Saturday Night Fever
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (18)
D: John Badham
Paramount (Robert Stigwood)
US 1977
119 mins
Drama/Musical
W: Norman Wexler
DP: Ralf D. Bode
Ed: David Rawlins
Mus: David Shire; Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb &
Maurice Gibb
John Travolta (Tony Manero), Karen Lynn Gorney
(Stephanie Mangano), Barry Miller (Bobby C), Joseph Cali (Joey), Paul Pipe (Double J), Donna Pescow (Annette)
The darker side of disco, but with a killer soundtrack and
star-making performance from John Travolta, whose exceptional dancing and iconic strut is perhaps overshadows the excellent acting performance.
As carefree Brooklyn teenager Tony Manero, he lives only
for the weekend, where he can be the king of the dancefloor for the night. A stark contrast to his weekday life, where he works a dead-end job in a hardware store and has a toxic relationship
with his parents. As king of the dance floor, he sets his ambitions on winning a dancing competition at his seedy neighbourhood's discotheque.
The rather bleak story is brought to life by the strength
of Travolta's performance and dance choreography as well as the iconic Bee Gees-penned songs.
Saturday Night Fever is a landmark film in many respects,
one which was sold on the power of its music and stands the test of time because of this.
8/10
