Saturday Night Fever Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Saturday Night Fever Blu-ray Movie Review

A 70s Classic Stayin' Alive on Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 2, 2017

Paramount has re-released the dated, but nevertheless timeless, 'Saturday Night Fever' to Blu-ray, replacing the original 2009 release with this new package that offers a new cut of the film and a new 4K restoration. The audio track remains Dolby TrueHD 5.1, but is said to have been tweaked for this release as well. No new bonus materials are included, though Paramount appears to have tweaked the included deleted scenes.

Tony (John Travolta) lives his life for the weekend. He walks the walk and talks the talk. He wears the right clothes, styles his hair perfectly, and has all the right moves on the dance floor. He and his friends spend their Saturday nights at 2001 Odyssey, a hot-spot Disco club. Dance is not only freedom of expression for Tony, it's freedom from everything else: his overbearing family, his go-nowhere job, the stresses of life. He agrees to participate in an upcoming dance competition with his friend, Annette (Donna Pescow), but when he spots Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), a superior dancer, he finds a new dance partner and replacement for his friend. As the competition nears, he and his friends explore life as Tony searches for a way out beyond the confines of his otherwise cramped and unsatisfying existence.

Love Disco or hate it, it's impossible to watch Saturday Night Fever, even all these decades later, without feeling the beat and getting into the groove, toe-tapping and body-rocking to the Bee Gees' classic Stayin' Alive. The movie establishes and punctuates its tone at the outset by way of a rhythmically hypnotic opening sequence. John Travolta, in top form and arguably in both the most iconic and exemplary performance of his career, struts about New York like a man on a mission not to get to work but to demonstrate his heart-and-soul connection with his era, his undying love for himself and everything that makes him, him: the hair, the clothes, the attitude. It's a beautiful bit of connective filmmaking, a rare instance where sight, sound, technical structure, and performance come together to define a character, a movie, an era. It's one of the best title sequences ever committed to film. John Badham, better known for his techno-Thriller bits of 80s excitement (and cheese, in hindsight) -- Blue Thunder, WarGames, Short Circuit -- directs the movie with as much confidence as his lead character carries himself with. The movie is wise beyond its world's vanity, and Badham blends the film's agreeable superficialities with its darker character motifs with a precision and elegance that sees the pieces in complimentary, yin-and-yang harmony where dark, challenging grit and light, enjoyable sounds and culture are equally established, equally prominent, equally vital, and equally successful in telling the story and shaping it with razor precision.

The movie's core character maneuverings aren't particularly groundbreaking, but they are honest and are presented in a contextually interesting fashion. Disco and dance serve as a backdrop for Tony's growth throughout the film. For him, the decade's decadence -- its music, its clothes, the sex -- are an escape from the doldrums of an everyday life that sees him laboring in a hardware store for little money and almost no personal gratification; he asks his boss for a payday loan to buy a blue shirt he has eye on. He isn't looking to the future beyond his next excursion to 2001 Odyssey. Later in the film, after a tussle with his boss, the audience is introduced to two of his co-workers who have been at their post at the hardware store for more than a decade each; it's a turning point for Tony who seems to appreciate the steadiness of the work but doesn't want to throw his life away in the same few square feet, living a laterally moving life. At least the dance floor, the clothes, and the carefully manicured appearance give him an out, something that might lead him away from it all. After all, his older bother has already escaped, leaving behind the priesthood, and destroying his family's hopes and dreams in the process, to live his own life as he sees fit. It's an interesting juxtaposition and while Tony isn't anything particularly new in terms of life development study, Badham and Screenwriter Norman Wexler (Serpico) offer a timeless coming-of-age story alongside a then-cutting-edge presentation of cultural awareness, blending the two masterfully in a movie that's equal parts toe-tapping fun and serious drama.

Saturday Night Fever Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For its latest 1080p Blu-ray release, Saturday Night Fever has been restored in 4K from the original camera negative. Though Paramount did not release a corresponding UHD, the 1080p presentation nevertheless looks quite nice. The image is texturally enjoyable, filmic and very sharp. For the most part, grain retention is consistent and its presentation light and even. The hardware store is a treasure trove of tiny details, almost everything lining shelves or up on hooks well defined, legible where applicable, and the viewer could practically take a tour of a 40-year-old store by way of the Blu-ray. Clothes are sharp and precise, showing finer fabric detailing in appropriately up-close shots. Facial features are nicely complex as well. The image takes on a slightly less sharp and more diffuse appearance inside the club where the heavy red lighting dominates, but the movie's structural integrity and filmic qualities remain. Colors are attractive, certainly lacking the sheer vibrance, nuance, and diversity of a modern feature but the palette reveals solid depth, good transitional ability between shades and shadow and light, and is particularly noteworthy in the best and most evenly-lit locales, again like the hardware store or sunny city exteriors. Flesh tones appear healthy and black levels are nicely deep with only a small spike in grain intensity and loss of depth across a few corners. The print appears very clean at the source and compression artifacts are few. Fans should be very pleased with this new sourced-from-4K presentation.

