Strictly Ballroom Swedish poster

Swedish one-sheet film poster for Strictly Ballroom, released in that country on 11 December 1992 with the subtitle 'De förbjudna stegen' ('The forbidden steps').

The tagline on the poster roughly translates to: 'He - rebel, violates unwritten laws. She - in love, ready to sacrifice everything.'

This poster from Sweden seems to defy Strictly Ballroom's overriding camp and kitsch aesthetic. The stark central image of Paul Mercurio is photographed against a black background and mimics Renaissance chiaroscuro painting techniques. Chiaroscuro uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms, often to dramatic effect. It's a beautiful image but a bit incongruous if you've seen the film. The film's title continues this idea with its overly florid font. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking the film is set in the late 15th century. It is only the three frames from the film running down the right-hand side of the poster that informs us the film is set in the present day. The subtitle and taglines on the poster almost recast Strictly Ballroom as a modern take on Romeo and Juliet while suggesting that the film will have some steamy sexual scenes. This could potentially confuse or disappoint audiences who decided to see the film solely on the basis of the poster.