Most Romantic Moment #4
I Love this musical. My best friend Carson and I were obsessed with it when we were eight years old. We used to watch it over and over, knew every song by heart, and could do the hand jive in our sleep. Grease was definitely the word.
So the movie is set in the 1950s, you know one of my favorite decades.
Sandy is from Australia and visiting the American beach for summer vacation (winter in Australia). She meets Danny is also away at the beach and the two meet and fall head over heels for each other. But Sandy has to back home, with both thinking they would never see each other again.
School’s back in session, and we see Danny is the hottest and coolest guy in school.
He and his gang are ready to finish their senior year when he gets the biggest surprise of his life, Sandy is in school. Can this designated bad boy and good girl make a relationship work?
Throw in a car racing challenge, dance contest, Frankie Avalon, and amazing songs.
Most Romantic Moment: I Will Do What I Can to Get You Back
So throughout the whole film we see that Danny is all about “his reputation”.
Sleeping around with girls, not caring about what happens to them but just using and losing…
See ya!
However when he meets Sandy that changes. At first he tries to keep to his “tomcattin” ways, but realizes that’s not what he wants; he wants Sandy. But how to win her back?
Hmm…
As Sandy is a cheerleader, he decides to go out for a team sport going from greaser to jock. (Which was a big deal then. Remember Daryl in The Outsiders and how he was able to cross over into Soc territory if he wanted to because of football? Ponyboy too was offered that as well but he wouldn’t give up his cigarettes for track). But Danny doesn’t really mean it, he’s just doing it to try and win Sandy back at this moment. But because he doesn’t put his whole heart into it, he messes up again and again; ditching her for another girl to win the dance contest and giving her his “ring of commitment” in order to make out.
Men
But none of these work, Sandy is a high quality girl and she won’t have some pretender, she needs something real.
So Danny realizes that if he loves her, he needs to stop the pretending and kidding around. He is going to have to do something really drastic to show Sandy he truly cares about her.
So he decides to quit the T-Birds
Now contrary to what some bloggers say, he is not just putting a “cardigan on”. The sweater is a symbol that he is completely changing his life. By changing the T-Bird leather jacket to the cardigan with his “letter for track” on it, he’s not only saying that he is giving up the “fast” lifestyle, the parting with all these other women, the reputation of never settling down; but that he is going to be something more stable and trustworthy. Something that she can rely on and that will be there for her.
As he tells the other boys, he grown out of that, and is instead looking forward to a future with Sandy, not just a “playdate”.
“Danny Zuko: Oh c’mon you guys…You know you mean a lot to me…it’s just that Sandy does too. And I’m going to do anything I can to get her…“
After all, what’s comfortable, can be worn anywhere, and something that makes you feel relaxed, supported, and warm…a leather jacket or a cardigan?
To start Romance is in the Air:Part IV from the beginning, go to I Can’t Pretend, I Have to Be: Casual Sex? (1988)
For the previous post, go to Business is Business, But Your Happiness is More Important: Borrowed Hearts (1997)
For more on Grease, go to Why Were You Driven Away?
For more musicals, go to Marry Me: Gigi (1958)
For more period films, go to I Choose You: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
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