Binary Oppositions in Grease

Binary oppositions are set up in movies to create two sides. A very common one is Good vs. Evil, usually shown through the protagonist and antagonist. These oppositions can be shown through things such as mis-en-scene, editing, camerawork and sound. In Grease, the prominent binary opposition is innocent Sandy and bad boy Danny. 

Mis-en-scene: 

Sandy: Blonde hair, pastel coloured dresses, sparkling hair barretts, light and natural makeup. During the cartoon credits at the beginning, Sandy is portrayed as a Disney princess. There are forest animals in her room, birds putting on her shawl whilst she sits at the dresser. These features connote her innocent and angelic character.

Danny: Black leather jacket, slicked hair, black jeans, black boots, a cigarette. In the cartoon credits he is shown to have a messy, boyish room. These all signify his 'bad boy' persona.

Camera work & editing:

At the very beginning, Danny and Sandy were shown in nothing but two shots at the beach where their romance blossomed. (note: Danny was also wearing a light blue shirt, contrasting to his black attire at school. This could perhaps signify how they were not opposites before, but Danny's changed behaviour and persona at school now makes them opposites) However, on school grounds their are cross cuts between Danny and Sandy, signifying their new found differences and showing the audience they are no longer the same connected lovers. The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds (Danny and his friends) are also binary opposites.

 Sandy is seen to join the Pink Ladies, and they are shown in group shots like the T-Birds. This connotes the different "high-school" cliques, also representing the teen film genre.

 

Sound:

 Danny speaks in non-standard English and slang, whilst Sandy speaks softly and in standard English. This directly symbolises their differences as people.