Directed by John Badham
Studio: Paramount
Year: 1977
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English; 2.0 surround French; 2.0 mono Spanish
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
MSRP: $ 19.99
Release Date: September 18, 2007
Review Date: April 3, 2008
John Badham’s Saturday Night Fever is one of the iconic films of the 1970s. Often with films representative of the era in which they were filmed, the clothes, the music, and the fads of the era date them to the point of absurdity. Yes, the polyester clothes, the bell-bottomed trousers, and the platform shoes may be snicker-worthy now, but the film’s story is as relevant today as ever, and the music continues to be a tonic, instantly recognizable and unforgettably rhythmic, both symptomatic of its era and yet easily transcending it. Saturday Night Fever is still a film that can move an audience.
John Travolta’s film career was assured after playing Tony Manero, disco king and Bay Ridge neighborhood style setter, the envy of every guy in Brooklyn and the boy every girl wants to be with, both on and off the dance floor. Tony’s lower middle class family isn’t particularly impressed with his neighborhood status; they’d much rather he be more like their beloved son Frank, Jr. (Martin Shakar), a priest who they soon learn is renouncing the priesthood. Tony’s cronies (Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape) don’t make a move without him, and they bask in his limelight, seemingly without envy at the numerous girls who throw themselves at him every Friday night at the local 2001 Odyssey disco. During the course of the film, however, Tony begins to see through a series of surprising and eventually devastating events that there’s a world outside Brooklyn, and that limiting himself only to the accolades of his prejudiced, small-minded, misogynistic little coterie isn’t going to bring him any lasting satisfaction.
Saturday Night Fever today is remembered most especially for the stimulating array of pop hits provided by the Bee Gees, several of which were written for the film (“Night Fever,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “More Than a Woman”) and others which were older hits recycled for the movie (especially “You Should Be Dancing” which provides the accompaniment for Travolta’s showstopping solo dance), and which made the film’s soundtrack album at the time the biggest seller in the history of LPs. (It still ranks as the biggest selling soundtrack album in history.) The music is unquestionably melodic and addictive, but astonishingly, not a single song was nominated for an Oscar in 1977, one of the biggest outrages in the history of the awards (not nominated the same year was another classic, “New York, New York”). Wisely, the Grammys rectified the situation by awarding the music four awards.
The film’s dramatic achievements, however, should not be slighted. The picture of a working class Brooklyn family seems spot-on, and the main character’s gradual dissolution of affection for his comrades and their small-mindedness is affecting and genuinely believable. Norman Wexler’s screenplay has echoes of Rebel Without a Cause in its restless teenagers looking for logic without adequate education to sort out the lies from the truth, and Tony’s two closest relationships: with the younger Bobby C (Barry Miller) who idolizes him and with growing romantic interest Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) finally provide him with the determination to leave his old life behind and strive for something better.
John Travolta earned his first Oscar nomination for playing Tony. At the time, people were amazed at his dancing ability though many didn’t realize that he had been a chorus boy and featured player in several Broadway musicals before heading to Hollywood and finding stardom as one of the sweathogs in Welcome Back, Kotter. Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow, and Denny Dillon each make distinct impressions as the girls in Tony’s life while Barry Miller’s tragic Bobby stands pitifully on the sidelines hoping for a flicker of recognition from his idol. Val Bisoglio and Julie Bovasso are superb, realistic representatives of the older generation.
John Badham uses several then-new Steadicam shots to get us in the faces of the various actors in tight spaces, and the camera lingers almost too lovingly on Travolta’s youthful physique even before he dons the trademark clothes that set style fashions for years. The dancing scenes have been shot well and feature choreography by Lester Wilson that’s not too unblinkingly complex to hinder the audience’s acceptance that the moves could be done by anyone with a modicum of talent.
The movie is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio transfer with anamorphic enhancement. This is undoubtedly the best the movie has ever looked on home video with a distinct lack of dirt and debris which has plagued previous releases of the movie on video. (One glance at the film clips in the bonus section helps relive what the film used to look like.) Color is good with natural flesh tones and deep blacks. True, some scenes are soft in appearance, more than likely true to the original photography. Most of the images are sharp and lacking in noticeable edge enhancement. Minor pixilation was observed, however, though it wasn’t distracting. The film is divided into 21 chapters.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix is very fine indeed, fully servicing the music (though perhaps there is a bit too much across the front channels and not enough in the rears). Some discreet effects have been added to the rear channels though not always consistently. LFE are few and far between, disappointing since the music might have benefited from more deep bass.
Director John Badham provides a very anecdotal audio commentary, likely ported from a previous release (since he mentions the film is twenty-five years old). He has some funny stories to tell and remembers the filming lovingly, though there are gaps in his commentary. He does not do a scene-by-scene analysis or delve deeply into production problems.
“Catching the Fever” is a collection of five anamorphic featurettes which can be watched together or separately. They cover the main aspects of the production: the filming and the impact of the film’s release, the Bee Gee’s music, the fashions in the film, the disco craze it perpetuated, and Travolta’s influence on the film. Production personnel from actors to the director, producers, and crew contribute to the discussion, apart, that is, from Travolta himself who is notably missing from all of these interviews and featurettes. Together the five features run 52½ minutes.
“Back to Bay Ridge” finds actor Joseph Cali on a walking tour of various locations used in the filming seeing which are still there, which have been renamed or remodeled, and which are no longer standing. This anamorphic feature runs 8½ minutes.
“Dance Like Travolta” is a 9½-minute dance lesson featuring professional dancer John Cassese instructing the viewer on the seven basic parts of the dance Travolta and Gorney do in the film to “More Than a Woman.” The dance steps are filmed in anamorphic widescreen.
“Fever Challenge” is another dance lesson, only this time the steps are provided by lighted floor panels which mimic the right and left feet of the participant. The accompanying music is “Night Fever,” and this lesson lasts 3½ minutes.
“70s Discopedia” can be turned on during the film, and trivia facts will pop-up throughout the movie. They can also be accessed simultaneously with Badham’s commentary track.
The DVD provides a preview trailer for Dreamgirls in nonanamorphic letterbox. The trailer for Saturday Night Fever is not provided.
Saturday Night Fever has been given an anniversary edition worthy of its rank as a 70s icon. The video and audio quality are excellent for a film of this age, and the bonuses are interesting and fairly thorough. For fans of the film, it’s a worthy double-dip.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
[PG]101821907[/PG]
