DVD may yet breathe new life into this small but still well-liked movie.
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Some films come and go. "Dirty Dancing" was made on a modest budget of about $5,000,000 and became an unexpected hit, earning over $65,000,000 in domestic receipts. It went on to take in even more money overseas, on video, and in record album sales. Its leads became stars. Then, it all sort of went away.
But apparently it was a case of lost but not forgotten, because when I mentioned to my wife that I was going to review a DVD copy of the film, she was delighted. She told her friends at work, and they wanted to see it, too. "Oh, that´s one of my favorite films," one of them said. DVD may yet breathe new life into this small but still well-liked movie.
The story line of "Dirty Dancing" is thin. It´s mainly an excuse to show off some good early sixties dance music and some equally entertaining dance routines. Set during the summer of 1963, the story involves a recent high school graduate, played by Jennifer Grey, who goes with her family for a few weeks´ vacation at a Catskill´s resort. She is a very serious and somewhat sheltered young woman who learns a lot about life in a very short time when she falls for a dancer at the resort, a young man played by Patrick Swayze.
He is very different from her in background and attitude. Circumstances bring them together as dance partners and things go from there.
The film develops this relationship fairly well, and the audience feels the attraction between them. What´s more important, the film maintains a high energy level throughout. So, it´s probably to the film´s advantage that there is little plot to get in the way of the romance, the music, the dancing, and the pure force of the events.
Video:
Artisan (formerly Live Entertainment) do a good job producing DVDs, and "Dirty Dancing" is no exception. It is not a special edition, but, nevertheless, it contains a wide assortment of materials. First, the disc is two sided and presents the film in both standard 1.33:1 pan-and-scan and 1.85:1 widescreen. In widescreen, as I watched it, the picture quality was reasonably clear and sharply focused, with a not glitch to be seen.
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