Producers: R. Stigwood and A. Carr
Editing: John F. Burnett
Composer:
Score: Michael Gibson
Songs: Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
Starring:
Main Cast
- John Travolta as Danny Zuko (Leader of the T-Birds)
- Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson
- Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo (Leader of the Pink Ladies)
- Jeff Conaway as Kenickie
The T-Birds
- Barry Pearl as Doody
- Michael Tucci as Sonny LaTierri
- Kelly Ward as Putzie
The Pink Ladies
- Didi Conn as Frenchy
- Jamie Donnelly as Jan
- Dinah Manoff as Marty Maraschino
Plot and Critical Review: During summer vacation of 1959 Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson meet at the beach and fall in love. When the summer comes to an end, Sandy, who is going back to Australia, frets that they may never meet again, but Danny tells her that their love is "only the beginning." The animated opening credits follow (Grease).
On the first day of school at Rydell High, Danny, a greaser, is reunited with his friends, the T-Birds: his bad-boy best friend Kenickie and their three bumbling sidekicks, Doody, Putzie, and Sonny. The Pink Ladies, the T-Birds' female counterparts - raunchy leader Betty Rizzo, sophisticated Marty, and juvenile Jan - arrive and claim that they're going to "rule the school" in their senior year. Sandy, whose family had unexpectedly cancelled their plans to return to Australia, enrolls at Rydell and is shown around the school by Frenchy. At lunchtime, Danny and Sandy share memories of their summer romance with their respective friends, unaware of the other's presence (Summer Nights). Rizzo is surprised when Sandy reveals Danny's name on the way to class, but the Pink Ladies keep quiet about Danny's presence at the school.
The Pink Ladies decide to reunite Danny and Sandy. Initially ecstatic upon seeing Sandy again, Danny quickly attempts to cover his excitement and maintain his cool image in front of the T-Birds, which upsets Sandy. Frenchy decides to cheer Sandy up by inviting her and the other Pink Ladies to a slumber party at her house. However, Sandy's naive behaviour irritates the other girls and Rizzo leads the girls in mocking Sandy (Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee) after Sandy leaves the room. When Sandy returns, she is embarrassed to find her new friends making fun of her. Later, Sandy wanders outside, where she confronts her feelings about still being in love with Danny (Hopelessly Devoted to You).
Rizzo (who left the sleepover) and Kenickie park in a rundown part of town and make out in the back seat of his car. They have sex, during which Kenickie's condom breaks. The couple are interrupted by Leo - leader of the T-Birds' rival gang, the Scorpions - and his girlfriend, Cha-Cha. Leo damages Kenickie's car. Kenickie takes the car to the school's workshop for a tune-up, and despite the fact that it is a "hunk o' junk" (according to Danny), Danny manages to convince the boys that it could become a top-of-the-line sports car (Greased Lightning).
Soon afterward, Danny sees Sandy having a milkshake with a jock named Tom Chisholm. Regretting his unkind behavior, Danny attempts to win Sandy back by taking up sports. Coach Calhoun suggests he try his hand at track. Although Danny has a natural ability for running, he injures himself while Sandy is present. Sandy goes to see if he is all right and, after discovering he is not badly injured, she consents to date him again, and even considers letting him take her to the school dance. Unfortunately, their date at the Frosty Palace is interrupted when the T-Birds and Pink Ladies show up. Meanwhile, Frenchy, who left Rydell to pursue her dream of being a beautician, has had difficulty in all her classes at beauty school. She is at odds with what to do until her guardian teen angel appears to her and suggests she return to Rydell (Beauty School Dropout).
Rizzo and Kenickie break-up. During the school dance, which is also being broadcast live on national television, Rizzo attempts to get at Kenickie by going to the dance with Leo. Kenickie retaliates by going with Cha-Cha. Danny takes Sandy and Doody takes Frenchy. During the dance competition, Danny and Sandy are the last couple left, but as Sandy is dragged away by Sonny, Cha-Cha, who used to date Danny, begins dancing with him. Danny and Cha-Cha ultimately win the contest. In an attempt to make up with Sandy, Danny takes her to a drive-in movie, where he gives Sandy his ring which she interprets as a sign of his love for her. Danny makes several passes at Sandy which cause her to run off. (Sandy).
Rizzo tells Marty and Sonny that she might be pregnant, but makes them promise not to tell anyone. The rumor is soon spread around school, and when Kenickie offers to help, Rizzo rebuffs him, claiming that he isn't the father. A couple of days later, Kenickie and the T-Birds meet the Scorpions for a race at Thunder Road. Everyone comes to watch except Rizzo, who can't face seeing Kenickie. Patty Simcox and her friends joke about Rizzo's reputation, inciting Rizzo to vindicate her bad-girl image (There Are Worse Things I Could Do). Sandy, who misses Danny dreadfully, decides to try and patch things up between them at the race. Kenickie is knocked out when his own car door swings and hits him in the face, forcing Danny to race in his stead. Danny beats Leo and wins the race. Sandy is delighted but realizes she and Danny are still a world apart unless she takes drastic action (Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)).
