“Very Real Movie. One of the Best films of the 1970’s! “ I loved Saturday Night Fever when I saw is many years ago and it is still my favorite movie. A common misconception is that is a Disco movie or a musical (like Grease). Saturday Night Fever is hard edged, sometimes crude and violent look at the world of the young working class and the club life in the 70’s (I was a tad too you young at the time of Fever’s release to get into clubs, but it was similar in the pre-AIDS world of the early 80’s when I started clubbing).
The violence, sex and cursing is REAL…that is how it was (and kinda is…sans the Bee Gee’s that is!!) for those in Brooklyn (and other places in NY).
John Badham did a superb job in putting the life of a lost 19 year old who lived for the dance club on Saturday night, cause everything else in his life was frustrating and going nowhere (remember the lines: “Your a clich¨¦. Your nowhere…on your way no place?”) That was the most powerful line and sums up Tony Manero’s life.
Saturday Night …
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Thankfully The Fever Has Broken!!!  I saw this movie when it was released it 1977 and I didn’t like it then and I still don’t like it now. It concerns a working class guy named Tony Manero played by John Travolta.Tony is a lowly paint shop clerk by day and a Disco King by night. The acting is terrible, the script is hopeless and the characters are all one dimensional.There is one guy with suicidal tendencies in this movie but nobody pays any attention to him because all they want to do is “get down and boogie”. The Soundtrack is mostly by the Bee Gees who sound as if their testicles are clamped in a vice. I give this movie 5 stars becaause it managed to make the owners of the Discos all rich from their patronage of “John Travolta Wannabees”. Thankfully Disco is now dead, and Rap will follow in it’s wake but good Rock and Roll is IMMORTAL!!!… Disco or Not – this is a Landmark Movie The story of the movie is this. Tony Manero is a 19-year old Italian American growing up in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. He is living with his parents, younger sister, and grandmother. No matter what Tony does, he can never seem to satisfy his parents. Much of this has to due to the fact that Tony’s older brother, Frank Jr. is a priest who is held in high esteem by the Maneros. In Bay Ridge, Tony is incredibly popular and is adored by many around him. He works in a local Paint Store and is also very popular with the customers. Tony also runs with some friends who often find themselves in illicit activities. On the weekends, he loves to go with these friends to “2001 Odyssey” – a local Brooklyn Disco. In the Disco, he also finds the adoration he fails to find at home – he is the Disco King and held in high regard by everyone. Tony seems content with his life – but that changes when he meets Stephanie Mongano (played by Karen-Lynn Gorney) at 2001 Odyssey. Tony is attracted to Stephanie and in order to get close to her, he asks Stephanie to be his partner in a dance contest at 2001 Odyssey. This is at the expense of his original dance partner Annette (played by Donna Pescow) who adores Tony. While women usually fall over Tony, Stephanie presents a real challenge to Tony. Stephanie had Bay Ridge roots, but moved to Manhattan. She is someone who has left the “Bay Ridge Scene” and is now in a much-more sophisticated world than Tony. Despite their differences, Tony develops an adoration for Stephanie. At the same time, Tony begins to re-examine, his lifestyle, the crowd he hangs around in, and his own goals. Things reach an emotional and tragic climax the night of the dance contest – and Tony, his friends, and Stephanie’s lives will never be the same. The music in this movie is incredible. Producer Robert Stigwood and Director John Badham do a great job at marrying the right music to each and every scene. While I’m not a dance fan, I must admit I was blown away by Travolta’s dance scenes. Travolta’s big dance solo comes at the middle of the movie to “You Should Be Dancing”. While Travolta delivers what might be the greatest dance solo in motion picture history, it is also worth noting that this is a pivotal scene in the movie. It is after this scene that things begin to unwind and unravel in Tony’s life. Prior to moving into this dance solo, Fran Drescher (in her early screen days) has a small part as Connie. During the dance solo, Drescher’s presence remains on the screen and she is a couple of steps further out from the crowd than anyone else. Nik Cohn wrote the screenplay for this movie. Cohn really explores a variety of topics that were a part of the culture during this time. Probably the main topic that is explored is discrimination. This is seen a couple of times in the movie: 1) Tony and his friends go after a Hispanic gang that they believe hurt their friend; 2) The crowd at 2001 boos the Hispanic Couple competing against Tony and Stephanie at the Dance Contest. As Tony begins to re-examine his lifestyle, we see Tony’s own views on discrimination change. The movie also features some other subplots that take place. The three most notable are: 1) Tony’s Brother Frank, Jr. has left the priesthood – much to the chagrin of his family; 2) Tony’s friend Bobby C (Barry Miller) has gotten his young girlfriend pregnant. Bobby is being torn apart emotionally and looking to Tony for support; 3) Annette is a woman who is in love with Tony – and seeking to marry the right man and start a family. There are some other great sub-characters in this movie in addition to Frank Jr, Bobby C and Annette. These all contribute to subculture that this movie explores: Joey (Joseph Cali) plays Tony’s friend and “right hand” man; “Double J” (Paul Pape) is Tony’s temperamental friend; “Monti” (Monti Rock III) is the DJ at 2001 Odyssey; Flo Manero (Julie Bovasso) plays Tony’s Mother; Frank Manero Sr. (Val Bisoglio) delivers a nice performance as Tony’s father; and Pete (played by Bert Michaels) is the owner of a local Dance Studio. All in all, this is a legendary movie. Even if the music played a more secondary role, this would still be one of the great movies of all-time. This is a must see movie…. Loved it Excellent blu ray I am glad to see a well done release of a classic film from Paramount. Hopefully this means they are learning after several disappointng releases…. |
