A Lovely Love Story

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2015)

I first saw "Dirty Dancing" in the theater during its first release. I remember the hype surrounding the film--a kind of cautionary intrigue (not unlike that surrounding the release of "The Exorcist"). I waited with great anticipation and I remember how captivated I was by the opening credits, superimposed over the dramatic and nearly abstract images that resolved into couples dancing.
Since then, I have seen the film many times. It is a wonderful love story about a young woman who stumbles upon a magical world of dance and sensuality and is drawn to it, and to a charismatic dancer from less fortunate circumstances.
The theme of the film concerns appearances and preconceptions based upon class and social station.
Jennifer Grey plays the part of Baby, the young woman who learns to dance and who falls in love with Johnny (Patrick Swayze). Set against the summer season of a Catskill Resort, the story is filled with music of the period (1963) and from other periods, recreating a time that was pivotal in the loss of America's "innocence" as well.
This film deserves its huge following.