SYNOPSIS

By day 19-year-old Tony Manero works in a Brooklyn hardware store, but by night he finds glory as king of the dance floor at the local disco. With a dead end job, unsavory friends, and an unsupportive family, Tony is on the fast track to nowhere. However, when he meets Stephanie, a local girl who aspires to better things, Tony begins to question the choices he is making in his own life. Soon Tony and Stephanie team up to win a local dance contest and Tony must decide if he wants to remain in the familiar comfort of Brooklyn or take a chance on a better life by moving to Manhattan.

Director: John Badham
Producer: Robert Stigwood
Screenplay: Norman Wexler
Based on the New York magazine article Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night by Nik Cohn
Cinematography: Ralf D. Bode
Editing: David Rawlins
Music Composer: Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, David Shire
Costume Designer: Patrizia von Brandenstein, Jennifer Nichols
Choreographer: Lester Wilson
Cast: John Travolta (Tony Manero), Karen Lynn Gorney (Stephanie), Barry Miller (Bobby C.), Joseph Cali (Joey), Paul Pape (Double J), Donna Pescow (Annette), Bruce Ornstein (Gus), Julie Bovasso (Flo), Martin Shakar (Frank), Sam Coppola (Fusco), Nina Hansen (Grandmother), Denny Dillon (Doreen), Bert Michaels (Pete), Robert Costanzo (Paint Store Customer), Robert Weil (Becker), Shelly Batt (Girl in Disco), Fran Drescher (Connie), Donald Gantry (Jay Langhart), Murray Moston (Haberdashery Salesman), William Andrews (Detective), Ann Travolta (Pizza Girl), Monti Rock III (Deejay), Val Bisoglio (Frank, Sr.), Ellen March (Bartender), Helen Travolta (Woman in Paint Store)
C-119m.

Why SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER is Essential

From John Travolta to its throbbing disco soundtrack and polyester pantsuits, Saturday Night Fever uniquely captured a moment in time during the late 70s. Over the years the film has come to define the disco era and has become iconic in itself within the annals of American pop culture.

Saturday Night Fever was the film that made John Travolta a superstar. While Travolta was already a star from playing the character of Vinnie Barbarino on the popular television series Welcome Back, Kotter, Saturday Night Fever catapulted his fame into another dimension, making him the hottest young actor in Hollywood and one of the top box office draws for the next several years. His character was a far cry from the lovable Sweathog Vinnie Barbarino that had endeared him to television audiences, and Travolta surprised everyone with the depth of his acting range. Travolta's electrifying performance as Tony Manero also earned him his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor.

While some people only remember the 70s hairstyles, clothes and Bee Gees music, many forget that Saturday Night Fever has an excellent script with richly drawn characters and a hard-hitting story of directionless youth that still packs a punch. No one expected much from Paramount's scrappy low-budget disco movie, but Saturday Night Fever struck a chord with audiences all over the world and became a box office and pop cultural phenomenon.

The success of Saturday Night Fever influenced American pop culture for years to come. The music of the film dominated the radio, while disco clubs and dance contests soon began popping up all over the country. People began dressing like the characters with John Travolta-inspired white suits being all the rage for men, and Saturday Night Fever merchandise was soon everywhere including t-shirts, bubble gum cards and posters.

Before Saturday Night Fever came out in 1977, The Bee Gees had enjoyed moderate success as a musical group but were largely considered a 60s throwback. With their numerous musical contributions to the film including the songs "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", and "Night Fever", The Bee Gees' unique sound helped make the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack an international smash hit that became just as important as the film itself . The Saturday Night Fever album remained the bestselling soundtrack of all time until 1992 when it was finally dethroned by the soundtrack to the Whitney Houston film The Bodyguard.

Disco had been around for several years before Saturday Night Fever came out, though it was primarily an urban subculture phenomenon found in the big cities. In fact, many urbanites felt that disco was on its way out at the time. However, Saturday Night Fever changed that. The success of the film brought disco into the mainstream with dance clubs and disco music infiltrating every American suburb and completely revitalizing the craze for the next several years to come.

Saturday Night Fever came along at a time when traditional movie musicals were all but dead. The days when characters on the big screen spontaneously burst into song and dance had run their course and audiences no longer accepted the traditional conventions of the movie musical. Saturday Night Fever ushered in a new kind of musical in which the characters still danced, but the film's soundtrack became just as important as the film itself. Saturday Night Fever influenced many of the dance/soundtrack musicals of the 1980s such as Flashdance (1983), Footloose (1984) and Dirty Dancing (1987).

by Andrea Passafiume