40 Years ago, Grease in France - Mais Encore

Grease - a look back at the film's masterful release in France. During the summer of 1978, in the midst of the disco wave, audiences discovered Grease, a musical comedy starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John set in 1950s America.

By Marie Jacob

The film will be the biggest success of the year with a soundtrack composed of hits like Summer Night and You're The One That I Want

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It is not necessarily the script of Grease which explains the success of this film by Randal Kleiser. A romance which is more of a teen movie (a genre which at the time of its release in 1978 did not yet exist as such).

Let us recall the story during the summer of 1958, Danny Zuko (John Travolta) meets Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John), an Australian student on vacation in the United States. They have a romance which is supposed to end with the return of the beauty to her country. But finally, she stays and chance brings them together in the same high school.

But there, everything opposes them: Danny is a black jacket, the leader of the T-Birds gang, and Sandy, a white goose, top of the class. Everything opposes them, at least in appearance. And the film will reveal their true personalities, sensitive for the boy, explosive for the young lady (revealed in particular by her outfit, leather jacket and ultra-tight black leggings.

Not enough to write home about, you might say, in terms of the script. Moreover, Télérama spoke at the time of a script of rare (really very rare) stupidity. And yet in France, Grease attracted more than 5 million spectators, a record for a musical. Because the strength of Grease is its soundtrack, a series of hits that give the film and the viewer incredible energy. It's not enough to write home about in terms of the script. In fact, Télérama at the time spoke of a script of rare (really very rare) stupidity. And yet in France, Grease attracted more than 5 million spectators, a record for a musical.

Because the strength of Grease is its soundtrack, a series of hits that give the film and the viewer incredible energy.

The story of Grease began in 1971 in Chicago where this musical was created before going off-Broadway in February 1972 (which refers to plays performed in theaters with fewer than 500 seats). The play received 7 Tony Award nominations and was a huge success, remaining on the bill for eight years, that is to say until April 1980, setting an absolute longevity record (since dethroned by A Chorus Line).

Grease was then revived in London (with Richard Gere as Danny Zuko) and then again on Broadway in 1994 and 2007. A French adaptation was created in Paris in 2008 at the Comedia Theatre.

It should be noted that there was a sequel to Grease 1. In 1982, Grease 2 by Patricia Birch was indeed released on screens but as much as the first part was a huge success, the second was a flop. Travolta and Newton-John had given way to Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer. Only the performance of the latter was noticed before she became the star we know.

10 Reasons to (Re)Watch It

Released in 1978, Grease is a little retro marvel that we never tire of watching. Since its theatrical release, several generations have enjoyed this musical comedy where John Travolta wears a magnificent quiff and Olivia Newton-John appears radiant with her legendary perm. While the film will already celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, discover many anecdotes about the 70s classic that will undoubtedly make you want to see it for the umpteenth time.

1. The dance competition was filmed in the middle of summer in a room that had no air conditioning. The crews had to keep the doors closed to maintain the lighting. During filming, several extras became unwell.
2. Grease was almost an animated film. There are actually some animated scenes in the film.
3. Olivia Newton-John's pants for the legendary song You're the One that I Want were sewn directly onto her. The actress kept them after filming the famous final sequence.
4. Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) actually gave Stockard Channing (Rizzo) hickeys during filming.
5. Elvis Presley was considered to play Danny, the hero ultimately played by John Travolta.
6. Rewrites were made for the character of Sandy after Olivia Newton-John got the role. Originally supposed to be American, Sandy quickly became Australian.
7. Most of the actors who were supposed to play high school students were actually much older. Olivia Newton-John was 28 during filming, while John Travolta was 23.
8. Following a nasty fall during a choreography routine, Jeff Conaway was prescribed painkillers. He became addicted and never managed to beat his addiction until his death in 2011.
9. After being accepted for the role, Olivia Newton-John asked to do camera tests to make sure she was a good fit for the character of Sandy. The actress was afraid of looking too old for the role.
10. The song Greased Lightning was originally supposed to be sung by Kenickie, the character played by Jeff Conaway. John Travolta then insisted on singing this song, with Conaway's agreement.