Saturday Night Fever Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Though this Saturday Night Fever release features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, as did its predecessor, some changes have been made to the mix. Paramount's press release claims that the track has received an "update...to further enhance viewers' enjoyment of the incredible soundtrack." With only that detail to go on, and the original disc not on hand for comparison, this review will only touch on what this track has to offer on its own merits. It's unsurprisingly good, if not a little front-heavy. Music is obviously the dominant factor. Spacing is a strong point, as is clarity and low end depth. The popular Disco beats enjoy fantastic richness and attention to detail throughout the entire range, from piercing highs to potent lows. While back channel extension isn't prominent, there's enough push into the rears to flesh out the presentation. A few light city atmospherics and key sound effects present with adequate definition. Dialogue drives most of the movie beyond music, and the spoken word is, generally, well defined in the center. Prioritization and clarity come into question during an otherwise quiet (with light music underneath) dialogue scene at the 86 minute mark; balance and definition seem off from line to line. Otherwise, the track is very good at delivering when it matters most.

Saturday Night Fever Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Saturday Night Fever contains most all of the supplements from the previous release. This version does contain two cuts of the film: Theatrical (1:59:02) and Director's (2:02:15). No DVD or digital versions are included.

• Audio Commentary: Director John Badham offers a track rich in time capsule texture, discussing the nitty-gritty details of the shoot but also sharing insight into the story and themes, script, its star including his performance and presence on the set, music, and much more. It's a strong listen and well worth the two hours. Available on the theatrical cut of the film only.
• 70s Discopedia: A pop-up trivia track by another name that shares information about the film and the decade. Words appear in colorful dance floor squares. Available on both the Director's and Theatrical cuts.
• Catching the Fever (1080p): A five-part feature.
  
  
  • A 30 Year Legacy (2007) (15:25): A retrospective piece that looks at the film's legacy, including its staying power, making its star an icon, music, themes, performances, and more: a basic catch-all sort of piece.
  • Making Soundtrack History (12:40): As the title suggests, this piece looks more closely at the Bee Gees and the film's soundtrack, which was at one time the best-selling of all time (it has since been surpassed by The Bodyguard's soundtrack).
  • Platformers & Polyester (10:37): A discussion and examination of the clothes of the time and how they reflected the culture and attitudes of the era.
  • Deejays & Discos (10:19): A discussion of the music's origins, the Disco era, the culture around it, its place in the film, and more.
  • Spotlight on Travolta (3:36): A quick look at the actor's work in the film and larger career.
• Back to Bay Bridge (1080p, 9:01): Actor Joseph Cali walks the streets where the film was shot, thirty years later.
• Dance Like Travolta with John Cassese (1080p, 9:50): The "Dance Doctor to the Stars" instructs viewers on how to dance as seen in the film's climax.
• Fever Challenge! (1080p, 4:00): A game that challenges players to follow along with dance steps designated by color.
• Deleted Scene (1080p, 1:32): Tony & Stephanie in the Car. Note that the Blu-ray.com review of the 2009 release, penned by a different author, indicates that three deleted scenes with optional director commentary are included. This release offers only one without commentary.

Saturday Night Fever Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Saturday Night Fever is a solid, indelible classic that blends the height of cultural awareness with a traditional coming-of-age story. The film's protagonist may strut his stuff to every popular tune of the time, but the movie is more than beats and bellbottoms. Travolta is masterful in the lead, fully submerging himself not just in the culture but in the character's head, playing a more-than-convincing character who looks to both the short- and long-term futures throughout the film. The movie is both contagiously fun and sincerely dramatic. The combination is unique and it holds together strong even after several decades. Paramount's re-release offers solid video and audio. The extended cut is welcome, but no new extra content is included. The studio could have done more -- new extras, a true 4K UHD release -- but as it is this is a worthwhile upgrade for previous release owners for the transfer and the longer cut and a must-buy for those who have yet to own the film on Blu-ray. Very highly recommended.