Thirty-five years after audiences were first introduced to Johnny (Patrick Swayze) and Baby (Jennifer Grey), Dirty Dancing remains a cultural icon. Loved by generations of fans, this cinematic treasure has inspired multiple films, a stage version, and reality dance competitions watched around the world. On the film’s 35th anniversary, celebrate the magic of Dirty Dancing and its timeless themes of love, family, class, and perseverance all over again.
For thoughts on Dirty Dancing, please check out my piece on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Dirty Dancing has been given a 2160p/Dolby Vision upgrade that was first seen exclusively at Best Buy last year in SteelBook form. This disc returns for mass consumption for the 35th anniversary, and it serves as a substantial step up from all previous Blu-Ray iterations. We are talking about a night and day difference when it comes to the unsightly 20th anniversary Blu-Ray. This transfer allows the film to look the best it ever has on home entertainment, and it should be considered the best way to enjoy it at home.
The new 4K scan has a lovely amount of natural film grain that allows the movie to shine and gives a lot of pleasing texture and detail to the transfer. For the first time on home entertainment, you can clearly see specific elements of the production design in the rehearsal space. Grain is organic and mostly holds to a tight grain structure outside of a few fleeting moments where it gets extra dense in low light or spikes against bright backgrounds. You really do get a miraculous amount of depth that makes the rustic landscape feel more three dimensional than ever. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when you look at the interior of the cabin and various settings around the camp.
The UHD disc contains very deep, nuanced colors throughout with saturation veering more natural than artificially boosted as it shows off the distinct locales. The most impressive moments of Dolby Vision implementation are in the film’s environmental elements including the green of the foliage, the blue of the skies, and other pops of color in clothes. And trust us, there is plenty of eye candy to go around. Black levels are extremely deep and allow the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and detail in darker environments. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering too much into blooming. Skin tones look natural and the clarity of the transfer gives you a striking amount of facial detail including the sweat from dancing. The transfer brings a rich vitality to this feature which it has been craving for a long time.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a stupendous Dolby Atmos presentation, plus lossless DTS-HD 5.1 and theatrical 2.0 stereo tracks is Dolby Digital, which all handle the soundscape of the story incredibly well. Almost everyone can agree the standout aspect of this film is its soundtrack, and the room really comes alive with each memorable song from beginning to end. The Atmos presentation takes full advantage of the expanded channel allotment. Rarely have you felt as fully engulfed in these emotions as you have from this presentation. Speakers remain remarkably engaged throughout the film, even during the quieter, interpersonal moments. Directionality of sound is never an issue with this track, and dialogue is reproduced with supreme clarity.
The track offers expert level immersion into the environment so that even the subtlest elements are represented. During the scenes at the club or along the lake, the din of chatter and announcements from overhead put you right into the rustic setting. Similarly, there are certain moments when it is raining that sound unreal with the height channels. All of the sounds are balanced well during the more active dance sequences. There are no explosions or brawls, but many specific moments provide a fantastic amount of activity in the low end. You could not ask for better from this audio presentation.
Special Features
4K UHD
- Audio Commentary #1: Writer / co-producer Eleanor Bergstein provides a truly lovely commentary track in which she discusses what compelled her to tell this story, the journey to getting it made, the film’s iconic soundtrack, needing to make the audience feel the joy of dancing, writing from a female point of view, memories of her performers, the “edgy” breakfast food she suggested her preferred choreographer order to impress the executives, developing the dances and much more that should be considered an essential listen for any fan of the film.
- Audio Commentary #2: Dance choreographer Kenny Ortega, actor Miranda Garrison (Vivian Pressman), cinematographer Jef Jur, costume designer Hilary Rosenfeld, and production designer David Chapman provide some terrific insights into the film via separately recorded tracks that have been stitched together seamlessly. The subjects discuss establishing the visual style of the film, leaning into the perceived memory of the fashion of the time, developing the moves in the film, pushing the limits of a PG-13 rating and more.
