Saturday Night Fever

Plot synopsis:
Anthony "Tony" Manero is a 19-year-old Italian American man from the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Tony lives with his parents, and works at a dead-end job in a small hardware store. The stagnant monotony of his life is temporarily dispelled every Saturday night when Tony is "king of the dance floor" at 2001 Odyssey, a local disco club. Tony has four close friends: Joey; Double J; Gus; and the diminutive Bobby C. A fringe member of his group of friends is Annette, a neighborhood girl who longs for a more permanent physical relationship with Tony.
Tony and his friends ritually stop on the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge to clown around. The bridge has special significance for Tony as a symbol of escape to a better life on the other side—in more suburban Staten Island.
Tony agrees to be Annette's partner in an upcoming dance contest at 2001 Odyssey, but her happiness is short-lived when Tony is mesmerized by another woman at the club, Stephanie Mangano, who executes intricate dance moves with exceptional grace and finesse. Although Stephanie coldly rejects Tony's advances, she eventually agrees to be his partner in the dance competition, provided that their partnership will remain strictly professional. Tony's older brother, Frank Jr., who was the pride of the Manero family since he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest, brings despair to their parents when he tells them that he has left the priesthood. Tony shares a warm relationship with Frank Jr., but feels vindicated that he is no longer the black sheep of the family.
While on his way home from the grocery store, Gus is attacked by a Hispanic gang and hospitalized. He tells Tony and his friends that his attackers were the Barracudas. Meanwhile, Bobby C. has been trying to get out of his relationship with his devoutly Catholic girlfriend, Pauline, who is pregnant with his child. Facing pressure from his family and others to marry her, Bobby asks former priest Frank Jr., if the Pope would grant him dispensation for an abortion. When Frank tells him such a thing would be highly unlikely, Bobby's feelings of despair intensify. Bobby lets Tony borrow his 1964 Chevrolet Impala to help move Stephanie from Bay Ridge to Manhattan, and futilely tries to extract a promise from Tony to call him later that night.
Eventually, the group gets their revenge on the Barracudas, and crash Bobby C's car into their hangout. Tony, Double J, and Joey get out of the car to fight, but Bobby C. takes off when a gang member tries to attack him in the car. When the guys visit Gus in the hospital, they are angry when he tells them that he may have targeted the wrong gang. Later, Tony and Stephanie dance at the competition and end up winning first prize. However, Tony believes that a Puerto Rican couple performed better, and that the judges' decision was racially rigged. He gives the Puerto Rican couple the first prize trophy, and leaves with Stephanie. Once outside in a car, she denigrates their relationship and he tries to rape her. She resists and runs from him.
Tony's friends come to the car along with a drunk and stoned Annette. Joey says she has agreed to have sex with everyone. Tony tries to lead her away, but is subdued by Double J and Joey, and sullenly leaves with the group in the car. Double J and Joey rape Annette. Bobby C. pulls the car over on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for their usual cable-climbing antics. Typically abstaining, Bobby gets out and performs more dangerous stunts than the rest. Realizing that he is acting recklessly, Tony tries to get him to come down. Bobby's strong sense of alienation, his deadlocked situation with Pauline, and Tony's broken promise to call him earlier that day—all culminate in a suicidal tirade about Tony's lack of caring before Bobby slips and falls to his death in the water below them.
Disgusted and disillusioned by his friends, his family, and his life, Tony spends the rest of the night riding the subway into Manhattan. Morning has dawned by the time he appears at Stephanie's apartment. He apologizes for his bad behavior, telling her that he plans to relocate from Brooklyn to Manhattan to try and start a new life. Tony and Stephanie salvage their relationship and agree to be friends, sharing a tender moment.

Tags: realism, cult, humor, romantic, melodrama, revenge, sentimental

Review:
Travolta plays Tony Manero, a loser in a nowhere job who only feels alive when he is on the dance floor at the local disco.
Soon Tony becomes frustrated with his "station in life" and tells Stephanie he wants out (of Brooklyn).What makes Saturday Night Fever work so much for me is Tony is very typical of a lot of males who would rather have a good time and party now than build something toward the future.
In my small town, mobile discos sprouted everywhere - and we all wanted to be John Travolta....and it was one of the catalysts for me to leave home and explore the world.Watched it again last night, and as a 50 year old it all came flooding back - melancholia obviously setting in because I felt like a 15 year old again - the memories came flooding back.
Though at times it is slightly exaggerated, it still manages to capture a vast amount of authenticity and ultimately the sights and sounds of the time.Saturday Night Fever follows self-proclaimed "dance king" Tony Manero (John Travolta) and his love of dancing and the trials and tribulations of his life in the Bronx.
