Very good

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2020)

Some films go beyond the limits of the big screen and become the mark of an era. "Saturday Night Fever" belongs to this select category, efficiently capturing the spirit of the "Disco" era in New York, in addition to presenting, through the character played by John Travolta, a remarkable teen drama. In addition, the exceptional soundtrack became iconic, as well as the dance scenes at the "2001" disco. For all these reasons, the feature film directed by John Badham went down in history as a symbol of the pop culture of the 70s. Employed in a small paint store in Brooklyn, Tony Manero (John Travolta) finds happiness only when he is on the dance floors in weekends. When his brother Frank (Martin Shakar) gives up being a priest and returns home, he finds a new dance partner named Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) and begins to rethink the way he looks at life and the lack of perspective on his future. To understand the cultural phenomenon "Saturday Night Fever", it is essential to contextualize its launch. After years of political scandals and participation in wars, pessimism began to make room for escapism among Americans, who sought to forget their problems and find pleasure on the dance floors. This movement also began to be reflected in cinema, which lived the last breaths of New Hollywood - a movement full of (excellent) equally pessimistic films - and started to produce more cheerful films, which functioned as a kind of escape from reality, culminating in the resounding success of the "Star Wars" saga. "Saturday Night Fever" is not necessarily a happy film, on the contrary, but it accurately portrays this movement that started in New York, in which young people went to nightclubs just after sex, drugs and fun, as a way to forget the hard times. reality of life and the lack of perspective for the future. Exposing sex and drug use naturally, the narrative embodies the youthful spirit and reflects the thinking of the time, also illustrating social problems in large cities, for example, through the fights between Tony's friends and the "Latinos". Wonderful, incredible, unforgettable!
Film seen on April 3, 2020