Surname 1

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date

Compare and contrast Grease (1978) and West Side Story (1961)

The film Grease (1978) is a musical written by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs.
It was directed by Randal Kleiser and was released on 16th June 1978 by Paramount
Pictures. The musical tells the love story of a boy (Danny) who falls in live with
Sandy. The couple is faced with a series of conflicts and misunderstandings and
although they break up, they still care for each other. It covers the challenges faced by
adolescents such as high school cliques, peer pressure and troubling relationships
among others. Moreover, Grease shows the different views men and women have on
interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, West Side Story (1961) by Robert Wise
and Jerome Robbins is a powerful, emotional and violent musical that explores social
issues present in the New York City during the 1950s such as racism and segregation.
Both films warrant a joint discussion because they are a reflection of social issues
currently facing our society such as racism and prejudice in West Side Story as well as
Challenges in adolescent relationships as discussed in the film, Grease.

Grease is set in the 1950s at a time when school gangs were made up of
sarcastic, wise, pistol carrying, song and dance individuals. The film discusses a time
in America when the hair was greasy, skirts were long, racism was a common thing in
the society and there was nothing like equal pay for equal amount of work (Bradshaw
np). During the 1950s individuals were more concerned with their appearances and all
were required to act and look wholesome. West Side Story, on the other hand, is set in
New York City in the mid 1950s, a multiracial community. The story tells the conflict
between two gang groups, the Jets and the Sharks from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The protagonist, Tony is a former member of the Jets crew and is the best friend to
Riff, the gang leader. He falls in love with Maria, the sister of the antagonist, gang,
The Sharks. The dark theme in the movie is released through the music and dance
scenes.

A great film comprises of almagated layers developed by costuming, make up,

lighting, film texture and composition. Cinematography involves the camera work or
art of photography during filmmaking (Boggs and Petrie 17). Cinematography in
Grease was done by Bill Buttler. The film utilizes a wide range of costumes and hair
make up. Since the movie is set in the 1950s, the characters are dressed to look like
similar to how people dressed in the set time. As the story is based on high school
sweethearts, the characters wear high school uniforms, shorts and shirts that bring up
the idea that they are high school students. Female characters in the film wear
oversized floral dresses with bright colors such as pink and yellow. The clothes also
have a vintage appearance, a lot of laces and nets, which were popular fashion styles
at the time. The hair and makeup of the female characters also seems exaggerated in
terms of color, as it is both bold and bright. The ladies also put on red lipstick and
heavy eyeliner and eye shadow. Their hair is long in length and greatly volumised to
give it a vintage look. On the other hand, the men have pomade-greased hair
reflecting the men hairstyles in the era.
 Surname 2

West Side Story’s cinematography is dynamic and unique as it seeks to explore the
New York City setting. There is for instance a scene that shows the vibrancy of the
dance at the gym. The characters’ movements as well as the color of clothes exhibit
the division and tension between the street gangs (Robbins and Wise n.p). The White
American gang, The Jets, moves in a timid manner, but still look powerful. They
dance more uniformly compared to the Sharks. In contrast, the Puerto Rican gang,
Sharks, moves in a fierce manner. Their dancing style is also strong and proud.
Additionally, the colors used in the scene are also very symbolic. Men and women in
the American gang wear formal shirts and dresses of various shade such as blue,
orange and yellow. Such colors are symbolic to their calm and reserved personalities.
On the other hand, the Puerto Rican dancers wear bright colors such as red, purple
and pink. The bright color connects to their loud extroverted personality traits. From
the contrasting dance moves to the varying choice of colors, the audience is able to
grasp the cultural differences as well as the existing division between the two gangs.

In Grease, the lighting used includes a combination of three-point, high key

and low key (hunterblake57 n.p). The impact of the lighting style is realized as it
makes every scene different from another. For instance, there are some scenes that
appear more dramatic compared to others due to low lighting. Also, there are some
scenes that concentrate more on the actors as influenced by the three-point lighting
technique while others appear more energetic and bright due to high lighting. Most of
the scenes in the film however used low-key lighting. The technique casts out large
shadows inside frames making most scenes appear dramatic. In the sleepover scene,
different props, clothing and the placement of actors brings the scene to live along
with the singing of the solo song, ‘hopelessly.’ The scene uses the three point lighting
style. In general, the lighting technique applied in Grease suits the film as it gives it a
stage performance tone associated to musicals (Bradshaw n.p). On the other hand,
West Side Story greatly incorporates low-key lighting. Since the movie is a dramatic
tragedy, it needed to incorporate a technique that makes the scenes appear more
dramatic. When watching the film, the attention of the audience is focused on the
characters instead of their surroundings. For instance, in the scene where Maria and
Tony meet at the dance, the scene at first utilizes the high key lighting. However,
when they finally meet at the middle of the dance floor, the scene uses low lighting
effect allowing only the target characters to be illuminated. By doing so, the audience
relates to the instant connection of the two characters as the lighting makes them feel
and look as if they are the only dancers in the gym. Additionally, the low lighting
symbolizes the tragedy behind the characters’ relationship. Maria and Tony are drawn
apart by their racial differences and then death; the low lighting reflects the darkness
of the narrative. Although the film highly relies on low-key lighting, there are
instances where high key lighting is applied. At the beginning of the movie, the Jets
parade themselves in broad daylight bragging about their toughness. The bright high
key lighting symbolizes their pride and high self-regard.