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While the movie is more apt to be recalled for its impact on American pop culture, few who watch the movie will ever see beyond the admittedly fantastic dance sequences. As a result, many people might never recognize Saturday Night Fever as perhaps one of the best movies ever made about class struggles among white ethnics. While his quick study under Denny Terrio for those dance sequences showed a great deal of determination, Travolta’s Tony Manero shines in so many other way. The looks of embarrassment and exasperation that his character expresses when confronted with the possibility of working in a Bay Ridge paint store all of his life, or the prejudice and regional chauvinism of his friends, or the behavior of his friends at White Castle or his initial inability to express himself to Stephanie in any way that might impress her, all of these and more contribute to a fully realized character. While Tony’s friends idolize him, the movie never really does, but it does allow empathy for his plight, because even Tony realizes that he is virtually trapped by the current conditions of his existence. While much might be made of the homophobia, racism, and misogyny of the protagonist and his friends, these things are never excused and the movie goes to some lengths to express Tony’s own recognition that these are shortcomings in not only his character, but those borne of a provincial mentality which he desperately longs to escape. Forget those who call this a musical. While the music is an intricate part of the film and setting, Travolta’s performance is what sets this film apart.
Brillinat documentary is highlight of DVD package
Saturday Night Fever (1977), about disco dancer Tony Manero (John Travolta) was released in the wake of the Oscar glory of another film portraying an Italian-American blue collar guy trying to transcend his “bum” status, namely Rocky (1976). On Manero’s room walls, we even see a movie poster of Rocky depicting the famous final scene where Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) and Adrian (Talia Shire) embraces after the climactic championship bout.
In the documentary we learn that John G. Avildsen who received a Best Director Oscar for Rocky was originally slated to direct Saturday Night Fever (SNF) and we see John Travolta practising his dance step on “Avildsen home movies”. However, producer Robert Stigwood fired Avildsen due to differences of artistic interpretation. Scriptwriter Norman Wexler received Oscar nominations for Joe (1970, directed by Avildsen) and Serpico (1973), both films portraying the gritty, depressing realism of 1970s New York. In fact on Manero’s room wall we also see a movie poster of Al Pacino in his title role in Serpico! Wexler’s script for SNF likewise had, beneath the glamour of the disco era, a tragedy about a strong anti-hero on the road to selfdestruction. Before the feel-good movie Rocky, Avildsen himself became known for movies with anti-heroes and downbeat endings such as Joe and Save the Tiger (1973). In fact, Rocky to some extent reflected the pessimism of the 1970s in its depiction of Rocky’s depressing environment.
But Avildsen began to love the heroic nature of leading characters such as Rocky and found the depiction of Manero in Wexler’s script too negative. Travolta disagreed and finally producer Robert Stigwood fired Avildsen and hired John Badham to direct. In a Stallone biography, we learn that Stigwood informed Avildsen of his Oscar nomination for Rocky at the same time that he fired him as SNF director. Later on, Avildsen would direct Karate Kid (1984), which could be regarded as the “Rocky of the 1980s”, thus rejecting the 1970s introspection and pessimism of his early 1970s youth.
In the SNF documentary, we also learn that the hedonistic disco era of the mid- to late-1970s reflected in SNF developed in reaction against the serious politics and pessimism of the anti-war protest movement of the 1960s. Thus, a kind of prelude to the empty hedonism and narcissism of the 1980s. And we see it most clearly reflected in the first half of the 1980s – the era of Stallone and the Hollywood sequel. Fresh from the commercial success of Rocky III (1982), Stallone was asked by Travolta to direct the sequel to SNF, namely Staying Alive (1983). The divergence between the introspective 1970s and optimistic 1980s is most clearly reflected in the difference between SNF and Staying Alive. Avildsen was fired as director of SNF. But by the early 1980s his protege Stallone was hired as director (and co-writer with Wexler) of Staying Alive.
3 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:
Saturday Night Fever has some memorable dance scenes and a good performance by Travolta, but the reason it made such an impact upon its release (and still does today) is because its storyline is so unformulaic and unsentimental–expect a good film, but not a sweet little dance movie.
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