As the school year comes to a close, the group enjoys a carnival at the school. Rizzo reveals that she is not pregnant after all and she and Kenickie are finally reunited. Danny has earned a letter in track, but the T-Birds resent his new image, viewing it as desertion. Sandy suddenly appears in a tight black outfit and leather jacket, looking more like Rizzo than herself. She tells Danny that she has done it all for him, and he reciprocates, (You're The One That I Want). As they climb into Danny's car, it takes off into the air (We Go Together).
Reviewing a musical is a real treat as it combines two of the things I love the most; music and cinema. Not all musicals that have been made into films have done as well as "Grease" did, however. Sometimes the transition and re-formatting causes much of the magic of the stage to be lost. Yet the risk doesn't stop filmmakers from at least trying. Most of the time they do alright and in this instance they did really well! Some of the more popular (and lucrative) musical films include (but are not limited to):
"Phantom of the Opera"
"The Sound of Music"
"West Side Story"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Hairspray"
"Chicago"
The list goes on...
While their place in the cinematic cannon is contested (critics wonder if they're really films or just musicals acted out on sound stages and filmed), they have formed a beloved category in the universe of the motion picture, and will no doubt remain an endearing form of film for quite some time.
My Rating: 6.5/10 (I'll throw in an extra .5 seeing as I cry every third or fourth time I hear "Hopelessly Devoted To You")
Content to Caution:
V-1.5 - A scuffle here and there.
L-2 - High-schoolers at their best, as always.
DU-1 - Some characters (mostly minors) smoke and drink.
RT-1 - No comment.
H/S-1.5 - Thunder Road!
CH-2 - No comment.
S/N-2.5 - Several kissing scenes, one depicting couples making out or having sex ("parking") in their cars.
The "Reel Revelation": "Love Songs"
Successful musicals do well for a reason. There have been books written on the great musicals and why they "work". In the same way that Beethoven's Symphonies or Michelangelo's sculptures are studied and scrutinized, musicologists and music critics have tried to unravel the secrets of the great musicals. They've found that there is a certain sort of "format" that seems to be at work when musicals rise above the rest. Among many elements (too many to list here) that make a musical great, the love song is key. In some musicals you may only have one love song;one sacred moment when the lovers embrace and share their feelings in song. While most musicals make use of several love songs, you can bet that they'll be among the sweetest and gentlest tunes in any given show. The very same is true when considering the love songs of "Grease", especially "Hopelessly Devoted To You".
Guess mine is not the first heart broken,
My eyes are not the first to cry.
I'm not the first to know,
There's just no gettin' over you.
Hello, I'm just a fool who's willing,
To sit around and wait for you.
But baby can't you see,
There's nothin' else for me to do.
I'm hopelessly devoted to you.
A simple and unencumbered love song. In the first verse (above), Sandy makes her intentions known and begins the heartbreaking process of confessing her love for Danny. She doesn't even confess her feelings to him directly, but to herself! I can't hear a love song like this and keep myself from thinking 'Do I confess my feelings as truly when I sing of my love for God?' On one hand there's no way to compare our love for our Heavenly Father to the love shared between two people, especially in the context of a musical. On the other hand, the soaring sentiments of crooning lovers seem, at times, more convincing than the solemn hymns we offer during our sacred services. Even if you worship in a community that employs contemporary music, you might feel the same way.
Is not our love for God more dynamic and vibrant than our love for another? Does it not overshadow all other emotions, especially the sort of romantic love such as is expressed in "Hopelessly Devoted To You"? We might not feel it in our hearts the same way as we do humanly love, but it is higher and greater than any other love we might experience during this life. Let our music reflect that. Christian artists have been striving to express that love (God's love for us, first and foremost) through music for a very long time, and we can give thanks to God that they'll continue to do so. As a composer I've tried my hand at writing "sacred love songs". I'd like to share the lyrics from one of them here.
“Adoration”
Words and Music by E.D. Thompson
Based on “Adoration”, a poem by Priscilla Rose Wyatt
It seemed like just a whisper; the echo of Your voice
I’ve fallen to my knees O God; my heart is here by choice.
I wouldn't trade a moment for a moment shared with You,
The silence of Your presence falls around like morning dew.
I adore You, Savior and King!
Will You turn Your ear and listen to my humble offering?
I adore You, Savior and King!
I will not fear, for You are near;
Your praises I will sing!
I ask You for the blessings of patience, peace, and love,
That I might serve those who don’t know the One sent from above.
They go about their busy ways, they walk upon the wire
They hunger for Your perfect grace that they may never tire.
Chorus
I know there will be seasons of grief, and sin, and shame
Oh may Your promise cover me and see me through the pain.
Your presence overwhelms me, and confounds my mortal fear,
The worries of this passing life dissolve when You appear.
Chorus
"I wouldn't trade a moment for a moment shared with You,
The silence of Your presence falls around like morning dew."
No hugs or kisses needed in that sweet fellowship. It is more than enough to be with Him and to know His presence, falling around us like the dew of morning. God be praised.
See you tomorrow- E.T.
No comments:
Post a Comment