The lighting is perfect at creating the "disco world", the set-piece of the 2001 Disco is one of the film's many iconic highlights.John Travolta dedicates himself to his dancing and character, fitting the role with a graceful ease.
The shooting techniques in the disco are magnificent for filming the dance scenes and fit perfectly alongside the other technical elements.Saturday Night Fever is a far more professional film than one might expect, it has intelligence as well as entertainment, which is something that makes a more than just admirable achievement.
There isn't much to the movie other than the need for fame--as brief as it may be--and the most obvious theme of the film, which is learning to treat women as something more than just sex objects.Tony and his pals all join together at 2001 Odyssey, a crummy disco club with dizzying strobe lights and a constantly-waxed dance floor where Tony is often encouraged to let loose and show everyone his moves.
I work a long time on my hair, and you hit it!" I know that scene has been quoted before, but I quoted it again since it made me laugh so hard.In one of the finest scenes in the entire movie, and certainly one of the most touching, Tony has lunch with an older girl (who later becomes his dance partner) and tries to impress her by acting mature.
An uneducated Brooklyn teen (John Travolta, in an Oscar-nominated role) lives in a dream world over the weekends as the king of a disco dance floor.
this movie was a classic!.If we are here to compare it with such movies as The Godfather,Apocalypse Now or Gone with the wind,of course most of the people or cinema critics will think this movie as a joke.But it isn't.Saturday Night Fever was considered in 1977 for liberal or funky people an icon movie such as Rebel Without A Cause was for young people in the 1950's.Today it can even be considered a cult movie.Of course that's only my opinion,but i can tell u i'm also a fan of The Godfather.John Badham made a great job directing this movie.He didn't made only a serious discomusic movie about,but also a movie where problems of young people were having on those days.John Travolta made the lead character of one of those young guys.With his ups and downs during the whole movie Travolta expresses a guy who have urges on being "someone" in this world,and yeah,he did a great job.So good that he was even nominated that year for Best Lead Actor.Need to say more....
Quintessential film about the Seventies' disco craze that made Travolta an American icon (Best Actor nominee) and superstar as Brooklynite Tony Manero, a free-wheelin' Italian kid who loves to dance but doesn't know what he wants from life despite his talent and some eye-opening advice from dance partner Gorney.
Second, the difficulty that some men have in relating to women as comrades and friends and not simply sex facilitators.There is a scene in the movie where the hero, Tony Manero, sits on a bench with Stephanie, the girl he loves, and tells her all about one of the bridges out of Brooklyn: Its height, length, how many cubic yards of concrete went into its making--and you can taste his desire to cross that bridge and leave Brooklyn behind.
Five minutes of the movie brings it all back -- the disco era, the incredible Bee Gees music, and the charm, charisma and dance moves that was young John Travolta.
I can still remember how excited she was talking about it in class.It's the era of platform shoes, polyester shirts, and big blow-dried hair, and in the midst of it is a young Brooklyn man (Travolta) who has a gifted natural ability for dance is surrounded by friends heading nowhere and Italian-American parents who are afraid that he's just like his crowd.
You're nowhere, going' no place." As Tony Manero, John Travolta is a sexy number with his swiveling hips and white suit, and he has a neighborhood girl (Donna Pescow) in love with him, as well as one of his friends, Bobby (Barry Miller) who's gay and doesn't know it, but always shows off for Tony and cries when Tony doesn't call him.I love what Roger Ebert says about the effect of this film, which was his review partner Gene Siskel's favorite: "We all have a powerful memory of the person we were at that moment when we formed a vision for our lives.
He makes mistakes, he fumbles, he says the wrong things, but when he does what he loves he feels a special grace." Directed with both realism and romance by John Badham, "Saturday Night Fever," especially for those of us who were young during the disco era, holds a very special place..
I didn't live the time when SNF has premiered; but this movie fascinates me, from the first time I saw it when I was 5 or 6 years old in TV, and this fascinated me; and now, at my 28-years-old, it has something that makes me enjoy it in a different way, it has everything, it's interesting, entertaining, exciting and it's definitely a very would.One of the things that fascinates me about this great movie is its music, I love the music of the Bee Gees and since I saw Tony Manero walking with the paint pot I got hooked with the character.The scenes on the dance floor are spectacular, each one seems iconic and not only the scenes in the club are good, the background story or above is just as good, it's interesting, you can see the evolution of John Travolta's character and the life he has.Here they show with great success the life and behavior of many adolescents of that time and some of the consequences that will occur if they continue with that lifestyle I have immaturity.In short, a very complete film, very serious and a classic of the 70s..
