February 8, 2017

Blu-Ray Review: DIRTY DANCING: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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

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