Retro Film Review: Saturday Night Fever (1977)

(source: tmdb.org)

Whenever Hollywood tries to make quick cash by exploiting some fashionable cultural trends results usually leave much to be desired. If such endeavour includes a popular young teen idol in the leading role, the results are usually even worse. But one film escaped such fate. Saturday Night Fever, 1977 musical drama directed by John Badham turned out to be something more than the most popular and successful films of its time.

The screenplay for the film, written by Norman Wexler, was inspired by Nik Cohn's allegedly non-fiction magazine article about disco subculture in 1970s urban America. Protagonist of the film is Tony Manero (played by John Travolta), 19-year old man from Brooklyn's Italoamerican blue collar neighbourhood, whose life offer little hope - he is forced to live with his verbally abusing parents and support them by having boring, low-paid, dead-end job in local hardware store. Like many youths in similar situations, Tony finds an escape in the magical world of disco clubs, where he goes every Saturday night to dance his frustration away and occasionally enjoy alcohol, drugs and women. What sets him apart from his friends is a genuine dance talent - whenever he sets foot on the dance floor, he becomes the king. When 500 US$ prize at local disco dance competition offers a chance for this talent to improve financial situation, Tony decides to get himself a partner. Stephanie (played by Karen Lynn Gorney), slightly snobbish typist who lives in Manhattan, attracts Tony both by her looks and dance talent. She agrees to start practising with Tony and later rejects all of his romantic advances. The series of tragic events would gradually lead Tony to start re-evaluating his life and contemplating some new form of existence.

Few films managed to capture the spirit of its times as thoroughly and successfully as Saturday Night Fever did. The film features reminders of many 1970s popular culture icons like the images of Bruce Lee, Al Pacino and Farrah Fawcett in Tony Manero's room. But the most noticeable things are music and fashion. Saturday Night Fever is often seen as a reference for all future filmmakers who want to give 1970s period "feel" to their work. Ironically, Saturday Night Fever didn't only capture fashions and music of the time - it was itself the influence on fashion and music itself. New, modern concept of musical - in which song numbers illustrate and advance plot in the background - allowed Gibb brothers (or "Bee Gees") to create series of songs that would dominate the pop charts in years to come. In the same time, millions of fans all over the world tried to repeat Tony Manero's dance moves and copy his fashion style.

But all that disco glamour can't hide the fact that Saturday Night Fever happens to be one serious and at times very depressive social drama. Norman Wexler's script paints the very dark picture of 1970s urban America, vividly showing the effects of the great social, political and economic turmoil that had stricken that nation in previous years. Vietnam fiasco and Watergate scandal took away people's belief in government and authority, oil shocks and recession have impoverished them, and the counter-culture revolutions of 1960s managed to destroy the old value systems without creating credible alternatives. All those historical processes conspired to make life miserable for young people like Tony Manero - those who couldn't have afforded their own cars or apartments, those forced to remain in their blue collar neighbourhoods for the rest of their lives, those most likely to ruin their lives by making some girl pregnant and getting themselves in bad marriages, thus condemning new generations to the same self-perpetuating cycle of poverty. Seeing no perspective and not having any ethical anchor (even Tony's priest brother, played by Martin Shakar, is unable to cope with the new challenges and, as a result, leaves Church), young men turn to rampant hedonism, and the seemingly innocent activities like drugs, alcohol or casual sex are followed by irrational tribal wars or sexual abuse of women.

Saturday Night Fever is clearly a product of its time - arguably the best period in American film history. Only in 1970s the filmmakers could have made some things unimaginable in later, stricter but gentler and kinder times - like, for example, having a protagonist who happens to be racist, sexist, homophobic, part-time hooligan and in the end even rapist. John Travolta made arguably the bets acting job in his career by playing Tony Manero in such way that this character remained likeable even with all those questionable traits being portrayed in unapologetic and realistic manner. Travolta, who played this role under tremendous emotional and physical pressure, should never be praised enough for the strength of his performance (both dancing and acting). Same could be said for other members of the cast, although hardly any of them, unlike Travolta, managed to benefit from their presence in Saturday Night Fever in the later stages of their careers.

The realism of Saturday Night Fever is also reflected in its narrative structure. The plot isn't exactly solid, and the film is constructed on the series of vignettes that gradually expose characters and their interactions. Because of that, the dramatic change in protagonist at the end comes very naturally. The ending of Saturday Night Fever also resembles real life in its ending - instead of opting for conventional Hollywood fairytale, Wexler and Badham hint that the real struggle only awaits the protagonist.

The ending for Saturday Night Fever, however, was much more happier. The film turned out to be something more than the document of its time - even the people who care little about disco or polyester won't fail to appreciate the Hollywood film making at its best.
RATING: 9/10 (++++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on February 10th 2003)