Dirty Dancing
Artisan (1987)
Drama, Music, Romance
In Collection
#729
8*
Seen It:  Yes
(6/13/2011)
012236146995
IMDB   5.9
105 mins USA/English
DVD  Region 1   PG-13
Jennifer Grey Frances 'Baby' Houseman
Patrick Swayze Johnny Castle
Jerry Orbach Dr. Jake Houseman
Cynthia Rhodes Penny Johnson
Jack Weston Max Kellerman
Jane Brucker Lisa Houseman
Kelly Bishop Marjorie Houseman
Lonny Price Neil Kellerman
Max Cantor Robbie Gould
Charles 'Honi' Coles Tito Suarez
Neal Jones Billy Kostecki
Director Emile Ardolino
Producer Linda Gottlieb
Doro Bachrach
Eleanor Bergstein
Mitchell Cannold
Writer Eleanor Bergstein

A teenage girl learns about love, adult responsibility, and how to do The Dirty Boogie in this romantic drama. In 1963, Baby Houseman (Jennifer Grey) is a 17-year-old spending the summer with her family at a resort hotel in the Catskills; she plans on being in the Peace Corps next summer, so this is expected to be her last summer as a carefree adolescent. However, Baby doesn't get along with her older sister Lisa (Jane Brucker), and she's bored to tears by most of the older guests at the resort. However, one night Baby hears what sounds like a party going on in the employee's dormitory, and she pokes her head in to discover most of the hotel staff enjoying the sort of close dancing that would get you kicked out of the Senior Prom in no time flat. Baby is particularly struck by handsome Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), a dancer in the resort's floor show, and falls head over heels in love, wanting to be near him. When Johnny's dance partner finds herself pregnant after a fling with one of the waiters, Baby volunteers to learn her steps and take her place; however, Baby's father Dr. Jake Houseman (Jerry Orbach) will have none of it, convinced that Johnny is a low life and that his daughter is too young to understand her own feelings. Dirty Dancing was a surprise box office hit, and the soundtrack album was an even bigger success, spawning several hit singles and inspiring a top-drawing concert tour features several of its artists. — Mark Deming
Edition Details
Edition Ultimate Edition
Release Date 12/9/2003
Packaging Custom Case
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles English; Spanish
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
ENGLISH: DTS Stereo
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 2
Personal Details
Purchase Date 7/20/2004
Owner Thomas Eisenmann
Store Best Buy
Purchase Price $14.99
Condition Excellent
Reviewed Widescreen Review
Bit Rate 448 KB
Anamophic Yes
Links DVD Empire
Amazon US
All Movie Guide
IMDB

Features
Disc 01 Anamophic
Disc One of this new Ultimate Edition offers an optional eight-second Jennifer Grey introduction, two audio commentary tracks (one with writer/co-producer Eleanor Bergstein and the other with choreographer Kenny Ortega, actress/choreographer Miranda Garrison, cinematographer Jeff Jur, costume designer Hilary Rosenfeld, and production designer David Chapman) and a trivia track for all of you Dirty Dancing junkies.

Disc Two adds interviews with Jennifer Grey, Kenny Ortega, Eleanor Bergstein, and Miranda Garrison; a three-minute Jennifer Grey screen test (and she got the job); a 13-minute tribute to director Emile Ardolino; an 87-minute production of "Dirty Dancing Live In Concert"; music videos for “Hungry Eyes,” “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life,” and “She’s Like The Wind”; the theatrical trailer; and a sneak peek at the upcoming movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

Widescreen Review
Story Synopsis:
While vacationing in the Catskills in the summer of 1963, 17-year old Baby Houseman (Grey) falls for hotshot hotel dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Swayze), who is as experienced in life as she is naive. She gets him to teach her to dance his style. The experience is a coming-of-age time for Baby, and a rebellious time for Johnny, but the more they practice dancing, the closer the two become. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Picture:
In an age when double and triple-dipping is common, Artisan has joined the ranks with their third release of "Dirty Dancing." What they’ve done right is give the movie a new 1.78:1-framed anamorphic transfer (both earlier DVD releases were non-anamorphic), with colors that are not as oversaturated as the previous editions. Contrast is also an improvement, though the picture frequently seems dark. Fleshtones can appear a bit hot at times, and blacks drop off with little delineation in the darker scenes. Otherwise, hues are quite satisfying. While the picture is generally sharp and can be nicely detailed, textures and natural definition can be lacking. The source element is revealing of grain and artifacts. Pixelization is occasional, but edge enhancement is minimal. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The audio presentations (DTS-ES® and Dolby® Digital Surround EX™) are both dramatic improvements in sonic quality over the previous soundtrack remastering (reviewed in Issues 28 and 38). Spatial coherence, midrange, fidelity, and low-end articulation are much improved. The audio presentation should be a delight to experience for all fans of this movie. The fidelity is certainly dated, which affects the natural tonality of the dialogue and certain effects. The repurposing of the music, however, is rather impressive, with a solid low-end foundation and an immersive surround sound presence. Surround envelopment is active and prominent throughout, and the back surround serves to round out the three-dimensional perception of immersion. The DTS-ES version is slightly preferred in terms of spatial coherence and low-end body. (Perry Sun)

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Collector Edition