It's fun to watch John Travolta cut amazing shapes on the dance floor and it's fun to listen to the beautiful bee gees soundtrack, especially night fever.
You know the scenes: Tony Manero (John Travolta) walking down the street primping his hair while "Stayin' Alive" plays; he later is the king of the dance floor while "Disco Inferno" is playing.
I just wish, however, that the film was less like the prolonged music video and was more plot-driven at times or had greater importance than "who will be Tony's new dance partner?"!
Of course, this shallowness might actually be a great metaphor for the era--an era typified by loud clothes, drugs, sex without consequences and Studio 54.Overall, an interesting time capsule hindered by characters that are mostly low-lifes and co-dependents.At one point in the film, Tony muses "there are ways of killing yourself without killing yourself".
The protagonist of this movie is nothing less than abhorrent, his supposed redemption is a cheap, unearned, insulting sham.Aside from the single good dance scene (which does NOT involve John Travolta) this film is an awkward mess of supposed class warfare, blue collar self aggrandizement, soft lighting (so romantic!), and explicit glorification of violence and rape.
Tony Napero is a real smooth Brooklyn fellow, who likes to dance some disco.Then he finds this perfect dance partner, Stephanie Mangano.This could be his dream girl.Saturday Night Fever (1977) is a disco movie classic, directed by John Badham.You can't think of a better guy to act the lead than John Travolta.His mother Helen and sister Ann are also seen in the movie.Karen Lynn Gorney makes a really good female lead.Great work by guys who play Tony's friends, Barry Miller (Bobby C.), Joseph Cali (Joey) and Paul Pape (Double J.).Donna Pescow is terrific as Annette.Val Bisoglio and Julie Bovasso are brilliant as Tony's parents Frank and Flo.Martin Shakar is very good as the priest brother Frank.And Lisa Peluso as sister Linda.Sam Coppola is great as the boss Dan Fusco.Robert Costanzo is in a small role as Paint store customer.Fran Drescher makes her movie debut as Connie.What makes this a really great movie is the music by the Gibb brothers, Barry, Robin and Maurice.The group is known as the Bee Gees.Their hits like "Stayin' Alive", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "More Than a Woman" really get you going.And Travolta really has the dance moves.He really rocks the dance floor.The drama of this movie works, too.Like when they're on that bridge and something dramatic takes place there.Watch this movie once, twice or as many times as you like and you will find that disco will never be dead..
when i was a kid 'saturday night fever' was a movie about dancing, about going out, and about being young and with your friends.
The movie was okay (I too feel that little Ms. Soap Opera star of that time Karen Lynn takes the film down..), but there IS something in it for everyone from the lead character Tony just trying to find his way and loving to dance, to the "fat" girl (I did NOT think she was all that fat, but again, that is one of the charms of this film) doing all the wrong things to get noticed, to the friends, the family and how they all intertwine on Saturday Nights to shake it all off and away...if only for a few hours.
This cult disco movie, which made Travolta a star, talks about growing up in the working class and attempts to escape from mediocrity and pointlessness of everyday life, even if only on a Saturday night.
RELEASED IN 1977 and directed by John Badham, "Saturday Night Fever" is a drama/musical detailing events in Brooklyn where a group of Italian-American youths led by Tony Manero (John Travolta) work dead-end jobs, rumble with Hispanics and meet babes at the local discothèque where Tony is a champion dancer.
Will openly admit to having very fond memories of school discos, singing along (often forgetting words) and dancing (with some energy if not such a discernible beat) to music, a music college graduate has to start somewhere, that was great then and still is now.'Saturday Night Fever' may not be a perfect film, or a masterpiece, but to me and many others it is high-energy and hugely enjoyable entertainment that took me back to nostalgic, and happier, times in my life.
John Bradham directs with a clear affectionate love for the period and subject, and the film does offer a more complex view of disco than one might think with some easy to relate to themes.Best assets are the music, dancing and John Travolta.
i had never seen this movie before.though i had heard a lot of things about it.anyway,i finally watched it today,and i really liked it.i thought it was very well paced.i liked the dialogue.i thought it was clever.the acting was good,but Travolta was outstanding,but very understated.the dance scenes were really good.Travolta looked like natural on the dance floor.i also really liked the 70's disco music.the movie was written very well,overall.it felt really authentic.the only negative thing i can say about the movie,is that it loses some steam towards the end.but as for the ending itself,i liked it.it wasn't your typical Hollywood ending.i think it was realistic.in my opinion,pretty much anyone can relate to this movie,especially if your just an average person with big dreams.depending on your age,this movie might bring back a lot of memories for you.i think it's still relevant today.for me,Saturday Night Fever is a 8.5/10.
