John Travolta Movie:

Editorial Review:
Saturday Night Fever is one of those movies that comes along and seems to change the cultural temperature in a flash. After the movie's release in 1977, disco ruled the dance floors, and a blow-dried member of a TV-sitcom ensemble became the hottest star in the U.S. For all that, the story is conventional: a 19-year-old Italian American from Brooklyn, Tony Manero (John Travolta), works in a humble paint store and lives with his family. After dark, he becomes the polyester-clad stallion of the local nightclub; Tony's brother, a priest, observes that when Tony hits the dance floor, the crowd parts like the Red Sea before Moses. Director John Badham captures the electric connection between music and dance, and also the desperation that lies beneath Tony's ambitions to break out of his limited world. The soundtrack, which spawned a massively successful album, is dominated by the disco classics of the Bee Gees, including "Staying Alive" (Travolta's theme during the strutting opening) and "Night Fever." The Oscar^®-nominated Travolta, plucked from the cast of Welcome Back, Kotter, for his first starring role, is incandescent and unbelievably confident, and his dancing is terrific. Oh, and the white suit rules. --Robert Horton

Saturday Night Fever [Region 2] Reviews:
Wonderful product marred by poor packaging
2008-12-04 - I've always been a big fan of this movie and was looking forward to adding the 30th anniversary edition to my DVD collection. Unfortunately, the movie arrived with the DVD off its hub and rattling around freely inside the case, resulting in catastrophic damage to the disc. I attempted to watch it anyway, but, not surprisingly, the disc was too badly damaged to be salvaged.

Amazon was prompt in sending me a replacement within twenty-four hours of my request for one. Sadly, however, the replacement DVD I received was in the same shoddy condition as the first, with the disc off its hub and bouncing around like a pinball inside, and irredeemably scratched as a result. I guess I'll give the replacement process one more try and hope that the third time's the charm.

I've been an Amazon customer for years and have literally ordered hundreds of products from this website without a single problem. Mind you, I don't blame Amazon for this recurring problem, but rather the manufacturer. The manufacturer obviously intended the slip-on plastic case this movie comes in to evoke the disco era, but it's really just a cheap and gaudy piece of offal that's a poor substitute for the sort of proper packaging that actually prevents product damage in transit.

It's really a shame!

Just as Promised
2008-11-25 - The product came as advertised, sooner than expected and is awesome! A blast from the not so distant past

the 1970's disco era
2008-11-13 - one of my favorites. great movie & music. missing a lot of features. the features shown are good. j. travolta is not seen in interviews. still missing a lot of deleted scenes. my VHS copy taken off from TV have lots of important scenes. i hope they'll release another special edition featuring more material. an enjoyable movie & love it. ****

Enjoyable but not great
2008-11-01 - Travolta is a great actor, no dout and his acting is the best part of the movie. He absorbs the role perfectly.

I enjoyed Staying Alive more.

Seeing the cultural decadance of the era in both movies is not fun but both were enjoyable.

Modern
2008-09-12 - While the movie is more apt to be recalled for its impact on American pop culture, few who watch the movie will ever see beyond the admittedly fantastic dance sequences. As a result, many people might never recognize Saturday Night Fever as perhaps one of the best movies ever made about class struggles among white ethnics. While his quick study under Denny Terrio for those dance sequences showed a great deal of determination, Travolta's Tony Manero shines in so many other way. The looks of embarrassment and exasperation that his character expresses when confronted with the possibility of working in a Bay Ridge paint store all of his life, or the prejudice and regional chauvinism of his friends, or the behavior of his friends at White Castle or his initial inability to express himself to Stephanie in any way that might impress her, all of these and more contribute to a fully realized character. While Tony's friends idolize him, the movie never really does, but it does allow empathy for his plight, because even Tony realizes that he is virtually trapped by the current conditions of his existence. While much might be made of the homophobia, racism, and misogyny of the protagonist and his friends, these things are never excused and the movie goes to some lengths to express Tony's own recognition that these are shortcomings in not only his character, but those borne of a provincial mentality which he desperately longs to escape. Forget those who call this a musical. While the music is an intricate part of the film and setting, Travolta's performance is what sets this film apart.