dancing but lost his confidence when Shirley refused to dance with him at the Pan Pacifics. Now Doug is afraid that Scott will not dance his way. To him, it’s all about the dancing and when Scott dances non-federation steps, Doug is always filming because he is extremely proud of his son. Near the start of the film, you can see Doug secretly watching a video of Scott dancing his own steps and then wipes away tears of pride in
There are many characters in Strictly Ballroom that had lived their lives in fear. That kind of fear is not like a fear of heights or being afraid of dying, it is being afraid of other people who could destroy their lives forever. That kind of fear forces people to cower in front of others and not be able to make their own decisions. A life half lived is a life full of regrets. Shirley Hastings, Doug Hastings and Barry Fife all lived their life and therefore, their lives were half lived.
Shirley Hastings, Scott’s mother and a cosmetics consultant, was known for her excellent dancing with her husband, Doug, when they were young. She lost her confidence when Barry Fife convinced her that she would lose the Pan Pacifics because of Doug making up dance steps on the stage. Now she is afraid of Scott following on the same path and losing the Pan Pacifics, especially because only federation steps are allowed now. In the film, Shirley exposes how much she wants Scott to win when she panics because Scott couldn’t find a partner, when she tries to push him onto the dance floor with Liz at the Pan Pacifics and when she then weeps as Scott runs off to find Fran. Doug is also afraid of the way Scott dances but in a totally opposite way.
Doug had lived his life in fear and when you look at him, you can see he regrets his past decisions. Doug Hastings, Scott’s father, was known for his excellent dancing when he was young. He was passionate about dancing but lost his confidence when Shirley refused to dance with him at the Pan Pacifics. Now Doug is afraid that Scott will not dance his way. To him, it’s all about the dancing and when Scott dances non-federation steps, Doug is always filming because he is extremely proud of his son. Near the start of the film, you can see Doug secretly watching a video of Scott dancing his own steps and then wipes away tears of pride in