Dirty Dancing (30th Anniversary Edition): Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Its the summer of 1963 and Baby is stuck at the Catskills with her parents. Attempting to make the best of the situation, Baby attends the organized classes on merengue dancing and wig demonstration. Suddenly, all of that changes when she meets Johnny Castle, the resort’s dance instructor. With Johnny, Baby learns the steps to a new dance–a dirty dance–that allows her to discover new strengths and new talents in order to define her place in a rapidly changing world. Under the influence of Rhythm and Blues, Baby can now express herself and her love for Johnny.
It had been a very long time since I had seen this film so it almost felt like I was seeing it for the first time again. What else can you say about a film that is definitely a classic and that put a nice cap on the 80’s. The plot to the film is very much a plot from its time so a younger generation that may be experiencing it for the first time may not find it interesting enough. People that grew up with this film will feel like they’re transported back to their youth without a doubt. There’s something about this movie that, even though it’s fairly cheesy in certain ways, just makes it comforting to watch. Swayze and Grey had amazing chemistry on screen and they managed to make their time together totally believable. It was a shock to find out that off screen it was the complete opposite for them BUT that is a testament to their acting ability at that time. Bottom line: This is a classic film that everyone has to experience at least once within their lifetime so why not do it now with the 30th Anniversary Edition. 8/10
Special Features:
Patrick Swayze: In His Own Words – The actor discusses his memories of growing up and ultimately working on one of the films that defined his career.
Eleanor Bergstein: Thoughts On A Lifetime Of Dirty Dancing – She talks a bit about the idea of the film and what it meant to a lot of people.
Patrick Swayze Uncut – A longer version of the previous feature but him talking more about his life and career.
Happy Birthday, Dirty Dancing – Various celebrities talk about their memories and love for the film.
Dirty Dancing: The Phenomenon – Various people talk about the impact that this film had on the world and each others lives.
The Rhythm Of Dirty Dancing – Swayze talks a bit about the music of the film and his contributions to the soundtrack.
Music Videos – 3 videos for the songs “Hungry Eyes”, “She’s Like The Wind” and “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life”
Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes – Self explanatory. TONS of scenes here to check out if you’re really curious.
Screen Tests & Outtakes – Really interesting screen tests of Jennifer Grey as well as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze together. It’s a nice piece of cinematic history.
Cast Interviews With Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Eleanor Bergstein, Miranda Garrison and Kenny Ortega – Cast and crew look back at their time and memories about the production.
Audio Commentary with Kenny Ortega, Miranda Garrison, Jef Jur, Hilary Rosenfeld and David Chapman
Audio Commentary with Writer / Co-Producer Eleanor Bergstein