Another essential component in filmmaking used to develop the cinematic

techniques include camera work. The camera work in Grease is a great move as it
showcasts the characters in a more personable view. The editing techniques are also
magnificent. The movie comprises of different shots from close ups to long shots
developing shots and midshots. An example of a shot is the display of a huge speaker
that bounces on the screen to show the audience that music is about to begin. The shot
could be considered as a close shot as the speaker consumes the full width of the
 Surname 3

screen. In West Side Story different camera angles and perspectives are used. During
the opening ballet gang fight, the camera paces back and forth the objective and
subjective perspectives, allowing the action to be seen from a distance. Countless
jump cuts can also be realized that allow the viewer to see the urban cityscape. There
are other times when the camera is positioned in a fixed frame movement, such as the
time when Maria stares out of her window after meeting Tony. The shot allows the
viewer to see Maria’s expression of love that she conceals from her brother who
reprimands her for her love interest. The cinematographer also uses an array of color
and an interesting case to move the movie forward. There is a variation of characters
in West Side Story. There are stock characters among the gang groups who fill the
scenes and push the plot along. However, characters such as Maria and Tony are well
developed to narrate the story. As the story begins, Maria is a young innocent
individual who is happy with her new life in New York City and is hardly affected by
the gangster activities around her (Robbins and Wise n.p). As the film comes to an
end, she has suffered loss and grieves over her lover, an experience that leaves her
stronger than she ever was. Toy is another example of a developing character.
Although both characters have some similarities, they come from diverse backs.

Moving on, sound is a crucial element in filmmaking. However in musicals,

sound is essential in plot development as it carries the story along. For many directors,
sound goes beyond the use of songs to accompany the film (Boggs and Petrie 15).
For instance, in Grease, there is a fair use of dialogue. The dialogue is further
emphasized by the music found in the movie. Similarly, West Side Story has several
instances of dialogue. For instance, the dialogue between the Sharks and the Jets
shows the cultural differences between the two groups as well as the language barriers
encountered in the film. Robert Wisely incorporates an array of dialects, accents and
word choice to not only show the segregation between the characters but also the
confusion and tensions around them. Another example is the ‘America sequence’
scene that shows a dialogue where the Sharks mock Anita and comment on the harsh
treatment of immigrants in America. The gang further comments on how Anita
compares the country’s technology to that of Puerto Rico. Bernardo tells her to get
rid of her accent when she explains her dream to own a terrace apartment. From the
statement, Bernardo means that Anita needs to erase her whole identity if she wants to
succeed in the new homeland. Although the dialogue is played as light conversation
between friends, it is an illustration of the prejudice and challenges experienced by
Puerto Ricans in their new homeland. It shows how their accents are used against
them and they are singled out from the natives leaving them feeling vulnerable and
judged.

Songs in many musicals enhance and contribute to the plot development.

Music in the musical Grease is perfectly chosen to bring out the pleasure in the film.
The songs narrate the story of high school sweethearts who date, quarrel, make up and
make out. The songs also reflect of the challenges teens encounter during their high
school experiences all songs are recognizable and are beautiful coordinated to the
musical’s tune. The songs also show a plot point for instance, the song, ‘Alone at a
Drive-in Movie shows the shaken confidence in Danny. Moreover through the song
‘Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee’ the audience can see Sandy’s growth as she decides to
change. Music is also used to emphasize on the deeper emotions of characters. For
example, the songs, ‘ Grease Lightning’ and ‘You’re the One That I want,’ are
 Surname 4

