While many regard the film Saturday Night Fever as the best movie soundtrack of all time, I consider it one of the most underrated films in the history of the American Cinema. John Travolta’s performance as Tony Manero was so realistic and passionate, you felt as if he truly was the king of disco. You can point out many features of the film to pinpoint its greatness: Travolta’s masculine appeal, the clothing, the sex, the drugs, and the rawness we saw in a film that had seldom been done before. Saturday Night Fever is more than just a dance flick with a great soundtrack. This is because Tony Manero isn’t just a stereotypical Italian living in Brooklyn. He represents a generation of young adults disillusioned by his surrounding, as his priorities become more misconstrued, and goes through the agony of acceptance in this coming of age film. This speaks to the generation of the late 70s as they were on a quest of individuality. At some point in every young adults life, they will have an epiphany that what they’re doing at a young age will not last. School will become work, games will become tasks, and you will become and adult. Tony doesn’t seem to understand this line of thinking until the movie progresses. Yet at the same time, the film can be seen as a reminder that we all have our sanctuary in which no one can hurt us, and where we are the ruler of our own universe.
In essence, Saturday Night Fever reflects the society of that time, and today, to find our own identity.
Many would say the 1970s are a generation without a face, while some would argue the 1970s isn’t remembered by an identity but by events such as Watergate. The Vietnam War was coming to a close, the counterculture movement of the 1960s was in massive decline, and the beginning of the tech age of the 1980s had yet to come. Essentially, the 1970s was the middle child of American History. But what made it distinct from any other era was the pop culture, especially in music and dance, specifically disco. Tony Manero personifies the era to perfection. Coming from a working class family that is struggling to make ends meet, Tony works at a paint store to help provide for the family. He goes home and receives never ending criticism from his family, and stays in constant frustration as he lives in the shadow of his brother Frank, who is on his way to becoming a priest. But on Saturday Night, Tony Manero separates himself as the king of the dance floor, with everyone in awe as he dances. Women wanted him and men wanted to be him. We see this as he walks in to the club 2001 Space Odyssey, where everyone greets Tony with high regard. It’s easy to see why Tony is trapped in time; in this instance, he is the center of attention. No one can touch him. That is until he meets Stephanie Mangano, the women who will inspire Tony to branch out from his inner circle and make something of himself.
As the 1970’s progressed, there became a lack of identity crisis, but one that was still prevalent. Many students pursued business degrees, women had progressed in the workforce but were still not taken seriously, and socio-economic status within the economy had changed thanks to the stagflation. Pop culture, however, polarized the 1970s. The glamor of clothing, drugs and hair gel captivated those at the disco. To Tony, this is what his life centered around. But when he has lunch with Stephanie at the coffee shop, she opens his eyes about where he is going. Up until this point, Tony never thought about his future. Never considered college or furthering his education of any sort. Earlier in the film this is made evident when Tony says, “Fuck the future!” to which his boss replies, “No Tony! You can’t fuck the future, the future fucks you!” But Tony seems to have a revelation on where is life is heading. Stephanie says to him “You’re nowhere, on your way to no place.” As their friendship progresses, he begins to notice the immature lifestyle he lives, full of violence, misogynistic tendencies, and perverse language. Stephanie, on the other hand, is taking college courses at night, and works at a public relations firm and just bought an apartment in Manhattan. Tony’s frustration is made known as he tears up as the stares at the Brooklyn Bridge, as he comes to the realization that his life is going down the drain. To many young adults of the 70s, who struggled to separate themselves form decades past, needed these tears as an awakening.
In the turning point of the film, Tony’s brother Frank comes home, confessing to his family that he doesn’t want to be a priest anymore. While the parents are in shock and disappointed, Tony seems to be unaffected. However, it isn’t explicit to see why Tony isn’t disappointed. Maybe he is happy he is no longer the black sheep in the family, or perhaps he is joyful for Frank for doing what make him happy as opposed to making their parents happy. This is the advice Frank passes on to Tony right before he leaves. He tells Tony to pursue a career in dance after seeing him dominate the dance floor. This sticks with Tony, but he then faces an internal conflict after he and Stephanie win the dance contest at 2001 Space Odyssey. Tony feels they weren’t the best, and only won because of his status at the club. In this instance he sees he is nothing more than a VIP at a disco club. Infuriated, he tries to rape Stephanie, and allows his group of friends, The Faces, to have sex with a clearly intoxicated Annette, and embark on their reckless stunts along the Brooklyn Bridge. Bobby C, a member of the Faces, begins to perform these stunts for attention, but unfortunately falls and loses his life. As the cop asks if it was suicide, Tony replies, “There’s ways of killing yourself without killing yourself.”
This is the single most important line of the film because if how it defines the movie. Tony Manero has been killing himself without actually pulling the trigger. As he drifts on the New York subway, he reconciles with Stephanie, saying he is moving to Manhattan and will no longer attend the disco.
The last scene shows Tony’s transition into manhood. He exposes his individuality by breaking the mold of his surrounding and decides to pursue a life of hard work, while still doing what he loves. It is this type of mindset that reflected the sociological aspect of the 1970s, more specifically the late 70s. As the time period moved on, more advancements were in the social, political, and professional spectrum. In my opinion, we have an inner Tony Manero. We all are captivated and consumed with what we do and the surrounding that go with to the point we lose sight of what is really important in our lives. This is why coming of age films speaks volumes to a generation of young adults with questions conveyed through masterful cinematic technique that relates to the human struggles as well as the epitome of enlightenment. As John Travolta showed us in Saturday Night Fever, individuality isn’t found in hair gel or a disco ball. It’s found in our motivation to become better than who we are now.
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