Barnes & Noble

The film that launched a young John Travolta into mega-stardom has become such an emblem of the 1970s disco era that it's sometimes easy to forget why the movie became a hit in the first place. In fact, if you can get beyond the polyester suits and high-pitched keening of the Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever holds up remarkably well as a gritty urban tale of lower-class striving. This is due in large part to Travolta's great, affecting performance as Tony Manero, a young Italian American from the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn who feels stifled by both his blue-collar roots and his dead-end job. He seeks his release by dancing at the neighborhood disco, and the local fame he achieves fuels his dreams of getting out of Brooklyn and making something of himself. This is still director John Badham's finest work, as he captures the camaraderie between Tony and his thuggish friends and the texture of their Brooklyn hangouts with an authenticity reminiscent of such '70s classics as Mean Streets. And even if you think disco sucks, there is no denying the excitement and energy the famous soundtrack lends to the film, particularly the pulsating dance scenes. Fever isn't a real musical, yet not since the heyday of such "backstage" song-and-dance extravaganzas as 42nd Street has a movie conveyed so powerfully the romance and promise of Manhattan. For Tony, the City shimmers like a distant and magical Oz. In that sense, Saturday Night Fever is true in spirit to the best American musicals. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide

John Travolta graduated from minor celebrity to superstar with Saturday Night Fever. Travolta plays Tony Manero, a Brooklyn paint-store clerk who'd give anything to break out of his dead-end existence. In life, Tony is a peasant; on the disco dance floor, he's a king. As the soundtrack plays one Bee Gees hit after another (including "Stayin' Alive"), we watch white-suited Tony strut his stuff amidst flashing lights and sweaty, undulating bodies. Tony's class aspirations are mirrored in his relationship with his dance partner, Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), a secretary eager to move into the glamorous world of Manhattan. Saturday Night Fever's huge success grew meteorically thanks to the towering popularity of its soundtrack; during the first half of 1978, when the movie's disco songs saturated the singles charts up to four at a time, it was no longer clear whether the hit movie was feeding the hit songs or the hit songs were feeding the hit movie. This crossover between music and movies set the pace for many movies to come, as it also marked the rise and fall of 1970s disco culture. Two versions of this film exist: the original R-rated version and a PG version, edited down to more "family-friendly" fare and fed to the public with the tagline, "Because we want everyone to see John Travolta's performance." Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 097361391045
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Time: 1:58:00
• Sales Rank: 9,055

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