Dirty Dancing on DVD

[Matt]

Question about the new DVD Edition of Dirty Dancing...I already have the Dirty Dancing (Ultimate Edition), is it worth the upgrade? I can see that some bonus features are not one each others DVD's like some stuff is left out on both DVD's. Is the picture quality still the same or has it been touched up again? It would be cool if someone can let me know.
thanx!

[Lazario]

Okay, check it out... If you are a somewhat-big fan of the movie and the upgrade isn't too expensive... you should probably snag it. If you're into bonus features. Depending upon how important those are to you.

I say if it has portions of the E! True Hollywood Story special of the movie - get it. Those specials are great to begin with and always contain things you'll never find anywhere else. Not just interviews, but often behind the scenes footage, photos, stories, details, and other news topics. They're also, this may be easily looked at as a negative thing - not afraid to look at the dark-side of an issue as well as the bright side. But often you want truth without just mindless back-patting, treat it like a masterpiece featurettes, and those specials always have that. But that being said, I don't know if Lions Gate / Artisan have the ability to get the rights for it.

The Ultimate Edition, as I'm sure you know, had no involvement from Patrick Swayze in the bonuses. A lot of people were let down by that. And on the bonus disc or whatever, there was a lot of straight-up fluff. That... Broadway Show version of the movie or whatever? Why would anyone really want to watch that? People who loved the movie? I'm not sure people who loved the movie are also people dying to see some whatever-Musical Recreation of it on DVD. A featurette about it probably would have been better.

[dvdjunkie]

I prefer the "Special Edition" of Dirty Dancing to all of the others that have come after it for one thing - Dirty Dancing in Concert with Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, Eric Carmen and Cousin Bruce as the emcee and all of the Dirty Dancers from the movie live in concert on stage. Eric Carmen doing the live version of "Make Me Lose Control" and "Hungry Eyes" is worth the price of admission along with Bill and Jennifer doing "I've Had The Time of My Life". There are also the videos for some of the songs including Swayze's "She's Like The Wind". I also think that the picture quality is better than any of the other versions since, but that is just my own opinion.

[Lazario]

I prefer the "Special Edition" of Dirty Dancing to all of the others that have come after it

There really have been (with the latest) a ton of different editions of this movie on DVD. Even I have to ask... which version was that? The first version or the latest (before the Anniversary Edition)? You don't mean the "Ultimate" Edition, do you? That's the one my roomate has. And that has some Concert/stage version of the movie (as well as the Music Videos, and Jennifer Gray interview). If that's the one you're talking about... I have to at least check it out, search for that Eric Carmen performance. I'm not sure... but I don't think it was divided into chapters (CHEAP, Artisan... cheap cheap cheap!).

[Escapay]

Versions of Dirty Dancing on DVD:

1. Standard Edition - the first release, from 1997 by Live Entertainment (which later became Artisan Entertainment). In a snapper case with no bonus features.

2. Collector's Edition - the second release, from 2001 by Artisan Entertainment. In a black amaray case with the following:
-Commentary: Eleanor Bergstein
-Dirty Dancing: Live in Concert
-Behind the Scenes Featurette
-Music Video: "I've Had the Time of My Life"
-Music Video: "She's Like the Wind"
-Music Video: "Hungry Eyes"
-Theatrical Trailer

3. Ultimate Edition (Version 1) - the third release, from 2003 by Artisan Entertainment (which later was acquired by LionsGate). In a black dual-amaray case with plastic slipcover and the following:

Disc One:
-DTS 6.1
-Commentary: Eleanor Bergstein
-Commentary: Kenny Ortega, Miranda Garrison, Jeff Jur, Hilary Rosenfeld, David Chapman
-Introduction: Jennifer Grey
-Trivia Track

Disc Two:
-Dirty Dancing: Live In Concert
-Interview: Eleanor Bergstein
-Interview: Jennifer Grey
-Interview: Kenny Ortega
-Interview: Miranda Garrison
-Tribute: Emile Ardolino
-Music Video: "I've Had the Time of My Life"
-Music Video: "She's Like the Wind"
-Music Video: "Hungry Eyes"
-Jennifer Grey Screen Test
-Theatrical Trailers

Easter Eggs:
-B-Roll Rehearsal Footage
-1987 EPK featurette
-"1950s"-related Featurette

