Grease
a film by Ronald Kleiser released through
Parmount Pictures in 1978
Engaging the past is an exercise in wish
fulfillment. We either find evidence to
support our notions of unaccounted wrongs or assume universal pleasures that
were in reality the purvey of an exclusive few.
Writings on history seem to begin
with a hypothesis, when truth may be served better by pure curiosity and a
willingness to discover.
Sometime in the early 1970s, a
Chicago theater troupe helped launch a surge of nostalgia that infused the
culture of the decade. The '50s viewed
from the perspective of the Sexual Revolution meant a greater injection of
sensuality into the decade than was collectively recalled. (The '50s are second only to the '60s as a
battleground for historians because of the decade's reputation for moral
conservatism.) And now we look at the
movie Grease with interpretations
relevant for (and relative to) our time, far removed from the period of its
subject matter and its creation.
From a creative standpoint, creating
a story within the confines of a particular time in the past generates a host
of problems, particularly these: A
critical audience questions every detail from experience, and to launch a
production where every item of clothing, every automobile, every colloquialism
requires an authenticity grounded in research, not memory, is a consuming
difficulty.
In the end, insouciance is the mood
of the '50s. Telling the story of Sandy
and Danny demands a world where no outside influences can interfere on the
objective of having fun. This is a
requirement better matched by the mood of the 1950s than the storm-tossed '60s
and '70s.
The centrality of Danny and Sandy to
this story is established in the pre-credits sequence. A leisurely montage documents the joys of a
teenage couple at the beach. At its
conclusion, we first see their differences—Danny is eager to get busy, Sandy is
reticent. But she is not upset by his
advances. She seems discouraged, asking
plaintively, "Danny, is this the end?" "Of course not. It's only the beginning." Sandy's return home to Australia is bringing
their time to an end, but Danny has faith their love will carry on. Sandy does stay, but Danny embarrasses
himself and so begins an elaborate courtship.
First, Danny's goal is simply to
resume dating. But once that hope is
realized, and tensions still surface, he strives for nothing less than
spiritual unity. The idea of physical
unity or marriage doesn't seem to hold his interest.
All the travails of the supporting
cast contribute to the story of Danny and Sandy. A (mistaken) pregnancy affords us a chance to see Sandy's
kindness, while Kenicke's drive for Thunder Road glory deepens the friendship
between he and Danny, producing an occassion to demonstrate Danny's bravery and
fortitude. The dance just serves as
another forum for romantic conflict, as Cha Cha's passion for the trophy derails Sandy and Danny's
progress. The narrative excursion of Danny searching for a sport compatible with
his personality gives perspective on his dedication to winning Sandy.
After rejecting Danny at the pep
rally, Sandy promises to be finished with her summer lover, but, hopelessly
devoted, vows forever love. Occasional
disgust with Danny subsequently surfaces, but, overall, the suspense lay with
the question of whether Danny can satisfy himself with this One. At the drive-in, Danny makes his
decision. In the musical counterweight to
"Hopelessly Devoted," "Sandy"'s most critical line is "When
high school is done...the two of us will be one in Heaven forever..."
Finally spared the subplots
continually intruding upon the story, Danny decides to shift to Sandy's way of
life to win her just as Sandy decides to do the same. Encountering these new personas at the
carnival, Danny is stunned. His
conversion aborted, the boy-in-black returns and, in reassuming leadership,
elicits Sandy's delight.
She is dressed provocatively and her
hair is really big, but what is the huge change? Underneath, has she become irresponsible,
happily amoral and suspicious of authority figures? Just what the two of them were and what they
are now is left unsaid. Most important,
they are together—and high school is done, so...
The ascent into the skies is oft
derided as a bizarre capstone to a rollicking fantasy flick, but actually this
development is grounded in the narrative, providing a welcomed dose of
thought-provoking symbolism in the process.
Danny had sang for this, pined for it, vowed that it would happen, and
in this '50s netherworld of timelessness, the protagonist has the power to
levitate objects, and, with his mate, transcend the confines of mere mortality
through the transcendent power of staying Cool.
If the 1950s were as wonderful as millions have maintained, the reality that an entire generation raised in a time of secure fun would have to face a crucible of division and upheaval with the passage of years is here alleviated symbolically. Sandy and Danny don't face sadness, disappointment, and the burden of aging. They pass over, through, and above these snares, remaining the same happy people they were, lost in love, lost in time.