Rated R for strong language, sexuality/nudity, drug content and some violence.Saturday Night Fever was John Travolta's breakthrough film.After this film and Grease, he would not be famous again until Pulp Fiction in 1994.There are two versions of Saturday Night Fever.The original R-rated version and an edited PG version which is hard to find on VHS(not released on DVD) but is the one which is used for the edited for TV version of Fever.It is cut by approx 6min.Anyway Travolta's acting is very good in this film and the storyline is pretty good as well.A bit boring at times but the soundtrack is excellent.I actually bought the soundtrack a couple of years ago.The film is about a young man living in Brooklyn.Everyday, him and his friends go to a disco to hang around and dance.Travolta is a very good disco dancer.One day him and this girl he likes try to win the dance competition which is being held there.Saturday NIght Fever is an interesting film which portrays disco in the 1970's.This is actually the film which helped popularize disco.Worth watching..
We all have feelings about films and straight away from the chilled upbeat music I knew why older audiences talk highly over this period musical drama.The unknown artist at the time, Travolta laid down his mark in film history by playing the part of the central protagonist Tony Manero, an upbeat but concerned character who has troubles with his family and friends but releases his stress on the dance floor.The main reason why this film was captivating was the slickness of the character.
The classic suits, the discos, and the cars and buildings to conform to the rough surroundings and create a very effective mise en scene.Its all about the beginning and getting 'Into the groove' and getting to know the different opinions from the parents and late teens about dancing and through this method of arguing and debates the film expresses emotional ideologies and viewers can associate their own views with the characters.The first half of the movie was fast flowing with different ideologies about dancing, families and work very convincing in short scenes.
From the classic opening scene when a young paint store worker struts down the Brooklyn street with a bucket of latex, to the stirring BeeGees rendition of 'Staying Alive, you know that director John Badham's Saturday Night Fever' has attitude.
)After sending the kids out (they love the opening "Stayin' Alive" sequence), I fell in love again, with the music (okay, like the Bee Gees are my absolute favorite group of all time), with John Travolta (my husband has a cleft in his chin, too), and all the generation-defining disco dancing.
And, in addition to all my posters of John Travolta, the Bee Gees, and Princess Diana (yes, loved her, too - great when they danced together at the White House), irony of ironies, I own the greatest, most obscure (and probably the most common) piece of movie trivia - a 2001 Odyssey (Honda).I think all who love this movie should get together and watch it in unison every Saturday night a la "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and all act out the parts.
gives one of his best performances ('sides Fiction) as Tony, a Brooklyn toughie who works at a paint shop, gets laid, hangs out his his low life friends and burns the dance floor every saturday night.
This is I would argue, one of the most powerful and dazzling opening scenes in movie history, and Travolta plays it to perfection.SureSaturday Night Fever is a dated film.
Saturday Night Fever is one of the most ultimate disco movies, where John Travolta stars as Brooklyn teenager Tony Manero, who is known as the king of the disco floor at a local dance club.
There is surprisingly more to "Saturday Night Fever" than just John Travolta in the white suit rocking out to the Bee Gees (you see some iconic images over time, they sort of symbolize the movie, what can I say?).
All of those elements make Saturday Night Fever a classic and one of the best films of the 1970s.Set in Brooklyn,New York,Saturday Night Fever tells the story of Tony Manero(John Travolta),a young teenager who goes to the local Disco club every Saturday night with his friends to dance where Tony is king of the dance floor but outside of the dance club his life is miserable.
When Tony meets and befriends fellow dancer Stephanie(Karen Lynn Gorney),Tony starts to re-examine his life and decides to grow up.Released in 1977,Saturday Night Fever is a brilliant,unforgettable and iconic film that was not only a critical and Box Office success but also made John Travolta a movie star,helped launch the Disco craze in the late 1970s and gave viewers one of the best and biggest soundtracks of all-time.
A classic soundtrack.In final word,if you love 1970s films,cinema in general,John Travolta and Music,I Highly Suggest you see Saturday Night Fever,an excellent and unforgettable classic that you will never forget and watch again and again.
Saturday Night Fever, the huge musical hit and film that launched John Travolta into A-list stardom, is kind of like the ROCKY of dance movies.
Saturday Night Fever tells the story of Tony Manero- a slick, good looking guy from Brooklyn who has a gift for dancing..
Saturday Night Fever, one of the greatest disco dancing movies ever made.