4. Ultimate Edition (Version 2) - the fourth release, from 2006 by LionsGate. In a black dual-amaray case with the following: (drops the Live in Concert and the slipcover)

Disc One:
-DTS 6.1
-Commentary: Eleanor Bergstein
-Commentary: Kenny Ortega, Miranda Garrison, Jeff Jur, Hilary Rosenfeld, David Chapman
-Introduction: Jennifer Grey
-Trivia Track

Disc Two:
-Interview: Eleanor Bergstein
-Interview: Jennifer Grey
-Interview: Kenny Ortega
-Interview: Miranda Garrison
-Tribute: Emile Ardolino
-Music Video: "I've Had the Time of My Life"
-Music Video: "She's Like the Wind"
-Music Video: "Hungry Eyes"
-Jennifer Grey Screen Test
-Theatrical Trailers

Easter Eggs:
-B-Roll Rehearsal Footage
-1987 EPK featurette
-"1950s"-related Featurette

5. 20th Anniversary Edition - the fifth release, from 2007 by Lionsgate. In a two-disc digipak with cardboard slipcover and the following:

Disc One:
-Commentary: Eleanor Bergstein
-Trivia Track

Disc Two:
-"Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swazye" Interview
-The Classic Story on Stage
-Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes and Restored Footage
-Outtakes
-Screen Tests (Jennifer Grey's is ported over)
-Multi-Angle Dance Sequences
-Tribute: Jerry Orbach
-Tribute: Emile Ardolino
-Interview: Eleanor Bergstein
-Interview: Jennifer Grey
-Interview: Kenny Ortega
-Music Video: "I've Had the Time of My Life"
-Music Video: "She's Like the Wind"
-Music Video: "Hungry Eyes"
-Photo Gallery
-Theatrical Trailers

What's Dropped:
-DTS 6.1
-Commentary: Kenny Ortega, Miranda Garrison, Jeff Jur, Hilary Rosenfeld, David Chapman (it's now a Blu-Ray exclusive)
-Introduction: Jennifer Grey
-Dirty Dancing: Live In Concert
-Interview: Miranda Garrison
-Easter Eggs? (I don't have the 20AE yet so I'm not sure if the Easter Eggs are still there.)

Hope this helps!

Escapay

[dvdjunkie]

Thanks Escapay, the edition that I posted about was the Collector's Edition and is still my favorite among all those re-issues. I have bought and sold all of them but still have kept this particular edition of the movie for several reasons. One main reason is the picture quality seems to be a lot better and the color continuity is more even throughout, the others have fades that don't match and that bothers me quite a bit.

Another reason I like it is because of the Dirty Dancing in Concert, which is NOT a stage version of the movie, but a concert featuring some of the original artists from the movie doing their hit songs from the movie and from their careers.

And the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is the clearest of the bunch and is the best available. The 6.1 was just a splitting of the sub-woofers soundtrack (or better known as the low-end).

[Escapay]

Thanks Escapay, the edition that I posted about was the Collector's Edition and is still my favorite among all those re-issues. I have bought and sold all of them but still have kept this particular edition of the movie for several reasons. One main reason is the picture quality seems to be a lot better and the color continuity is more even throughout, the others have fades that don't match and that bothers me quite a bit.

No problem, Bill.

I've only got the first version of the Ultimate Edition, so I can't compare it to the other sets, but I'm surprised that Artisan used a lesser transfer for it if the CE is better. Will have to search for it now just to compare them.

Escapay

[Loomis]

The Live in Concert is worthwhile, simply for the amount of time you will wonder "What the hell is going on with Eric Carmen's hair, and is his outfit now a national treasure?"

A worthwhile movie purchase in any format, but I think there are only so many times you can watch bonus features and commentaries anyway. Unless there is some major improvement in picture and sound, I tend not to rebuy simply for bonus features.

[Matt]

Well I have the second Ultimate Edition. This stinks! Why can't they put everything all in one lol. GRRR. Oh well.

[Lazario]

Versions of Dirty Dancing on DVD:

1. Standard Edition (...)

2. Collector's Edition (...)

3. Ultimate Edition (Version 1) (...)

4. Ultimate Edition (Version 2) (...)

5. 20th Anniversary Edition (...)

I knew it! That's... just... nuts! Both bad and kind of good for the fans of the movie. Yeah, they are being expected to doll out all this money for 3 different DVD's. But at least they keep getting more and more and more.