Footloose Deluxe Edition Blu-ray

According to the front cover of the Footloose Blu-Ray, it is "the film that defined a generation." And considering that generation is now, for the most part, living in suburbia with a couple of kids, a recently renovated bathroom, an abundance of leveraged credit and staunch Conservative values, the assumption is that the message of following your heart and defying censorship and oppression was less inspiring than Kevin Bacon dancing passionately to Moving Pictures' catchy little ditty, "Never." Oddly, aside from the final senior prom sequence, where an endless stream of glitter falls from the ceiling of a dry farm goods warehouse, this memorable moment of Bacon combining gymnastics with skipping, hip-wiggles and dramatic hand gestures is one of the only dance moments in the film, save the bar scene where Sarah Jessica Parker just can't contain her irrepressible spunk. It's because the focus, beyond the infectious and potentially seductive power of dance, is Bacon's cowboy-esque arrival in a small religious community where dancing and the devil's music is banned. Inevitably, his irreverent attitude attracts the enforcing minister's (John Lithgow) daughter, Ariel (Lori Singer), a suicidal nut job, causing tensions to rise and feet to tap. But no matter how hard "the man" tries to keep those crazy kids down – "What I do know about dancing is that it makes kids have sexual thoughts" – the spirit of teen love and freedom transcends, ensuring that Chris Penn learns the art of movement expression during a montage to Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear it For the Boy." Sure, there is another point to Herbert Ross's vaginal tale of youthful vigour, but it doesn't hold a candle to the magic of seeing two teen boy rebels practicing dance moves in a gymnasium to bad '80s synth pop. And fortunately, this Blu-Ray release has a stunning, clear picture so that every montage moment can be appreciated in HD, unlike the interview special features with Parker and Bacon, who discusses the excitement of being cast in a movie that no one knew would be such a phenomenon. There are also a couple of anecdotal commentary tracks that expand upon location shooting in a Mormon community, along with a Kevin Bacon screen test and a "Remembering Willard" supplement.