The film that put John Travolta on the map finally makes it to high definition. It’s certainly a time capsule for the 1970s and the disco era. Like Grease, the film also features an iconic soundtrack, but unlike Grease, the film has been given better treatment on Blu-ray.
Nineteen-year-old Tony Manero (John Travolta) doesn’t have much in life. He lives at home with his bickering parents, works for pennies at a local paint store, but it’s the nightlife that he most looks forward to. Tony and his buddies like to flock to the 2001 Odyssey club in Brooklyn and dance the night away.
The club is going to have a dance contest and Tony is determined to win it. He asks his former partner Annette (Donna Pescow) to compete with him again and since she’s infatuated with Tony she readily agrees.
However, one night he spies Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) on the dance floor and he’s smitten both with her dancing skills and her beauty. He tosses Annette aside to pursue Stephanie as his partner and eventually woos her to compete with him. However, life starts to get Tony down as his brother Frank (Martin Shakar) drops out of the priesthood and his goomba buddies are always getting into trouble.
Saturday Night Fever is the film that shot John Travolta to the top. It even led to him getting an Academy Award nomination for best actor. This film and the following one, Grease, would lead Travolta to international superstardom.
Saturday Night Fever would share another thing with Grease as the soundtrack would be the driving force in the film with some top hits from the Bee Gees. The film would define a generation.
Several of the interview participants mention that you couldn’t turn around in 1977 and not run into something inspired by Saturday Night Fever as the Bee Gees were all over the radio and the fashions were on the street.
The film serves as a breakout performance from Travolta but it also serves as a time capsule for those of us who didn’t live through the disco era. I can’t remember watching the film before and what surprised me was how much drama there is in the film and how little disco scenes.
It’s really more about Tony’s everyday life and difficulties’ growing up in Brooklyn than it is about his hoofing it on the lighted dance floor. The film certainly does pick up some steam in these dancing scenes and are propelled in the extreme by the throbbing Bee Gees soundtrack.
Saturday Night Fever is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1). Special feature are, in the majority, presented in high definition (unless otherwise noted). It seems that Saturday Night Fever was given more care in this than Grease.
However, what’s missing from them is John Travolta. First up is a commentary by director John Badham. There’s also a 1970s Discopedia pop-up trivia track during the film. The 52 minute “Catching the Fever” is a five-part making of documentary.
The 9 minute “Back to Bay Bridge” is a tour of the locations from the film as they look now. The 10 minute “Dance like John Travolta with John Cassese” teaches you the moves that you can use on the disco floor. The “Fever Challenge!” is a dancing game. Finally, there are 3 minutes of deleted scenes (presented in standard definition).
Saturday Night Fever certainly looks better than the era that inspired it. Travolta gives it his all with his performance and deservedly earn accolades for it. Some might treat the film as a horror flick since the fashions are pretty horrible as we look back at them. However, it’s a time capsule and interesting to see how it was back in the day.
Saturday Night Fever [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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