Grease....... not woke enough!

Missfoodlove

I watched Grease with my GD6, she was captivated, the story mostly went over her head but the clothes, music and dancing she adored.

Today I read there were many complaints as it is apparently homophobic, slut shaming, rapey and should never be televised again!
Oh also there are no black or mixed race actors in the film.

Have we gone too far?

Absolutely. I watched Grease and Dirty Dancing, which also has its critics, no doubt. To those who don't like these older films I suggest turning over or off. Don't martyr yourselves just for anyone else's sake.

Id be surprised t any woman of any age being unaware that men and boys 0ften expect sex. to stay with a girl/woman. sadly, I fear young women today are often expected to provide the kind of sex shown in porn films

This is a fantastic thread, explaining the different views people can justifiably hold about things-in this case films.
When I first watched Grease I didn’t get get anything out if it except that you had to be thin to win. How naive was I?
Now there’s sexual gratification on a stepladder, masturbation, checks to make sure there’s at least one token actor or pairing from each group who may be offended in any film or program you watch. If that’s Woke, I think I’ll go back to sleep.

Oh what a miserable life it would be if we were expected to just watch TV and films, read books, do anything mindlessly and without any judgement whatsoever. It isn't wrong to criticise something, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Critical analysis of anything shouldn't be dismissed because you like it. Personally I think most musicals are a load of rubbish, the exceptions probably being 'Avenue Q' and 'The Book of Mormon' but I know others love them (Oh and Singing in the Rain.)
Anniebach My mother was nearly 90 when she first saw Grease (she's dead now). I thought spotting the sub-text was quite good at her age, and it is there.

You could actually argue that the ending of The Merchant of Venice, like that of The Taming of the Shrew was Shakespeare's way of making sure these two plays would be performed and lessons learnt from them.

Remember Elizabeth Taylor in the epilogue to The Taming of the Shrew?

Any decent actor who takes on Shylock can make his "Rialto" speech so unforgettable that the ending of the play is not what you remember afterwards.

Yes, the endings can be seen as anti-semite or anti-feminist, but the message throughout the plays is anything but.

Grease on the other hand, I have always found quite unbearable, both in the seventies and now.

There¨s no accounting for taste, is there?

I've never been a fan of the film, and not really fussed either way.
But thinking about it, the girls are pretty much 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' regarding sex and relationships.

Rizzo - too slutty
Sandy - not slutty enough

The Daily Mail (Fail) article was based on FOUR critical tweets.
A very slow news day often results in this hideous rag digging for obscure bits of information around which to build a 'story'. Loads of films (and quite a lot of Shakespeare's plays) seem way off message now. It is what it is - of its time - chill.

trisher with respect your mother is nearly 90, youngsters
do not think as 90 year old’s think

Most people watch these films for entertainment and don't think of the content in depth. However, there are others who are determined to be offended by anything and everything which does not comply with their current ideals.

My Grandmother once described someone as being willing to walk a mile in her bare feet over broken glass just to have her feelings hurt - I think that description could be applied to many of those who complain about everything!

NanaandGrampy

Its a film I love , right up there with Dirty Dancing and Seven Brides for Seven brothers over the Christmas period . I don't see the need for pre showing warnings - such a load of rubbish. They are what they are, stories of their time. A movie history if you will.

They should be watched for the fiction they are not held up as a rule book from the era. My granddaughter loves all three- if she had questions about the behaviours etc we would discuss it .

You cant have a future without a past - shame some people want eradicate everything about ours.

Hear hear well said. My oldest grand daughter loves it too.?

It's entertainment, if you don't like it don't watch it. It is certainly better that a lot of the rubbish on the box today.

Its a film I love , right up there with Dirty Dancing and Seven Brides for Seven brothers over the Christmas period . I don't see the need for pre showing warnings - such a load of rubbish. They are what they are, stories of their time. A movie history if you will.

They should be watched for the fiction they are not held up as a rule book from the era. My granddaughter loves all three- if she had questions about the behaviours etc we would discuss it .

You cant have a future without a past - shame some people want eradicate everything about ours.

Callistemon

Vickysponge

trisher

I don't want to censor it. I do think a warning might be good and anyone who allowed their child to watch it should be prepared to have a discussion about boy's and girl's attitudes to sex and how things have changed.

A warning to watch Grease? ????I’ve heard it all now. Absolutely ridiculous.

???

Well, it is a bit saucy.
All that black leather

It was actually the attitude of the boys and Sandy's last outfit that upset my mum when she saw it on TV. She was expecting a nice musical! She also thought (which I thought was quite perceptive of her at nearly 90) that it encouraged girls to think that in order to keep a boyfriend they had to have sex with them.

Vickysponge

trisher

I don't want to censor it. I do think a warning might be good and anyone who allowed their child to watch it should be prepared to have a discussion about boy's and girl's attitudes to sex and how things have changed.

A warning to watch Grease? ????I’ve heard it all now. Absolutely ridiculous.

???

Well, it is a bit saucy.
All that black leather

Ilovecheese

I watched the documentary about the last days of Anne Boleyn, and had to confirm that I was over 16 before I could watch it.

Did you lie?

When I've had to do that I thought 'who would know, who is checking up?'

I love grease, i watch it every time it is on TV
Definitely things have gone too far, ridiculous wanting it to be banned

trisher

I don't want to censor it. I do think a warning might be good and anyone who allowed their child to watch it should be prepared to have a discussion about boy's and girl's attitudes to sex and how things have changed.

A warning to watch Grease? ????I’ve heard it all now. Absolutely ridiculous.

Antonia

Oh, ok, go on then, Lucretzia!! I loved them too.

DD1 loved Grease the film and music so much that her 18th Birthday present was tickets for her and best friend to the West End show. It wasn’t until some years later playing the music in her car that she realised that some of the words weren’t really suitable for her two year old daughter to be singing along to.

Oh, ok, go on then, Lucretzia!! I loved them too.

Antonia

I didn't mean to imply that 'Malory Towers' is a classic!

Ooh, I think it is, Antonia ;-)

Loved those books

I didn't mean to imply that 'Malory Towers' is a classic!

Iam64. I enjoyed the new David Copperfield, Dev Patel is brilliant as were the rest of the cast
I'm sure Dev Patel played the role very well. My point was that for David Copperfield to be Asian, it follows that he must have had Asian parents. But he didn't. Dora was a vapid, tremulous and shallow creature and definitely English.
I have no objection to newly made programmes reflecting today's society, and I think it's good that children are made aware of, and accept diversity. What I do not like are the new renditions of classics, revamped to suit today's tastes.
Another example is the 'Malory Towers' series, in which Darrell is dyslexic, Jean is facially disfigured and Miss Potts is black. No girl is ever threatened with a spanking, and instead, 'scoldings' are dished out making a complete nonsense of the original stories.
We shouldn't be trying to rewrite history, however much we might disagree with it.
Rant finished now.

I loved Grease and watched it with both DDs and we enjoyed singing the sings long after watching it.

Whatever lyrics in the songs, completely went over their heads. No damage done and we had fun.

It was a film of its time. Much more worrying times now as parents have to monitor whatever unwanted information can be served up to their children on line.

grannygravy

It's not the sort of thing you'd want your nan to watch.