'Strictly Ballroom' is a screenplay written by Craig Pearce and one of Australia's most recognisable creative forces Baz Luhrmann. Strictly Ballroom is the near perfect representation of human nature, with the main theme being individuality versus conformity'. Scott is used to represent individuality, whereas the majority of the main characters, especially Barry Fife, are the figures of conformity. The image is created through exploration of the characters and theme in the text. .
The quotation 'A life lived in fear is a life half-lived' to my own definition means, living your take by not taking chances is a life that is not lived to the fullest, therefore, making it difficult to achieve our goals and aspirations. This is demonstrated throughout the screenplay through different characters and the use of humour. .
One of the characters that are used to convey this idea is Doug Hastings. Doug is Scott's father. He was a dancer just like Scott however he was not as daring as Scott in making up his own steps to express his feelings in front of the dancing federation. Although he is seen as an enigmatic character, he is a caring and supportive father to Scott. He is seen as an inferior character in the family as he is somewhat scared, thus showing fear. The way he secretly dances by himself also suggests that he is lonely and not receiving the support he needs. The way he supports Scott with his own steps suggests he is living through him as he was not as successful as Scott in making his own steps in the competition, a daring act Doug is fearful to do. Doug was not as successful as his partner, Shirley Hastings, backed out of the competition once she found out about Doug intentions of performing the "crazy dance" and was afraid the outcome. This conveys the quotation as they were not brave enough to try the new steps therefore not succeeding in the competition or in life.
