Movie Info:
Writers: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
Director: Randal Kleiser
Cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Didi Conn, Jamie Donnelly, Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Sid Caesar
Rating: PG
Studio:Paramount
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: June 16, 1978
DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $20.49
It almost seems silly writing a review about Grease. Everyone knows about this entertaining musical. If you don’t know about it you must have lived under a rock for the last twenty years. This is one of those musicals that broke the barrier of pop culture and has found a way to filter into everyday life.
Grease has been performed or referenced in thousands of avenues since it first came out, and it continues to be fawned over years later. That being said, I can see why people fawn. This is easily one of the best movie musicals around, especially if you’re not a musicals fan.
From the catchy music to the iconic performances, Grease is a fan favorite that people have been waiting for on Blu-ray. The first time I saw Grease I must have been a child. By the time I was in Middle School, I knew all the songs and could recite most of the spoken dialogue, too. I don’t remember the first time I watched it, but I know it was probably the first musical that I saw. I know I must have loved it, because years later I am still a fan.
In a musical the most important thing is the singing and the songwriting. That being said, many actors will tell you that people in musicals aren’t always the best actors. They are there because they can sing and that is the most important thing. This is where Grease differs from other musicals. While the musical numbers are performed to perfection, the singers that are in the film are excellent actors, as well.
Though I do not think I will ever think of Olivia Newton John as an actress (she’s always been a singer in my eyes), she did phenomenal as Sandy. Likewise, Stockard Channing was classic as Rizzo, John Travolta was made to be Danny, and Didi Conn was nothing short of amazing as the highly amusing beauty school dropout, Frenchy.
Grease has the distinction of being one of the most entertaining, engaging, and fun musicals of all time. It’s also one of the few movies/musicals that remain a classic with people of virtually all ages enjoying it. You could go ask an eleven year old what her favorite musical is and if she doesn’t have a lapse in judgment and says High School Musical, you can almost bet she will say Grease.
It’s not every day that a musical crosses over with as much ease and timelessness as Grease does, but when it happens you can bet it’s nothing short of a classic.
The Grease Plot
Love is indeed a many splendored thing. The summer has brought together Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton John). Sandy is visiting the states from Australia, and she’s given her heart to an American named Danny Zucco. As the summer ends, their love affair seems ill fated for longevity. Sandy’s heading home to Australia and she’s sure she’ll never see Danny again. They share a wonderful, romantic goodbye kiss as Danny assures her (not very believably) that they will see each other again.
By a twist of fate (or is it luck?), Sandy’s family decides to stay and she’s enrolled at Rydell High. There, she quickly becomes friends with Frenchie (Didi Conn), a member of the Pink Ladies. The Ladies, especially their leader, Rizzo (Stockard Channing) aren’t too impressed by Sandy, deeming her ‘too pure to be pink.’ The other Pink Ladies are Marty (Dinah Manoff) and Jan (Jamie Donnelly). However, Frenchie makes sure Sandy is slowly integrated into the group.
What Sandy doesn’t know is that Danny also goes to Rydell. He’s a bit of a rebel and is the leader of the T-Birds. This Danny isn’t the same, caring Danny Sandy fell in love with at the beach. He’s too busy telling his buddies Kenickie (Jeff Conaway), Doody (Barry Pearl), Sonny (Michael Tucci) and Putzie (Kelly Ward) about ‘everything he got’ from Sandy over the summer. While Sandy was heartbroken at their parting, this new Danny leaves her hurt and confused.
Smarty, suck up Patty Simcox (Susan Buckner) gets Sandy into cheerleading. She even dates dumb, football jock, Tom (a young Lorenzo Lamas), as she tries to forget about Danny and all he meant to her. Sure, Danny is gruff on the exterior, but deep down he really cares about Sandy. The big question is whether this gruff, smoking, joking, rebel can find happiness with the beautiful, Sandra Dee, ingenue. Through song and dance that question is aptly answered in this film.
Grease features an all star cast that includes Eve Arden as Principal McGee, Joan Blondell as the waitress, Vi, Frankie Avalon as the Teen Angel, Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun, Alice Ghostley as Mrs. Murdock and Dody Goodman as Blanche.
