Plot: What’s it about?
About three years ago, Paramount entered the DVD arena and with it announced their first wave of titles (I think there were five). Among those mentioned was one of their most popular titles to date (both theatrically and on the home video circuit) and that was Grease. No sooner was it announced than it was cancelled, and the long wait began for it to come out. Granted, it wasn’t a malicious act on Paramount’s part, it was tied up in legal issues with the soundtrack or something. In any case, that wait is now over and Grease comes to us in two versions: widescreen and full-screen. However, the lack of supplements is a bit disappointing, especially due to the popularity of the title. It’s not featureless like most of their catalog titles, but it seems to be only a sampling of what the DVD could offer. Grease, as we all know was the popular musical that made the natural progression to movie (nowadays the trend seems to be reversing with "The Producers", "The Lion King" and "Hairspray" raking in the cash). Still, a then young and up and coming actor by the name of John Travolta landed the lead and the rest, as they say, is history.
What Grease lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in sheer fun. The musical numbers of the fabulous 50’s sound just as good as they can and the cast seemed to have fun while doing the movie, it just shows. Essentially Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) had met earlier that Summer (hence the "Summer Nights" song), but now school has started and their romance has ended. But, as luck would have it, they are reunited when Sandy arrives at the same school as an exchange student (what are the odds). Danny, initially overjoyed to see his lost love, quickly becomes a very different person in order to keep his cool with his buddies. Sandy pursues Danny and eventually decides the way to win him back again is to become like him, part of a gang and hence we have the "slut Sandy" as she’s been called (though it’s more of a slang term). Though the course of this, we meet up with some rather interesting characters and some even have their own solos ("Beauty School Dropout", etc.).
The essential message of Grease tries to recreate the atmosphere of the 50’s, then only twenty some years in the past. While the movie is a bit dated, it stands up well over time. Personally, I felt that the movie took itself a bit too seriously and I prefer the Maxwell Caulfield/Michelle Pfeiffer duo that graced Grease 2 (though that’s a no show on DVD as of this writing). The truth is that Grease is just one of those movies that you have to see. It’s a great musical, and it fares well as a love story too (it found a way onto the American Film Institute’s Top 100 love stories of all time). We see Travolta dance, as he usually does and the ensemble cast and songs are great to sing along to. Chances are they showed this on cable time after time, but there’s no other way to see this except on DVD. Grease has made it’s long-awaited arrival and in two different versions. Perhaps we’ll get the "true" special edition treatment sometime in the future, but for now…this will have to do.
Video: How does it look?
Even in the three years since it’s initial announcement, things have changed a lot on this format. Paramount has made some increases in its visual presentation, and Grease has benefited from them. The 2.35:1 anamorphic image looks fairly good, clean of any major artifacts and errors. There seemed to be a little burnout on the transfer, as it appeared a bit over-saturated in some spots. Grease is a very colorful movie, in all sorts of the word, and the general presentation is above average (lest we forget, this film is now 25 years old). Detail is very good and the edge enhancement isn’t an issue either. Any way you look at it, the picture is good (not great), but sure to please any fan.
Audio: How does it sound?
I can remember a few years ago when Grease was re-released on Laser Disc sporting a brand new 5.1 track. That same track has been used here and it sounds pretty decent. Little things, like the engines starting during the drag race scene, leave a thundering "bang" coming from the speakers. Naturally, the songs sound great as all 5.1 channels are almost constantly humming away. Granted, this isn’t reference-quality we’re talking about here, as there’s only so much that could be done with the material they had. Still, just like the video, the audio presentation will more than satisfy any viewer.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A featurette with some retrospective interviews is the only supplement of substance. While the interviews are about five years old (obviously recorded for the 20th anniversary of the film), they’re still interesting. Travolta is even in his old garb! Footage with Oliva Newton-John, Stockyard Channing, Didi Cohn, Jeff Conaway and Director Randal Kleiser are very interesting and they show the sincere appreciation they have for the movie. The original theatrical trailer is also included.
