Saturday Night Fever is iconic for many things. On the top of the list is John Travolta’s opening scene strutting along to Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. This sequence is so iconic that it launched John Travolta as one of the most promising actors in the industry and the Bee Gees as disco music royalty. However, apparently, it wasn’t supposed to take place.
It tells the story of Tony, an Italian-American teenager, and his friends Joey, Double J, Gus, Bobby C, Annette, and Stephanie. It is a coming-of-age movie that rises above the others because of how it discusses difficult topics like ethnic differences, consent, suicide, and many others under the guise of teenage angst and disco music. It has been so iconic that the U.S. Library of Congress has deemed it worthy of preservation as a “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” film.
For film fans all over the world, Saturday Night Fever is a must-watch. It has all the elements of a classic: an iconic soundtrack, great acting, developed character arcs, and relevance to social issues of the time.
At the beginning of the movie, Tony seems like any other normal teenager who tries to escape his monotonous life by going to the disco and dancing his heart out. He is burdened by his Italian-American family’s expectations and can be considered the ‘black sheep’ of his family.
Tony and his friends go through different conflicts in the film. Their responses to these dilemmas highlighted typical teenage angsty behavior. However, the film ends with Tony being disillusioned by his friends’ misdeeds and moving on to have a better life in Manhattan.
Although the movie, in retrospect, invites some serious discussion, it is all made somewhat palatable by the music provided by the Bee Gees, among other artists.
Cult classics like “How Deep is Your Love,” and “Stayin’ Alive” made their debut on the film. It also cemented the Bee Gees as a significant name in the disco scene of the 70s. But, according to an interview with John Travolta, the producer of the film actually had other plans for “Stayin’ Alive” that didn’t include it being in the opening scene.
Instead, producer Rober Stigwood initially wanted the song and Travolta’s dancing to be in the middle of the film. But Travolta argued that even though it doesn’t have the fastest beat, he could “walk down the street to Stayin’ Alive.”
Saturday Night Fever’s director John Badham seconded Travolta’s suggestion, saying, “The Bee Gees gave me their demo songs, and when I listened to their five demos, I just knew that ‘Stayin’ Alive’ had to open the film.”
The director and male lead’s argument seemed to satisfy Stigwood, and he allowed the use of the song for the opening scene. And the rest is history. John Travolta became one of the biggest names in Hollywood, the Bee Gees became disco music royalty, and Saturday Night Fever became one must-watch film that is still relevant today.
Now, 45 years later, film afficionados still recall Saturday Night Fever as a film that defined the disco generation, and among the top-tier coming-of-age movies ever made.