Starring
John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway,
Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Didi Conn, Jamie Donnelly,
Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Dody Goodman, Sid Caesar, Eddie Deezen,
Frankie Avalon, Lorenzo Lamas, Alice Ghostley, Sha-Na-Na. Directed by
Randall Kleiser. (1978/110 min).
Funny
thing about Grease and the passing of time...the damn thing seems impervious.
In
my household, music from the film is held in high regard
by my wife, Francie (who loves soundtrack albums from her youth), and oldest
daughter, Natalie (who's recently been bitten by the Broadway
musical bug). Natalie once found the Grease soundtrack on vinyl
at a used record store. I remember when it
was huge in the 70s...a double album with one record containing all
the hits, the second filled old rock tunes no one
ever listened to. The first record is
the only one my girls throw on the turntable. I don't think they've even
taken the other one out of the sleeve.
Popping in this 40th Anniversary Blu-Ray, it occurred to me that even though
I haven't actually sat and watched the movie in its entirety in thirty years, much of it was still fresh in my mind, mainly because
time hasn't allowed us put Grease in our rearview mirror. Speaking
strictly from personal experience as a teacher and a father, Grease
is one of the few films of the 1970s that later generations have
embraced with the same enthusiasm as we first did in 1978. The Godfather
is a timeless, undisputed classic and everyone appreciates it as
such. But like Star Wars and Jaws, Grease seems to remain as relevant to our kids and grandkids as stuff being made today.
One
could speculate why Grease continues to strike a chord with
new audiences, but that would probably be pointless. What does
matter is when I pressed play and Frankie Valli began crooning the
title theme, my whole family (including 14-year-old Lucy) dropped what they were doing and
filed into the family room. Not too many 40 year old movies have that
kind of power.
 |
| The pelvic thrust of death. |
I
had one major revelation while revisiting the film, thanks in-part to
Natalie. We were all talking about some of the musical numbers during
the opening scenes and I mentioned my favorite was "Greased
Lightnin'." Natalie shot me an incredulous scowl, implying my statement was slightly offensive. When we got
to that scene in the film, where Travolta and his buddies do a
rousing song-and-dance around a restored hot rod, I actually paid
attention to the lyrics for the first time. I was shocked to discover
"Greased Lightnin'" is a damn dirty song - almost
misogynistic - and about as un-PC as movie music gets. Has these words been clearly-spoken rather than sung, there's a good chance Grease
would have been slapped with an R rating. It's still a great song, though, and this disc includes a
sing-along version so you can experience the number in all its filthy
glory.
Speaking
of which, this 40th Anniversary Edition is loaded with supplementary
material (listed below). In addition to vintage extras that were
previously released on the "Rockin' Rydell" version, this
one includes some interesting new bonus features that fans may want
to consider double-dipping for. The packaging is pretty cool, too,
designed like a high school yearbook, including a booklet of photos
and "signatures."
Elsewhere,
the film is still a lot of fun (including questionable scenes, lyrics & dialogue you wouldn't get
away with today), belying its age with catchy tunes, great choreography and
the undeniable charisma of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John at the height of their stardom. Grease is by-no-means one
of the greatest movies of the 70s (or even among the top 50), but
it's surely one of the most continually beloved.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
NEW:
"GREASE: A CHICAGO STORY" - A very interesting doc
about the original stage musical, featuring its creators. From a
historical perspective, it's priceless for megafans and the best of
the new features.
NEW:
ALTERNATE MAIN TITLES - With a
different song
NEW:
ALTERNATE ENDING
OPTIONAL
INTRO - By Director Randall Kleiser
SING-ALONG
VERSION
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - With Director Randall Kleiser & Choreographer
Patricia Birch
FEATURETTES:
"The Time, the Place, the Motion: Remembering Grease";
"Grease Memories from John and Olivia"; "The Move
Behind the Music"; "Thunder Roadsters"; "Grease
Reunion"
VINATAGE
INTERVIEWS - From the Grease premiere, featuring John
Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, producers Allan Carr & Robert
Stigwood.
TRAILER
DELETED/EXTENDED
SCENES
PHOTO
GALLERY
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS
