ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE 1970s

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2001)

"Saturday Night Fever" is about much more than dancing. It contains a sturdy character study, which is what makes this film so great. That and the music.
John Travolta stars as Tony Manero, a Brooklynite whose life consists of dancing at the local disco and hanging out with his friends after working at the local hardware store all week. This is one of Travolta's best performances. After seeing him as Barbarino week after week in "Welcome Back Kotter", it was probably a great shock to his many fans that he would do a serious drama. But he pulls off this difficult role so well that it establishes him as a serious and great actor.
Some of the best scenes in the movie involve Tony and his family. Tony is seen as something of a disappointment, especially compared to his brother who is a priest. The conflicts with Tony and his father are among the truest and most human I've seen in some time. It's a shame that they are not very well remembered among audiences today.
The most well remembered and talked about sequences are the scenes inside the discotheque. John Badham, the director, makes good use of the camera and captures the energy and color of a local disco of the 70s. At the very least, it blows away "Can't Stop the Music" and "Thank God It's Friday", probably among the worst films of this era. Travolta himself is impressive in the dancing sequences. It is good to see an actor actually do the dancing himself rather than a double.
The music is great, too. Most of the music is from The Bee Gees, the standout group of this era and this is some of their best work. Songs like "Stayin Alive", "Night Fever", "More Than A Woman", "You Should Be Dancin" and "How Deep Is Your Love" not only represent the disco era, but they also enhance the film itself and not many soundtracks can do that.
"Saturday Night Fever" is a wonderful movie, an insightful look at a time that has faded away from memory. So many people want to forget the disco era so badly that they tend to take potshots at the music and fashions. They forget that they lived that time and it should not be forgotten.

***WARNING: "Saturday Night Fever" exists in two versions. My review applies to the original "R" version which has a lot of offensive language and material. The alternate "PG" version is the one used for TV and is also of interest. My advice: rent or buy the R version. This movie's soul is in that cut.
R version: ****