As soon as you see John Travolta strutting down the street with a paint can to the dulcet tones of the Bee Gees, you know that this is a star in the making. Tony is an aspiring dancer, who frequents Studio 54 and all of the other major clubs in New York City during the disco era. Saturday Night Fever also tries to be a somewhat gritty film that depicts real life during this time period (Brooklyn during the 1970s was pretty rough, as was the rest of the city at the time), but let's face it, the movie is all about the dancing and the hair and the costumes and the music. While disco was already a known entity in popular culture by this point, Saturday Night Fever cements it's reputation in history, particularly regarding the specific subculture that sprang up around it. People are still imitating Travolta's moves from this film, which really served to capture a style that was uniquely of its time.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
