Grease: A Timeless Dance Through 1950s High School Melody
As a musical romance film, Grease follows the couple Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, who first meet and fall in love during the summer then suddenly end up in the same school known as Rydell High. The protagonist Danny Sike is the head strong manager of the greaser gang the T-Birds while the heroine is part of the Pink Ladies led by Rizzo. The relationships between the characters are tested as the year progresses – dance contests, auto races and the twinkle of rock ‘n’ roll Oklahoma USA and the restored feelings of the lovers. Foremost, the tone of the show is cheerful and active with a lot of music that gives the feelings of the B5sian 50’s. It introduces the concept of ‘opposites attract’ in the atmosphere of high school: dancing and automobile racing complement the themes of the picture’s ‘coming of age’. The chemistry of the film was good having Travolta having a rough and rebellious look while Newton-John was more of an ‘innocent’ look. Stockard Channing plays the sassy Rizzo with flair and energy, while Jeff Conaway is believable as faithful boyfriend, Kenickie from the famous T Birds Group which gives the audience a range of drama and personalities that reminds us of high school cliques. Due to the direction of Kleiser the story moves forward smoothly portraying the excitement of budding romance and rebellion. How he is able to keep the energy high during dance sequences dance sequences while also not losing the dramatic tension during ballroom scene is a good example of his story telling.
Musical is an important aspect of this film being laden with classic songs such as ‘Summer Nights’ and ‘Greased Lightnin’. The music accompanies it as the songs are deeply infectious, filled with rhythm, and the lyrics are catchy The emotions of the characters are portrayed by music and which provides the narrative momentum. The songs are energetically performed and the optimistic tone heightens the interest in the movie constantly throughout both the acts.
The vigorous visuals by the director of Calm – Bill Butler include bright colours and energetic moving capture the zest of Grease. The visuals help set up a nostalgic mood, there are scenes that depict various settings of the post war America of the fifties that does not look real yet does not look romanticized either. Slow-motion scenes during the musical numbers are particularly meaningful His Eye travels from one character to another, perhaps as an imitation of a tracking shot in the film’s Hollywood-style musical sequences. Clothing ranging from T-Birds leather jackets to brightly colored prom gowns referencing the 1950s are copiously depicted, give a closely knit setting symbolizing the old world, hence an atmospheric setting.
Whereas Pty is not overpowered by special effects it employs reasonable depiction of practical effects during the dance sequences and automobile races adding spice to the plot without compromising the main human interest of the story. The decision keeps the appearance clean from kitsch, and frees the effort to concentrate on dynamics and narrative (Greasy).
The way in which Grease has been edited, does a good job of transitioning from flashy group dance numbers, to engaging and simple talk-based scenes. The changes between one musical number and the other and shifts to story-driven dancing are smooth and logical. The story is developed in a rather coherent manner from one scene to another, which makes it interesting for the viewer: musical and comedic numbers are used as transition. The exchanged are completely filled with humor and emotions, which contribute to the interpersonal relationships among characters including the leads Sandy and Danny.
What can be interesting in watching Grease movie is music and portrayal of love scenes but the growth of some characters is not shown that well. Sometimes the film is filled with clichés that are characteristic of stereotypical high school films, and certain MacGuffins seem undeveloped. However, its weakness can be considered as minor since the film is packed with nice and cheerful energy, brilliant acting. Its travel back to the 1950 era, and perfectly combining it with great acting and heart touching songs to create one memorable show. For all its blatant naivety, the film’s piercing narrative photographs the heart in the manner of an adolescent, and leaves a warm feeling behind.
