The 70's youth needed a hero ... his name was Tony Manero ...

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2011)

Whenever you mention "Saturday Night Fever", the image that immediately pops in your mind is John Travolta's sensual hips moving on the disco floor, a black and white suit, a gold chain with a cross in a hairy chest while his index points to the top, like a religious prayer to be the one and only, the Holy Spirit that inhabits the dance floor.
Indeed, there is something divine whenever John Travolta moves. But it's like the film's iconic status distracted the viewers from Tony's complexities, as the movie was more an invitation to admire than to understand him, a shameful reality because he's probably one of the most fascinating and generation-defining characters of the 70's.
And the most defining scene is, in my opinion, the first one that sets the mood of the film, with Tony swaggering down the street, with the unique sound of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive". His cocky demeanor says it all, you really can tell by the way he uses his walk, he's a woman's man. And his smile, the way he shows off is so communicative that you don't even pay attention to the paint bucket in his hand, and feel there is something behind that charisma. A young man like Tony can't exude such virile magnetism if he wasn't inhabited by a 'strange power'. But the movie is a character study, it takes its time, it builds up the personality of Tony Manero by showing his job, his family, his friends, with a realistic touch that would have made proud Martin Scorsese. The macho culture prevails during the Italian dinner, where Tony seems to be the lowest element in the family ladder, crystallizing the anger of his unemployed father and her mother, whose love is almost exclusively dedicated to her older son, Franck, the priest of the Family, and the only good model.
The irony in Tony is that he looks for models too, he idolizes charismatic figures like Bruce Lee, Al Pacino, or Rocky Balboa but outside the family, he's the idol, girls want to be with him and guys want to be him. And as the movie progresses, his interactions with all the supporting characters reveal a more complex side of his personality, he's more than a good dancer, a stud or a charming young man. Take the heart-breaking case of Annette for instance, she's so obsessed with Tony that she'd ultimately trade her self-esteem to go out, dance, have sex with him or his friends, to hurt him. The downfall of her pride is one of the sad back stories that enrich the film. But this is nothing compared to Joey who's cruelly portrayed as the anti-Tony Manero. He's shy, insecure, and his behavior and physical appearance diminish him even more. He's got a good-heart but cant find anyone to listen to him, to advise him, as the eternal good guy whose constant display of kindness earn him mockeries and pitiful indulgence. His tragic accidental death underlines the perverse side of the Brooklyn youth's life, leading to nowhere but frustration, and despair. When you know about Tony's environment, you definitely understand the deliverance incarnated by the dance floor.
Tony literally resurrects in his territory and no one can challenge him, except maybe Pauline, a remarkable dancer on whom he flashes during the first Saturday night, she'd be the perfect partner for the dance contest, but Tony is visibly looking for something more personal. Pauline is a public relations employee and reveals herself to be the sort of pain-in-the-ass know-it-all girl, that whenever she has the opportunity, starts bragging about which celebrity she met or which compliment she received, provoking a defensive reaction from Tony who can't stand this snobbish attitude. Pauline basically wants to show, Tony wants to prove something to himself, this is the torment he endures. It's not about pleasing an audience, your parents, your friends, it's about self-esteem, which he curiously lacks.
This irony is highlighted during the climactic sequence where, after a beautiful and romantic dance number, he and Pauline win, but despite the thunder of applauds, Tony hardly hides his disappointment as he knew the Puerto Ricans who danced after him did a better job. For Pauline, it doesn't matter; it's all about winning, showing. For Tony, winning must go along with deserving. This false victory is the proof of the hypocrisy that governs the rules, Tony won because he's the most charismatic, but he can't build anything on charisma, because it has nothing to do with his own merits. There's something profoundly romantic in Tony Manero, as the misunderstood guy who feels his popularity as painful weight on his shoulders that prevent him from improving himself. No one understood him, maybe not even some viewers who couldn't get why this guy isn't prouder of himself. I guess, because the character gains more maturity and realizes that it's easy to comfort yourself in a safe haven of popularity and get all the chicks, but nothing worth living for can be conquered easily.
"Saturday Night Fever" is a deep introspective film that conveys the existential state of the 70's youth through a fascinating character, who'll get you a better appreciation of John Travolta's acting talents in this deservedly Oscar nominated role. In the same time, the movie is so driven by the disco music that it aged a little, it has some flaws too, but the same kind that you'd find in Marty's "Mean Streets". Overall, "Saturday night Fever" deserves to be regarded as one of the greatest films of the 70's, and a classic among the classics.
And an iconic status that would inspire a parody only three years later in the hilarious "Airplane!", like so many great classics, "Saturday Night Fever" features images forever engraved in our memories, with, like Simon and Garfunkel for "The Graduate" 10 years before, a music that fits the spirit of the 70's like the white suit in Tony's gracious body.