Search - Saturday Night Fever on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Not For Children, Profanity, Sexual Situations, Alcohol Consumption, Watch With Your Teen Movie Release: 1977 DVD Release: 10/08/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 58 mins Studio: Paramount Total Copies: 1 Genres: Drama, Musical Drama, Urban Drama, Dance Film See Also: Saturday Night Fever [30th Anniversary Special Collector's Edition] [Special Packaging], Saturday Night Fever [Special Collector's Edition] [Spanish Version], Saturday Night Fever [30th Anniversary Special Collector's Edition] [Special Packaging], Saturday Night Fever [Blu-ray]

John Travolta graduated from minor celebrity to superstar with Saturday Night Fever. Travolta plays Tony Manero, a Brooklyn paint-store clerk who'd give anything to break out of his dead-end existence. In life, Tony is a peasant; on the disco dance floor, he's a king. As the soundtrack plays one Bee Gees hit after another (including "Stayin' Alive"), we watch white-suited Tony strut his stuff amidst flashing lights and sweaty, undulating bodies. Tony's class aspirations are mirrored in his relationship with his dance partner, Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), a secretary eager to move into the glamorous world of Manhattan. Saturday Night Fever's huge success grew meteorically thanks to the towering popularity of its soundtrack; during the first half of 1978, when the movie's disco songs saturated the singles charts up to four at a time, it was no longer clear whether the hit movie was feeding the hit songs or the hit songs were feeding the hit movie. This crossover between music and movies set the pace for many movies to come, as it also marked the rise and fall of 1970s disco culture. Two versions of this film exist: the original R-rated version and a PG version, edited down to more "family-friendly" fare and fed to the public with the tagline, "Because we want everyone to see John Travolta's performance." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Travolta - Tony Manero
Karen Gorney - Stephanie
Barry Miller - Bobby C.
Joseph Cali - Joey
Paul Pape - Double J.

Paramount's long-awaited DVD of Saturday Night Fever has proven itself worth the wait because of the high level of excellence it offers in both technical quality and supplements. The video transfer is truly stunning and benefits from a topnotch remastering job that captures all the vibrancy of Ralf Bode's hazy, glossy cinematography. The audio is similarly impressive, boasting a new surround stereo mix that gives the dialogue and sound effects the kind of sonic presence one expects from a modern soundtrack and also adds new life to the film's percolating disco score. More importantly, this disc bolsters its technical excellence with a nice set of extras that offer plenty of internal and external perspective on the Saturday Night Fever phenomenon. First up is an informative, low-key commentary track from director John Badham that offers plenty of detail about the challenges of shooting the film on location and with a tight budget. Throughout this commentary, Badham shows a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor that makes it a charming and thoroughly engaging listen. There is also a condensed version of a VH1's Behind the Music episode about the film that utilizes several new interviews and some intriguing period footage to explore Saturday Night Fever's production and the phenomenal success it enjoyed. The package is rounded out by a trio of outtakes from the film; none of the scenes are revelatory but they are all worth a look for fans. Strangely, this DVD lacks a photo gallery or trailer, but its easy to overlook these flaws given the quality of its commentary track and documentary. All in all, Paramount's disc of Saturday Night Fever is both a stellar-quality edition of the film and an informative primer on the phenomenon it inspired. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide