SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (Written Review & Video Review)

Jesse's Rating: ★★★ ½

Cole's Rating: ★★★ ½

Director: John Badham

Year: 1977

Cast: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller

Genre: Drama/Music
MPAA Rating: R

        Saturday Night Fever is more than just an American dance film (as in disco dancing). It's an intense drama, a restless character study, and overall, a movie of its time. Yes, it's obviously a little outdated and John Badham's direction is somewhat sporadic (some of the sequences veer into a sort of broken narrative). However, there is an urgency and accuracy in the culture this exercise depicts. Last but not least, you have John Travolta in a performance that, in 1977, shot him into the stratosphere of acting prowess. Yes, he was excellent later on in Pulp Fiction, but in "Fever", his star shines as bright as anyone in the Hollywood galaxy. It's been over 35 years since the film's release and Travolta has not come close to the brooding, anxious brilliance (he probably can dance just as good now, who knows?) that he displayed as Tony Manero ("the king" or as one character notes, "the best").

        Not necessarily as plot driven as it is more driven by ideas and characters, Saturday Night Fever's concept is loosely based on a small article in New York Magazine (circa 1976). The article by Nik Cohn, is entitled "Tribal Rights of the new Saturday night". As far as storytelling goes, "Fever" takes the bare bones of Cohn writings and walks you through the trials and tribulations of some Brooklyn 20-somethings which are on full display throughout the 2 hour-plus running time. Their leader, Tony Manero, looks forward to his weekends where he can strut his stuff on the dance floor to the powerful and seducing music brought to you by The Bee Gees. Throughout the proceedings, he is caught in a tensioned love triangle (actresses Karen Lynn Gorney and Donna Pescow are two dancers he gets involved with, and they are excellent in their roles as well), hangs with his buddies (he refers to them as "the faces") at the Brooklyn club 2001 A Space Odyssey (I'm serious), and feuds with his misunderstood parents who don't really know him as a person. As many critics note (this critic as well), the central theme of Saturday Night Fever is bent on looking into Manero's rough and irrelevant existence made only tolerable by snippets of glory here and there on the dance floor (and at a dance contest). I think what made the sequel (Staying Alive) such a mess (it was entertaining though, go figure), was how it failed to effectively put this aspect into motion. Sly Stallone directed Staying Alive and I think he missed the boat on Badham's initial touch with atmosphere and grittiness. Plus, it works better when Travolta's character stays away from doing shows on Broadway.

        Something also to note on "Fever": On the heels of what was written in the aforementioned article, production started in early 1977. Badham wasn't initially the director, mind you. The original man behind the camera was John Advildsen (he directed Rocky). According to a documentary on the anniversary DVD, he was fired early on due to his initial vision of having Travolta's title role being portrayed as a quote unquote, "a nice guy who does good things for people in the neighborhood". The studios (along with the star's input, I'm certain) wanted a harder edge to Manero's persona and I believe this is what makes this flick work (don't expect something like Grease, or his kooky, lovable tough guy from Welcome Back Kotter). You like Manero even though he is remarkably unlikable. This is due to Travolta's high level of charisma and ability to cater to the mental and highly physical demands of the role. In fact, most of Travolta's cronies in the film (unknown actors at the time but very natural on screen) also kind of exhibit this quality. And as in many great feats of cinema (including this one), they stay with you long after the closing credits appear.

        To wrap things up, the aspect about "Fever" that makes it one of the best films of the 70's is its realism. The characters don't sugarcoat their actions. There is a cynical nature about all of them (especially Manero). Granted, this is not a cheerful dance production number where everyone has a good time at the club and then goes home to a happy life. These people (Tony's family, friends, and even himself) have problems and an extreme need to break away from their banal existence. Saturday Night Fever, focusing mainly on Travolta's plight, can be catagorized as a snapshot of a young man's pride in his craft (shining at the disco) and the sad/troubling moments in between. It's raw, reckless filmmaking that dares you to embrace it's rough edges. Truth be told, you come away from this film with memorabe sounds, bright images, and unavoidable mental train wrecks. The look of its poster with Travolta and Gorney holding hands in the middle of the dance floor doesn't quite tell the whole story. You know there is more to "Fever" than just disco dancing. At the end of a scene taking place on the Verranzano-Narrows Bridge (connects Brooklyn to Staten Island), Travolta (Manero) says, "can you dig it? I knew that you could." Yeah its safe to say, that I can utlimately dig this landmark film.  

-Written by Jesse Burleson

Cole's Thoughts: If we’re talking about how well a film captures its time, Saturday Night Fever is the Mean Streets equivalency of dance, sexual promiscuity, and angst in the big city. Whereas the ’74 release divulged life in the small-time mafia (and did a better job than this film), the ‘77 is a basic, yet thoughtful character study that takes us into the life of Tony Manero, a rowdy, mixed up, misunderstood, also talented, and deep-down good young boy growing up in Brooklyn in the late 70’s. Saturday Night Fever’s main fault is the hesitation that is sensed by the director, John Badham. The film is sloppy; it’s all over the place, and as a result, it never quite develops its main focus. He chooses to brush over numerous aspects, including dancing, ultimately making each one slightly superficial. But Travolta charismatically dominates the film (if he’s at all over the top) and makes this movie one heck of a ride. Upon initial viewing, I only gave this film three stars. Here’s why I changed my mind: for the following week, the irresistibly remarkable 70’s soundtrack—that happens to be one of the best-selling of all time—lingered behind my thoughts of Travolta’s resounding performance and the several subject matters the movie tackled (even if it wasn’t to the extent I would’ve liked it to be). After a week of that, I popped the DVD in, and the first words I exclaimed were "this movie is just downright awesome". In hindsight, Saturday Night Fever is one of America’s most cherished films, to those of every taste. Enjoy it for all it has to offer, as I know I did. If you haven’t yet seen Dog Day Afternoon, look for one of Al Pacino’s most famous lines!

-- Click HERE To Watch The Video On YouTube --