Year: 1977
Director: John Badham
Country: US
Language: English
Nineteen-year-old Brooklyn native Tony Manero (John Travolta) lives for Saturday nights at the local disco, where he's king of the club, thanks to his stylish moves on the dance floor. It is the ultimate escape from his fractured home life.
Early in the movie, Tony's girlfriend Stephanie tells him "You live with your parents, you hang with your buddies and on Saturday nights you burn it all off at 2001 Odyssey. You're a cliche. You're nowhere, goin' no place.'' He knows that she is right. He desperately wants to leave Brooklyn for something bigger and more exciting. Director John Badham perfectly captures the alienated youth of the 70's, as well as the self-destruction of the nuclear family household.
The theme of escaping to the big city is not unfamiliar in American Cinema. Just the same year George Lucas's Star Wars captured a similar, yet weaker, essence. The home is portrayed as a trap; a road that leads to nowhere. The camera makes the home-scenes feel claustrophobic and tense. Perhaps the subplot with the father and Tony's priest brother is weak, but it makes for some pulse-pounding melodrama. Even though the film is not exactly perfect, it does grasp the angst and energy of teens very well.
In conclusion, I feel that Saturday Night Fever is John Travolta's greatest film. He is at the top of his game, certainly showing a strong understanding of dramatic acting. It's also worth seeing the picture just to witness Travolta's remarkable dancing. The film's themes are still relevant to this day; for some teenagers in 2014 this will be the ultimate escape flick. Praise it! 3.5/5
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