soundtracks that engage the audience. The songs add deeper emotions to the feelings
felt by the characters in a way that the audience feels the emotions as well. For
instance, when Sandy is at a sleep over and gets harassed by Rizzo, she feels that the
situation is too much for her to bear along with the fact that she was suffering from a
broken heart over Danny. Through the sweeping ballad orchestration, the audience
can feel Sandy’s pain as if she is wailing in the verse and as it comes to an end, the
audience feels her determination. It is as if the song helps her work out some of her
feelings towards Danny as shown by her smile (Kleiser n.p). The film West Side Story
also uses music to set the tone and emotions of the characters in the narrative.
‘Prologue;’ sets the tone and mood in the play and quickly illustrates the upcoming
conflict. The music begins at a high pitch and the beats repeated throughout it
sometimes in a slow, high pitch, fast or high pitch mood. The song, ‘somewhere’ for
example shows the emotions of the characters (Robbins and Wise n.p). Although
Maria realizes what Tony had done to her brother, she is still able to love him and as
Tony sings to console her, the audience can hear the pain behind their voices. The
song also emphasizes their hopelessness and urgency to ending violence. Overall, the
choice of music in the film is splendid as the audience can feel the story in the music
and move along with it.

In terms of sound effects, Grease comprises of diegetic and non-diegetic

sounds. Non-diegetic sounds include the murmurs in the classroom, the chirps of
crickets at night as well as the rumbling of car engines among others. On the other
hand, diegetic sounds are realized in the music playing during a dance off in the
morning intercom announcements (Kleiser n.p). West Side Story has also employed
several sound effects. The film is shot in a busy city hence sounds that can be heard
include the sound of cars, sirens as well as the sounds of feet as people move along
the pavement. There are very few moments in the film when things seem completely
silent. However, it is important to note that since the film constantly incorporates
sound, the silent moments in the film had an impact to the audience. A moment of
silence is realized before and after the shooting of Tony. The murder is done out of
revenge for Bernardo’s death. Chino shoots Tony and Tony lays limp and lifeless in
Maria’s arms. At that moment, there was no noise and the moment was filled with
silence as if to signify the void created by Tony’s death. The technique is used so that
the audience contemplates the character’s death as well as those of Bernardo and Riff.
Since there is no sound, the audience has nothing to concentrate on, but the moment.
It is also likely that the director intended the viewers to take a moment to comprehend
what Tony’s death meant to Maria and to the society at large. The silence also
captures the attention of the audience and paves way for Maria’s final dialogue, where
she mocks violence, making the scene more dramatic. Overall, sounds in both films
strengthen the themes through the use of songs that express and emphasize the
characters emotions. The sounds not only entertain the audience, but also help move
the story line clearing up any feelings of confusion that the audience might be
experiencing.

Grease is a musical that was developed on a very low budget of six million
but later made huge profits. Upon its release, it was an immediate success in box
office with an estimated gross of $ 8,941,717 in the Canadian and U.S. theatres and
was ranked 2nd at the box office coming after Jaws 2. Currently, the musical has a
gross of $394,955,690 around the globe. The film has also received positive criticism
from several critics globally and is named as one of the best movies of 1978. We can
 Surname 5

therefore say that Grease was successful both commercially and critically. In 2015,
the film had a 78% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes with most critics saying
that the film is a pleasing musical with catchy music and is an ode that never gets old.
Grease was also voted as the best musical among 100 greatest musicals on Channel 4
and was selected as one of the greatest movies of all time in 2008 by Empire
Magazine. West Side Story on the other hand is a movie that also made an immediate
success in box office. The film has a domestic gross of $43,656,822 and an estimate
of $43,656,822 worldwide. The film stands as the most iconic Shakespeare adaptation
that has managed to stand the test of time. In Rotten tomatoes, the film has a rating of
92% with 72 reviews. It has also received several criticisms from various popular
individuals. For instance, Whitney Williams claims that the film is a magnificent
show and a box office smash. Additionally, West Side Story has won three golden
global awards including one of the best musical.

In conclusion, Grease and West Side Story are musical films that connect the
audience with present societal issues. Grease (1978) is a story about two high school
lovers who undergo a series of misunderstanding in their relationship. West Side Story
on the other hand narrates a story about love and loss to show the issue of prejudice
and racism among immigrants. Through the character development and impactful
performances, the films are able to pass their message to their audience.

Work Cited

West Side Story. Dirs. Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. United Artists. 1961.

Boggs, Joseph M and Dennis W Petrie. The art of watching films. McGraw-Hill,
2004.

Bradshaw, Peter. Grease review – Travolta and Newton-John's summer lovin' still a
blast. 18 April 2018. 12 July 2020
file://localhost/<https/::www.theguardian.com:film:2018:apr:18:grease-
review-john-travolta-olivia-newton-john>.

Grease. Dir. Randal Kleiser. Paramount Pictures Studios. 1978.

hunterblake57. Lighting Analysis of Grease. 6 October 2014. 12 July 2020

file://localhost/<https/::hunterblake57.wordpress.com:2014:10:06:lighting-
analysis-of-grease:>.