The original high school musical
Oh, it’s a simple story of lovers. Danny and Sandy meet at a beach and are instantly in love. They unfortunately have to part ways after their summer fling, but as fate would have it they meet up at high school when the fall starts. The problem is that they each have their own worlds. Sandy is an innocent high school girl, who runs on the good side of the tracks. Danny is a member of the T-bird gang that goes against everything innocent. Eventually, through a series of events, Danny ends up breaking free of his persona and tries his darnedest to get Sandy back. Of course, he doesn’t easily go through this transition without a few songs first.
This should be a Paramount Classic because it’s still playing on Broadway. The musical numbers are classic, sometimes offensive, but really go well with the film. I mention the musical numbers because if you’re not ready to handle them, you won’t love this film. For any budding filmmaker out there, this is a great example of a simple love story turned complicated through fantastic character development (mostly due to music). It’s classic though, and you won’t forget the musical numbers, they’re quite precious.
Musical numbers aside, there are a lot of actors that sprang free from the smaller roles because of this film. No actor benefited more from this movie then John Travolta. He played the tough guy role in Saturday Night Fever, but his role as Danny Zuko in Grease helped to show his softer side and more importantly his range as an actor. Because of this role he soon found himself in movies like Blowout and the horrible follow-up to Saturday Night Fever called Staying Alive. Most of you who are reading this will know him from Pulp Fiction, which has an element of Zuko in it.
So outside of the memorable musical numbers, the well-developed characters, and fun love story, are there flaws? The movie is very well-balanced, but it certainly is showing its age as the years go by. It worked well in the 1980s and somewhat in the 1990s, but this classic is quickly becoming just that…. a classic. I feel like the newer generation won’t take this film serious or respect it. That’s a flaw, it just hasn’t lasted the test of time. It’s only a matter of time before they remake it in a more modern fashion. I know, I know, no one wants to read that, but it’s true. My wife just argued the point with me, of course she won… (no she didn’t).
Is the Rydell Edition Rockin’?
Well, in terms of HD, it’s good, not great. I think the transfer could have been sharper. There are some artifacts in the picture, not sure why. This is a prized gem in the film collection of Paramount. They have released many different versions of this. I’m not sure what didn’t work in the transfer to HD, but it just doesn’t look as good as other films that I’ve seen from this time period (and even before this time period) that went to Blu-ray. Now, visuals aside, the music sounds masterful in TrueHD. If you have the luxury of hearing it through a 7.1 sound system you’re going to love it. The music is beautifully remastered for your ear entertainment.
Now as for features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– 11 Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes
– Rydell Sing-Along (why didn’t you review this Beth? I can’t sing these songs)
– DVD Launch Party
– Grease Memories from John and Olivia
– The Moves Behind the Music
– Thunder Roadsters
– And more…
Outside of the DVD launch party, which wasn’t really that intriguing, the rest of the material is pretty good. Like I stated above, I think Beth Barnes would have died to sing-along with this Blu-ray, but I’m the one stuck doing it. Anyway, there are some solid features here for your enjoyment. It’s a worthy set for a new edition to the film.