What could be better than spandex, bell bottoms, disco music, and John Travolta? The answer, a parody of it in Airplane, but that’s for another review. No, the answer is nothing beats the original Saturday Night Fever, which exploded on the scene back in 1977, changing and shaping the American culture in a way that would continue for the next 30 years. For those who haven’t seen the film, the story centers around a young, small time kid in Brooklyn, whose blue collar job at a paint store and troubled family life send him to the 2001 Odyssey Dance Club every Saturday night, just to get away.
In fact, most of the teens live for that night to dance and get down, so much so that Travolta’s character Tony starts to question what truly is important in his life. Much of the film is like a retelling of Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause, as the youths dance, play, fight, and die in the search for themselves in the society they live during the 1970’s.
For those who’ve been waiting for this bad boy on Blu-ray, the wait is finally over, and it’s been worth every sparkling piece of glitter. The film looks as crisp and pristine as it did 30 years ago, with a wonderful 5.1 true HD sound that keeps those classic Bee Gee’s tunes as fresh as the day they were recorded. In the special features department there’s an informative commentary by director John Badham, a ‘70’s Discopedia track that really doesn’t offer much more interesting info than “The poster on Travolta’s wall is of Farrah Facett….It was a popular poster…”, a 30-Year Legacy retrospective with everyone involved except Travolta oddly enough, as well as a Making Soundtrack History with the Bee Gees, Platforms and Polyester, Deejays and Discos, Spotlight on Travolta, Back to Bay Ridge, Dance Like Travolta with John Cassese (for those who would rather watch some guy instead of Travolta), Fever Challenge (hardcore fans only), and a selection of Deleted Scenes.
For one of the most popular films of the 1970’s this Blu-ray looks, sounds, and delivers all the goods you could hope for. This film truly has stayed alive!