Grease: Sandy Is Dead All Along – Theory Explained
Essentially the most infamous Grease fan principle means that Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy is in actual fact dying all through the film and the notorious teenage love story is not more than a fantasy. Arguably some of the well-known film theories of all time, it affords a very completely different perspective on the film’s in any other case largely upbeat tone, including darkness the place in any other case the musical is crammed with gentle. And whereas the speculation has its detractors, it stays extremely fashionable, as a result of it’s tied to the movie’s strangest thriller: what its finish actually means.
Beginning out as a stage play with a far raunchier spirit than the eventual adaptation, Randal Kleiser’s 1950s set high-school musical was a largely grounded navigation by way of the struggles of supposedly typical teenage years. Supposedly, in fact, as a result of the forged had been, not less than partly, nearer to center age than their faculty days. By every of Grease‘s distinctive and enduringly fashionable songs, viewers had been taken by way of problems with id, self-expression, and the precise pressures of rising up. Whereas it could have appeared like a happy-go-lucky frivolous romp, Grease has messages embedded in it about ethical expectations, societal oppression, and younger adults discovering their methods regardless of pressures to adapt and abandon their desires. And whereas it has its moments of fantasy – just like the “Greased Lightnin'” and “Magnificence College Dropout“ sequences – the ending, during which Danny and Sandy fly off to their hopeful future at all times felt prefer it did not belong.
That ending’s weirdness and one notably pertinent line from Grease‘s first big musical number – “Summer time Nights” is strictly why a compelling fan principle instructed a grim undercurrent to the long-lasting musical together with a dying teenage woman residing her final moments “down within the sand“. The idea posits that Sandy by no means made it off the seashore, by no means fell in love with Danny, and by no means sewed herself right into a pair of leather-based trousers to deliver the home down on the end-of-year carnival occasion. Here is the whole lot you could find out about Grease‘s Sandy Is Lifeless principle.
Why Grease’s Unusual Ending Impressed The Search For Solutions
Grease is not all only a school-set reasonable comedy drama. It accommodates two massive fantasy sequences for the songs “Greased Lightnin'” and “Magnificence College Dropout”, which very clearly play out within the imaginations of the characters singing these songs. The previous is the T-Birds imagining their triumphs and the way effectively the automobile will increase their boyish boasts of machismo, whereas the latter is Didi Conn’s Frenchy imagining the bleakness of her future if her dream fails. Each are very a lot tied to desires, even when Greased Lightnin’ seems to play out in actual time, however that solely makes the ultimate sequence of Grease all of the extra complicated, as a result of when Danny and Sandy fly off from the carnival in Greased Lightnin’ it occurs in the actual world with all the characters very clearly awake. Notably, Sandy is shocked by the automobile taking off, which does not match with it being a dream sequence. Sandy’s shock is nothing in comparison with that of the viewers, who’ve simply watched a reasonably typical high-school musical that operates inside regular guidelines of actuality finish with a automobile actually flying off in direction of a contented ending. In that respect, it was no surprise that there was a chance for a fan principle to fill within the hole in logic.
Concept: Sandy Really Did Drown Throughout Her Summer time Vacation (And Danny Could not Assist)
The place to begin of the speculation, which was initially posted on Reddit, is without doubt one of the strains in “Summer time Evening”, as Sandy and Danny inform every of their listening audiences what occurred throughout their vacation romance on the seashore. Whereas the Grease prequel, Summer time Lovin‘, will presumably inform the precise story of what occurred throughout that tryst, the one account the viewers can belief is the point out of the younger couple bowling within the arcade, holding arms, and ingesting lemonade. Crucially, the lyrics recommend that Danny and Sandy met when she obtained a cramp whereas swimming, and Danny saved her from drowning, earlier than exhibiting off “splashing round“. That will sound like Danny exaggerating what occurred to make himself appear cooler in entrance of his buddies, however the principle means that it really occurred, however Sandy solely imagined her would-be hero rescuing her and her dying ideas think about a contented ending that blossomed out of their meet-cute.
The Ending (And “Goodbye Sandra Dee”) Affirm Sandy Died
From there, the speculation means that from the prolog onwards, each occasion that occurs in Grease performs out in Sandy’s thoughts, and the explanation the whole lot wraps up so completely for each character, regardless of all the battle on the way in which to the finale is that it is all Sandy’s tragic want achievement. As a newcomer to Rydell High, Sandy would have been an outsider, however her actuality performs out simply as a dream would; she is straight away accepted by the good group (the Pink Women), meets the boy of her desires (once more), and overcomes each challenge that faces her. And it isn’t simply her: Rizzo’s being pregnant scare, the dance competitors that Danny wins (albeit with Cha-Cha), the drag race on Thunder Street… Every little thing ends with a contented ending, regardless of how unlikely that will appear. Some recommend that that is as a result of the story is definitely one remembered by way of rose-tinted glasses, however both approach it is all a little bit too handy after which when Greased Lightnin’ takes off for its maiden flight, the explanation turns into clear. It is all been a fantasy.
The idea additionally means that Sandy’s mournful reprise of “Look At Me, I am Sandra Dee” and the ultimate two strains “Take a deep breath and sigh, Goodbye to Sandra Dee…” particularly secretly verify that Sandy misplaced her battle and died. In that respect, the picture of Greased Lightnin’ flying off with Danny alongside Sandy on the end of Grease is definitely symbolic of her ascending to the afterlife and her transformation is just not one in every of self-realization, however of loss of life. That metaphorical rise, then, is her rising to heaven within the ultimate moments of her life eking out along with her ultimate breaths on the sand. It is tragic and darkish, however there’s a trace of magnificence to it.
How Grease’s Creator (And Olivia Newton-John And John Travolta) Responded To The Concept
The Grease principle gained a lot notoriety when its recognition rose that it got here to the eye of stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The previous known as it enjoyable, although he poured scorn on it in telling USA Today that he knew “the writers of Grease, and I used to be round within the authentic days. I can’t take it too far.” He went a little bit additional too, explaining that he did not imagine Sandy even had a brush with loss of life as Danny had claimed and that his bragging was not more than the identical kind of showing-off that made him imagine Greased Lightnin’ can be a near-heavenly automobile: ‘[Danny’s] bragging; it was made as much as impress the boys. [Sandy and Danny] have two completely different tales and any individual is mendacity. Most definitely, it’s Danny.’
In the meantime, Olivia Newton-John calledthe principle “hilarious” and reveled within the thought of Grease being the first-ever zombie musical. Sadly for followers of the speculation, probably the most notable response to the speculation got here from Grease creator Jim Jacobs, who wasn’t as massive a fan and nay-sayed Sandy being lifeless. He informed TMZ that “Whoever made up the speculation should have been on acid. Sandy was very a lot alive.” However then, it is uncommon that the needs of the creator are taken into consideration when followers give you theories, and this one particularly really does enhance the Grease viewing expertise, true or not.
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