Director: John Badham.
Cast: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow

Originally released way back on 16th December 1977, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ can best be remembered as the classic coming-of-age tale in which John Travolta exploded onto the big screen and became a household name. Fueled with the dance beat of that generation and climaxed with the writing and singing skills of the Bee Gees, the soundtrack score is recognized as the top selling movie soundtrack of all time while the film helped popularize the disco movement.

John Travolta (Tony Manero) is a nineteen-year-old Italian-American living with his family in Brooklyn who is stuck in a dead-end job as a paint-store clerk. He lives for Saturday nights at the local disco, where he hangs around with a group of old friends who (like himself) have no real hopes or aspirations for the future. Manero blows his money on the weekends to become a local legend on the disco floor thanks to his stylish moves on the dance floor, much to the chagrin of his family members. At home, Tony fights with his father and has to compete with his family's starry-eyed view of his older brother, a priest. His walk, talk and dress style including his hairstyle are important to him, and he gets annoyed when his father crimps him for his hair. "Would ya watch the hair! Ya know, I spend a long time on my hair and he hit it--he hit my hair" shouts Manero to his family.

But Manero is a talent dude on the dance floor and wants to be the king under all circumstances so much so that he dumps his ex girlfriend Annette (Donna Pescow) for a social-climbing Manhattan secretary Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney) who he met at the disco to compete in the annual dance competition. Stephanie resists Tony's attempts to romance her, as she has big ambitions. Gradually, Tony also becomes disillusioned with the life he is leading and he and Stephanie decide to help one another to start afresh. The dance competition is coming up, Annette still loves Tony. What does Tony do?

It's truly a knockout performance by Travolta ... one that deservedly netted him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and won him the top male acting award from the National Board of Review. Although slightly gritty with language and scenes that some might consider offensive, it is a true life tale of the mid seventies in New York City.

Released as a 30th Anniversary edition DVD, there’s no doubt that this movie is still loved even today, not only for its dancing and music, but also for its cinematic sensation of the disco era of the 70s that revealed the fashions, disco and aspirations of an underground culture to the world. The music which is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital, is something to die for.

As for special features on the DVD, there’s a commentary by the director and a 70s Discopedia. Also look out for the mini photo booklet that contains snapshots of the movie.

-- Reviewed by Verus Ferreira