It's true. In 45 years, I had never seen Saturday Night Fever. The only part I had ever seen was on TV where Tony and his Italian family are sitting at the dinner table and Tony's dad slaps the back of his head. But once again, and I say this all the time lately, I didn't know there was a theater version that was far far more explicit. Filthy language and themes, frontal nudity, gang rape scenes. Utter trash.
But the kiddies liked it for the dance scenes back in 1977. If I didn't know better, I'd guess Travolta was gay as the day is long the way he looks and struts on the dance floor. The dance scenes were boring to me. But it was indeed a time capsule. Seems like yesterday all the guys had mustaches and the women had the Toni Tennille do.
The premise: Tony and Annette (Donna Pescow) were practicing together to enter a disco dance contest. Annette has a crush on Tony. But Tony sees Stephanie dancing, and is smitten. He ditches the groveling Annette and makes a play for Stephanie as both dance partner and girlfriend.
Travolta was solid as usual. But his costar, leading lady Karen Lynn Gorney was miscast as Stephanie and her acting was poor. She couldn't decide what she was. Aloof or silly. Dominating or obsequious. Her reactions didn't fit the scenes. Travolta's Tony was supposed to be 19 and Stephanie 20. But Gorney was 32 and looked it. She was supposed to be his love interest. Instead, she looked more like his teacher, maybe even his mom.
The degrading rape scene and just general disrespectfulness shown to Annette would never fly today. Metoo Hollywood would never allow such a portrayal. Travolta is not 100% convincing as a gang tough, but he does OK.
The sexual depravity and fight scene detracted from the movie, IMHO, but of course leftwing Hollywood loved it, rating it as culturally significant and among the greatest films of all time. The more perverse in the 1970s, the better, it seems. (Think One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Summer of '42, and The Last Picture Show). I guess SNF did usher in the disco movement and spawned a whole slew of #1 hits, chiefly by the Bee Gees. But as a movie, I'd give it a 5 or 6 out of 10. I never really rooted for Tony. In fact, most of the time, I didn't like him at all.
But the kiddies liked it for the dance scenes back in 1977. If I didn't know better, I'd guess Travolta was gay as the day is long the way he looks and struts on the dance floor. The dance scenes were boring to me. But it was indeed a time capsule. Seems like yesterday all the guys had mustaches and the women had the Toni Tennille do.
The premise: Tony and Annette (Donna Pescow) were practicing together to enter a disco dance contest. Annette has a crush on Tony. But Tony sees Stephanie dancing, and is smitten. He ditches the groveling Annette and makes a play for Stephanie as both dance partner and girlfriend.
Travolta was solid as usual. But his costar, leading lady Karen Lynn Gorney was miscast as Stephanie and her acting was poor. She couldn't decide what she was. Aloof or silly. Dominating or obsequious. Her reactions didn't fit the scenes. Travolta's Tony was supposed to be 19 and Stephanie 20. But Gorney was 32 and looked it. She was supposed to be his love interest. Instead, she looked more like his teacher, maybe even his mom.
The degrading rape scene and just general disrespectfulness shown to Annette would never fly today. Metoo Hollywood would never allow such a portrayal. Travolta is not 100% convincing as a gang tough, but he does OK.
The sexual depravity and fight scene detracted from the movie, IMHO, but of course leftwing Hollywood loved it, rating it as culturally significant and among the greatest films of all time. The more perverse in the 1970s, the better, it seems. (Think One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Summer of '42, and The Last Picture Show). I guess SNF did usher in the disco movement and spawned a whole slew of #1 hits, chiefly by the Bee Gees. But as a movie, I'd give it a 5 or 6 out of 10. I never really rooted for Tony. In fact, most of the time, I didn't like him at all.
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