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GaimanitePkat t1_j0vexbq wrote

I don't think 1950s-style gender and relationship dynamics will translate well into 2022, and since we're seemingly incapable of viewing things as "of the times" there will almost certainly be an effort to update its sociopolitical messaging.

In short, we don't need this.

Also, I really love how one of the songs is misnamed as "Grease Lightning". Journalistic standards!!

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Cornualonga t1_j0vr66n wrote

One of the actresses is Asian. I appreciate trying to be inclusive but a girl gang in 1954 high school would not only be racist as fuck but the school would be probably segregated.

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GaimanitePkat t1_j0vt950 wrote

The article also mentions that they're going to make sure to include characters of color (who were left out of the 70s movie) and tell stories of "social justice".

Once again we have to hit that sweet sweet nostalgia g-spot while also acknowledging that the time periods and media we're so rabidly nostalgic for had some pretty unsavory aspects.

Pick one. Either accept that you can't make a 1950s show with 2022 morals, or stop clinging to outdated properties for recognition.

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tomservo88 t1_j0wjpot wrote

> The article also mentions that they're going to make sure to include characters of color (who were left out of the 70s movie) and tell stories of "social justice".

Is that not just Hairspray?

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OneGoodRib t1_j0woloy wrote

There's a time and place for both. Like, Hallmark has a movie set in the 50s about the Rockettes that features a few black actresses when the first black Rockette didn't join until 1987 but the point of the movie is just about following your dreams, so it not being totally historically accurate in regards to there being women of color in the group in the 50s is fine - because it's a tv romance movie.

But if you're specifically making a show about "social justice" that's mean to have a message beyond "follow your heart" then you need to try to be historically accurate or else the story doesn't make sense.

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Cornualonga t1_j0wsyr7 wrote

But as some have pointed out rightly, you do face the problem of making things in the 50s seem much more progressive and better than they were. People already wax nostalgic about how great things were in the 50s. People aren’t great with subtlety and context.

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DonQOnIce t1_j0w5n8q wrote

I think this series looks cheap and lazy, and this comment is not me assuming this series will be any good. But I feel like pushing back slightly on the idea that you can’t make something like this with a 2022 lense. You can certainly examine both social justice issues and the unsavory elements of the time together. In fact, you probably have to look at one to get into the other. This is also less than 70 years ago, not hundreds. There were plenty of people with progressive views at the time.

But, like I said, I don’t think this particular series will do that well at all and this is more of a general comment.

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armless_tavern t1_j0whe4h wrote

I agreed with you mostly, then agreed entirely with your last sentence. I think the attempt could be made to have an engaging theatrical story mixed with relevant social analysis… but this is GREASE we’re talking about.

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DonQOnIce t1_j0yh7jk wrote

Absolutely. This just isn’t it (I assume, I’ll eat my words if they actually come out swinging). But generally it’s possible.

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erinraspberry t1_j0wkov2 wrote

I agree. Instead of making an origin story in 2022, why not make a new era of pink ladies in 2022? Theres so much you could explore there in addition to cameos by former Grease stars

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GaimanitePkat t1_j0wlu9g wrote

If you want to include people of color, why not have it take place in Cuba, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Columbia, Nigeria, Korea... I think it would be very interesting to see a Grease-like story retooled to fit a different culture rather than yet another "American High School for Hot People".

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DaftFunky t1_j10d3hy wrote

Why does every show need to preach about social injustices and problematic issues in society? Especially ones that take place in time periods like the 50s

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rhinosyphilis t1_j0x7vtc wrote

At the point that we’re at, I think we’re mostly looking for stories that aren’t in the MCU.

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methodwriter85 t1_j0x1kqj wrote

I mean, California did/does have a high Asian population so that feels like a nod to that.

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jumanjiijnamuj t1_j0w3gtd wrote

They could still do this, and keep all the stuff from the 50s and make it like a heavy noir social commentary piece.

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Darcsen t1_j0y5mg9 wrote

Didn't Grease take place in LA? There was a sizeable Asian population at that time. It's not like every little thing was racist and segregated then either.

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tilla18 t1_j0vzw2n wrote

That's why this website is identified as EW!

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apextek t1_j0znjoq wrote

this was something my mother pointed out about the original film, as the sock hop was integrated.

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Mowensworld t1_j0x944r wrote

Then people will vocally complain that it's inaccurate to have the changes, then others will vocally complain that those first people are racist, then there will be 1000 click bait articles and YouTube videos on whatever side they feel will get them more clicks, and that will become the entire discourse about the show.

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schleppylundo t1_j11rpu4 wrote

1950s style gender and relationship dynamics didn’t translate well in the 1970s either. Which is why the musical Grease is a satire of the sort of cultural values expressed by the parents of the contemporary youth and of their hypocrisy. Sandy changing everything about herself to be a better partner for Danny is meant to be seen by the audience as a sad and self destructive thing to do for a relationship. The way they treat sex and pregnancy scares is a shot at adults in the 70s who were railing against promiscuous teenagers while pretending they weren’t exactly the same but with worse education about it. We’re supposed to on some level be disgusted by the characters and their choices by the end of the musical, because it’s a send up of 50s nostalgia rather than an uncritical celebration of it.

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BiggusDickus- t1_j0wexna wrote

They known that we don't need this, and on some level they know that it is going to suck.

It is a well known cinematic universe that is guaranteed to get viewers for at least a season or so.

It is vastly easier to get viewership for something established than for something new. That is why every old "hit" show and movie is being reborn. Most stink it up also, but they make money.

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Maninhartsford t1_j0xw1lc wrote

It's going to be that kind of historical revisionism where a character makes a speech about how things should be more just and then everyone just kind of goes "oh, I never thought of that" and society becomes more just

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undead77 t1_j0xw38c wrote

Oh gosh, when watching bits of that League of their own tv show, it's doing this exact same thing, its insane.

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Ryu2388 t1_j0ybts5 wrote

I don't understand why we can't use aesthetics from a certain period of time and leave out its political issues, as well as not shoehorn in modern day issues.

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OIWantKenobi t1_j0w2ony wrote

Agreed. The whole point of the musical was “change yourself and people will like you.” It’s gross.

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Darcsen t1_j0y5x6v wrote

Maybe that's the analysis of the kids who think they're deep in High School, but the actual Grease is very clearly satire. FFS, they take off in a flying car and teen pregnancy is just waved away with veiled allusion to abortion. The last song is about a bunch of High School kids singing about how they're not going to lose touch with each other after they all graduate.

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Lozzif t1_j0ympfr wrote

They have an Angel fly down and tell one of the main charachters that she’s terrible at her dream job, that only hookers would use her and that she should give up and join the steno crew.

How do people not understand this is satire?

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GaimanitePkat t1_j10vwip wrote

I mean, according to this article, one of Rise of the Pink Ladies' creators apparently thinks that the theme of Grease was "defy gender stereotypes!" So the actual point of the source material seems to be entirely irrelevant to what's going to be produced.

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Darcsen t1_j115f03 wrote

> It's funny to then have been working on Grease and see how the culture of the 1970s affected the way they told the story of Grease. Grease is about breaking out of the expectations of your gender role, both for Sandy and Danny. That's a very '70s story.

Is that the line you were referencing? I don't completely agree with it, but it doesn't seem as outlandish as your claim given context.

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GaimanitePkat t1_j1161du wrote

Grease has next to nothing to do with "gender roles". Sandy's makeover is still feminine, just sexual, and Danny's transformation is.... doing sports. Ah, the very non-male thing to do, sports!

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Darcsen t1_j118gkm wrote

That's why I said I don't completely agree. Danny doesn't really break out of the expectations of his gender role, just takes up different aspects of it. Sandy, however, by being more outwardly sexual is breaking out of the expectations of a 50's feminine gender role.

It was by no means the focus of the movie, and if anything, Rizzo was the most defiant of her expectations, which is probably why the line is buried so far into the article. It didn't even register it until I doubled back.

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OIWantKenobi t1_j0yqjqd wrote

But if that’s the main audience (a lot of high schools do this musical) then satire would be sort of above their heads. The kids that don’t need the message of “change and you’ll be liked” are getting that message because they don’t comprehend satire. I didn’t as a high schooler, though I do now.

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Darcsen t1_j0yrkfw wrote

It originated as a musical, the intended audience for musicals isn't mainly high school aged kids.

> I didn’t as a high schooler, though I do now.

Then why did you say, "The whole point of the musical was “change yourself and people will like you.” It’s gross."?

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OIWantKenobi t1_j0yxmux wrote

Because that was my experience with it, and I did a lot of musicals in high school. I guess I was wrong in my analysis.

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MrBlueW t1_j0ykf4j wrote

The movie was satire, that was the joke

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Korvun t1_j0vvj36 wrote

You're funny if you think they're going to use 1950s gender dynamics in this show.

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GaimanitePkat t1_j0vvq75 wrote

That's the point of the comment.

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Korvun t1_j0w59oy wrote

It was? Because was you typed is the opposite of my point. You said it 50s dynamics wouldn't translate well and they'd try to update sociopolitical messaging... none of that says it's going to use 2022 gender dynamics. Maybe I misunderstood your meaning?

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GaimanitePkat t1_j0wj5hk wrote

2022 target demographic won't want to see 50s dynamics, so the show creators won't do that, and instead will update the messaging to be more current. That was the point of my original comment.

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Korvun t1_j0wn9rl wrote

Thank you for clarifying! I think the confusion was your use of 'messaging' when you were talking about character interaction/behavior.

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