Starring
Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, Cynthia Rhodes, Kelly
Bishop, Jane Brucker, Jack Weston. Directed by Emile Ardolino. (1987,
101 min).
In
1988, there was a TV special called America's All-Time Favorite
Movies. Hosted by Jerry Lewis, these "all-time favorites"
were selected by viewers who voted by calling a special 1-900 number
(remember those?). Clips were shown of each film as well. For the finale, the esteemed Max Von Sydow
lent his dignified demeanor to announce the final countdown. Like most
specials and award shows produced by Dick Clark, it was pointless and cheesy, but I
tuned in anyway.
Obviously,
since anyone with a phone could weigh-in, I knew this wasn't exactly
gonna be an AFI list. Still, there were some acknowledged classics on
the list, with Gone with the Wind being voted number one. Olivia de
Havilland came out to graciously thank the world, acting as though
the thing just won a second handful of Oscars. Before that, though,
Von Sydow had the honor of announcing Dirty Dancing as
America's second favorite film of all time, appearing slightly
repulsed as he glared at the teleprompter. And who could blame him?
I
was incredulous. Really, America? Eight decades and literally
hundreds of undisputed classics and you pick a piece of teen-centric
fluff that's barely a year old and will probably be forgotten by next
year?
 |
| How to dirty dance when your partner has barn breath. |
I
was wrong, of course (about it being forgotten, that is). 30 years
down the road, Dirty Dancing has itself become a beloved
classic that helped define its decade and is arguably the definitive
example of the "soundtrack movie" which ruled the 80s (I still hesitate to call
it an true musical). It has legions of fans of all ages around the
world, not-to-mention inspired a few TV shows, concert tours, a pseudo-sequel and a Broadway
production. As of this writing, a made-for-TV remake is also in the can. Not bad a piece of teen-centric fluff that would be forgotten in
a year.
And
of course, it continues to be re-released on home video, the latest
being this 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray, which fans may want to
consider upgrading to. While there are several holdover features from
previous releases (though not all of them), the new extras (listed
below) are definitely aimed for those who cherish this film. Since
Patrick Swayze has since passed away, the previously unreleased
interview from 2006 is especially poignant.
EXTRA
KIBBLES:
NEW:
2 INTERVIEWS WITH PATRICK SWAYZE (from 2006)
NEW:
"HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY" - Original cast & crew, along
with those
involved
with the stage musical and upcoming TV remake. A pretty comprehensive retrospective featurette.
NEW:
"Eleanor Bergstein: Thoughts on a Lifetime of Dirty Dancing"
2
AUDIO COMMENTARIES - with writer/producer Eleanor Bergstein; with
choreographer Kenny Ortega, cinematographers Jeff Jur & Hilary
Rosenfield, production designer David Chapman
FEATURETTES:
"Dirty Dancing: The Phenomenon"; "The Rhythm of the
Dancing"; Cast & Crew Interviews
3
MUSIC VIDEOS: "Hungry Eyes," "She's Like the Wind"
& "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
DELETED,
EXTENDED & ALTERNATE SCENES
SCREEN
TESTS & OUTTAKES
DVD
& DIGITAL COPIES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...TIME FOR DIRTY DANCING DIE-HARDS TO DOUBLE-DIP
No comments:
Post a Comment