Stars:
John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow, and Fran Drescher
Writer:
Norman Wexler
Based
On Characters Created By: Nik Cohn
Director:
John Badham
Feature
length: 118 minutes
Extras:
Feature Length Commentary By Director John Badham, Highlights From VH1’s
Behind The Music, Deleted Scenes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English and French Language Dolby
Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and English Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Digipack
Chapter
Stops: 21
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1977/DVD Release: 2002
Theatrical
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Saturday
Night Fever” is one of the most influential films of the latter half of the 20th
century. Adapted from a story by Nik Cohn, “Saturday Night Fever” perfectly
captures an era in American pop culture like a time capsule and has spawned many
imitators including the lackluster sequel “Staying Alive” and affected a
generation of youth who would emulate the basic look and attitude of
Travolta’s “Tony Manero” character for at least a decade after the
film’s release. In addition to various television programs like “Dance
Fever,” which was hosted by “Saturday Night Fever” Choreographer Deney
Terrio, and “Solid Gold” and the effect of “Saturday Night Fever” has
also carried over into contemporary cinema. For example, in many ways the film
“Boogie Nights” is as a paradigm at least partially the same archetypal
story as “Saturday Night Fever.” Both characters in both films are imperfect
protagonists with one gift that sets them apart from their environment and
enables them to transcend their dysfunctional family life. Both aspire to be in
a higher social circle, but cannot hide the ignorance from their upbringing.
Both characters go through a right of passage or trial by fire whether it is a
failed attempt at rescuing a friend from a watery grave at the edge of one of
the world’s longest suspension bridges or a failed drug deal attempt where one
witnesses the shooting death or another. At the end our protagonist returns to
their new home whether it be a surrogate family within the early Adult Film
Industry or a quasi brother-sister like relationship with the hope to start over
as a wiser person using their God given talent regardless of what that might be
and both endings are also somewhat ambiguous as to what the future of our
protagonist will be because in neither case is their any certainty that just
because they are wiser, they will use that wisdom in the future.
I
grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and one of the things I love about “Saturday
Night Fever” is identifying the various spots where the film was shot on
location and to see how they string things together as well as what stores still
exist and what has changed. The film was shot mostly in the areas of Bay Ridge
and Bensonhurst Brooklyn as well as a bit in the Borough Park section of
Brooklyn. The hardware store where the character of “Tony Manero” worked was
just two blocks from where I lived. That hardware store is now a Service Star.
The White Castles where we see the characters eat in has been torn down and a
medical building now stands in its place. 86 Street where the elevated subway
line runs on top has had many changes in terms of the business that exist there,
but to this day on a Saturday night one can spot young guys and girls cruising
up and down the street looking for a good time. The dance club where the
characters frequent still exists though the name has changed. It eventually
became a gay dance club where I am told the original light up floor made famous
by Travolta’s dancing scenes still exists. I could go on, but the point is
that if you have ever lived in Brooklyn or still do then I think you will agree
that there is definitely a certain nostalgia factor that comes with “Saturday
Night Fever” and yet while the film is a time capsule, the story is still as
relevant today as it was in 1977. That is why I think “Saturday Night Fever”
has stood the test of time and become a timeless motion picture onto itself.
Paramount
Home Entertainment has done an excellent job with this 25Th
Anniversary DVD Edition with a good anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio
transfer. The picture has some specks and scratches though not obtrusively and
there has been a clear attempt at restoration because despite these minor source
print flaws, the image quality is very solid with no color bleeding or
compression grain was apparent. The new English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Soundtrack is surprisingly well mixed where not only the music, but indeed the
voices and sound effects have all been utilized to create the optimum listening
experience for the home. English and French Language Dolby Surround Soundtracks
along with English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and
Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded as options for the feature film
presentation. Director John Badham gives a down to earth and screen specific
feature length audio commentary as well.
A
truncated version of the “VH-1 Behind The Music” “Saturday Night Fever”
Special (30:41) with new videotaped interviews with many of the cast and
producers of the film is included and compliments the commentary track encoded
on the DVD nicely. There are three deleted scenes from the PG-rated and TV
version presented in a widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio with English Dolby
Surround Sound and optional English Captions for the hearing impaired and French
and Spanish Language Subtitles, which are also provided for the “VH-1 Behind
The Music” documentary as well. These three scenes are made up of “Tony And
Stephanie In The Car” (1:30), which appears to be after he drives her home
from helping her bring some personal items to her new Manhattan apartment,
“Tony’s Dad Gets His Job Back” (1:07), which appears to take place
sometime after the fight Tony and his friends have to avenge another who was put
into the hospital, and “Tony At Stephanie’s Apartment” (1:00), which
lengthens Tony’s closing meeting with Stephanie in the film’s final
sequence. The main menu is animated with full motion scenes from the film and
features animated transitions to standard interactive still frame menus that are
easy to navigate. The packaging is a glossy Digipack gatefold within a glossy
and glittery cardboard slipcase.
“Saturday
Night Fever: 25Th Anniversary
DVD Edition” will debut on Tuesday, October 8, 2002 and will also be available
as a part of “The Travolta DVD Collection,” which also includes “Grease”
and “Urban Cowboy” as well as “The DVD Dance Pack,” which includes “Flashdance,”
“Footloose,” “Grease,” and “Urban Cowboy” from Paramount Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Read The DVD Review Of "Staying Alive"