- Establishing Shot with Cinematographer Jeff Jur: A newer 13-minute piece with Jur in which he discusses his early career, getting the Dirty Dancing gig, the approach he had to making this film feel authentic, the importance of framing, the different compositions depending on the world they were trying to portray, shooting from Baby’s point of view, the rehearsal of the dancing and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Blu-Ray
- Audio Commentary #1: Writer / co-producer Eleanor Bergstein
- Audio Commentary #2: Dance choreographer Kenny Ortega, actor Miranda Garrison (Vivian Pressman), cinematographer Jef Jur, costume designer Hilary Rosenfeld, and production designer David Chapman
- Happy Birthday, Dirty Dancing: A great 29-minute retrospective in which various new and archival interviews are conducted which take a look at the film as a piece of art and its enduring place in cinema history. Interview subjects include writer/co-producer Eleanor Bergstein, actors Bronwyn Reed, Debra Messing, Miranda Garrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Bruce Greenwood and Lori Petty, casting director Bonnie Timmermann, director James Powell, and so many more notable people who share their own enthusiasm for the story which is infectious.
- Patrick Swayze – In His Own Words: A 13-minute featurette which collects interviews with Swayze in which he discusses his early love of dancing, capturing the honesty of the time period, the lack of an extensive rehearsal period, the injuries he sustained, constructing the passionate final dance sequence, his history of women asking him to lift them, the legacy of the film and more.
- Eleanor Bergstein – Thoughts On A Lifetime Of Dirty Dancing: A seven-minute conversation with Bergstein in which she discusses the deeper meaning behind the title sequence, the audition process, how this story resonates with audiences, the deeper themes at play and more.
- Patrick Swayze Uncut: A nearly 14-minute piece with Swayze which is made up of some of the moments from the “In His Own Words” featurette. In this piece, he talks about his ballet training, playing Johnny, the insanity that comes from being a star, his work as a musician, the amazing mentors he was lucky to have and more.
- Featurettes
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- Dirty Dancing – The Phenomenon: A 14-minute archival piece which takes a closer at the uncertainty over the film’s prospect and how it shot off like a rocket within the cultural zeitgeist.
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- The Rhythm of The Dancing: A four-minute interview with Swayze in which he discusses the popularity of the film’s soundtrack and his experience creating “She’s Like The Wind.”
- Music Videos
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- “Hungry Eyes” (3:54)
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- “She’s Like The Wind” (3:59)
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- “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” (4:51)
- Cast and Crew Interviews
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- Jennifer Grey: An 11-minute interview with Grey in which she discusses auditioning for the role of Baby, how she felt upon landing the lead role, memories of the creative team, the extreme cold of the water, the horrible feedback she got from her agent and more.
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- Eleanor Bergstein: A 19-minute interview with Bergstein in which she discusses the change in location planning, the fame that came with Swayze before this film, the elements she was asked to excise from the film, how positioning the film for an adult audience changed the legacy of the feature and more.
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- Miranda Garrison: A 13-minute interview with Garrison in which she discusses the choreography, how the dancing echoed the narrative journey of the characters and more.
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- Kenny Ortega: A nearly 16-minute interview in which Ortega discusses becoming the choreographer for Dirty Dancing, the importance that Swayze placed on this role, the lack of rehearsal time, the performance background of the actors and more.
- Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes
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- Deleted Scenes: Eleven scenes totaling 12 minutes are provided here including unnecessary buildup of the family getting ready to head to the Catskills, more rehearsal scenes, Baby talking to her father and more.
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- Extended Scenes: Seven scenes totaling eight minutes are provided here including additional scenes with Baby and Johnny, plus a scene with a different actress playing the mom character.
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- Alternate Scenes: Three scenes totaling three minutes are provided here featuring different conversations in the family car, Baby’s sister talking about her coral shoes, and more.
- Screen Tests & Outtakes
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- Jennifer Grey Screen Test Comparisons (0:53,1:06)
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- Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey Screen Test Montage (1:12)
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- Outtakes (0:38)
Final Thoughts
Dirty Dancing is one of the defining films of the ‘80s, and it is a story that should not be dismissed due to that popularity. While it would be easy to throw out iconic lines or attempt notorious dance moves and call it a day, the deeper thematic resonance at the source is key to its creative success. The film swims in nostalgic waters without allowing itself to be pulled down by the undercurrent. It is difficult to find a movie that is so deliciously entertaining that deals so confidently with class disparity, women’s reproductive rights, sex positivity and more. Writer Eleanor Bergstein wanted to make the audience swoon, but she also wanted to say something of substance. Sprinkle in the magical chemistry of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, and you have a classic that will be remembered forever. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a magnificent A/V presentation and a dazzling assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this is not to be missed. Highly Recommended
Dirty Dancing is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.