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Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Grease has seen it’s day on DVD more than once. Well, probably more than five times would be accurate. Each time the quality seemed to get a little better, but nothing was perfect. It is safe to say that this beautiful copy of Grease on Blu-ray will appease even the pickiest of fans. The 1080p transfer creates a musical masterpiece that has never looked better.
From start to finish you receive a highly detailed film that is far better than anything you’ve seen from Grease in the past. The colors are great and the problems are kept to a bare minimum. You will have no doubt about the quality when you see the lavish glow of Frenchie’s pink hair. The high details and the colors make it excellent, but knowing that there are no more compression errors, noise, or dirt makes this absolutely fabulous.
Grease is a musical. At the end of the day, visual quality may be important, but in this case, audio is going to be king. If the audio isn’t acceptable then the movie is ultimately ruined. The good news is that this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is nothing short of rockin’! You can expect a newfound crisp sound with a high level of clarity and no auditory issues.
Volume toggling is not necessary. Dialogue is easy to hear, the music sounds great, and the singing is superb. There is really nothing wrong with this track. It is rich and delightful to listen to all the way through. In addition to the English audio, there are tracks in French (Dolby Digital 5.1) and Spanish (Dolby Digital Mono). Subtitles are included in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
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Audio:
Bonus Features:
We had the pleasure of reviewing the Rockin’ Rydell Edition of Grease when it came out a while back. The DVD was filled with special features, many of which were new at the time. You will receive all of these special features on the Blu-ray. While they are all excellent if you already own the aformentioned DVD, you will be buying this Blu-ray just for the amazing quality.
That being said, things get rolling with an audio commentary that includes the director, Randal Kleiser and choreographer, Patricia Birch. The commentary isn’t the best, but it’s not all bad. The main problem here is that the two go back and forth between the stage and screen versions and spend less time giving movie facts and tidbits that make the good commentaries so enjoyable.
“Introduction by Randal Kleiser”: This is an extremely brief introduction by the director. Funnily enough, he seems to weigh the importance of Grease on it’s monetary value, calling it the highest grossing movie musical ever. Fans know it’s so much more than that though!
“Rydell Sing-Along”: Should you need to know the words to the song (I’m sure at least one person doesn’t know them) this will be the feature for you. This gives you the music and songs you love with the lyrics, so you can sing along with the gang.
“The Time, The Place, The Motion: Remembering Grease“: At twenty-two minutes, you receive a decent featurette that should be one of the most interesting options thus far. This featurette pays homage to the film and all that it means to people. All of the major players are represented including John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Didi Conn, Stockard Channing, and plenty of others. There are a few rarely seen clips that make this featurette worthy for any fan.
“DVD Launch Party”: This includes interviews from a number of the cast members (Travolta, Newton-John, Conaway). The party occurred in 2002 and includes some live musical numbers for “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re the One that I Want” among others.
“Grease Memories from John and Olivia”: This three minute spot is actually from the launch party. Both stars are fun and respectful of the time that has gone by and what the movie still means to people today.
“The Moves Behind the Music”: The director and choreographer are back, along with the cast to discuss the musical numbers and how Birch got everyone to do what they needed to do by allowing them some improvisational room to do what was comfortable for them.
“Thunder Roadsters”: As you might have guessed, this is all about the classic cars found in the film. Car enthusiasts weigh in on the cars and the car culture of the time period.
“John Travolta and Allan Carr Grease Day Interview”: This is a short clip from the actual theatrical premiere party with Travolta and Carr.
“Olivia Newton-John and Robert Stigwood Grease Day Interview”: This is similar to the first interview, but this one has Olivia Newton-John. In this interview they talk music and what it is like for Newton-John to see herself on screen.
The special features are wrapped up with some deleted and extended scenes, a selection of Photo Galleries, and the theatrical trailer.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
I shouldn’t have to tell you to buy this. Some Blu-rays just belong in every collection and this is one of those Blu-rays. Grease is fabulous and decades later it is still as cool as it was on opening night. The special features might be identical to the last DVD release of Grease but the quality here is so good that it makes it worth the purchase. If you own another copy of Grease toss it out the window and go and buy this copy. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you’ll probably be glad that you did.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Blu-ray Review, Grease, Musical, John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Rizzo, The T-Birds, The Pink Ladies, Beauty School Dropout
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
