Saturday Night Fever
Starring: John Travolta, Karen Gorney, Barry Miller
Director: John Badham
The film: Little did the world know that when John Travolta sashayed down a crowded New York street, with the Bee Gees wailing away in his ears, that popular culture would be changed forever. But so it's proved - Hongkongers are this week lining up to see the stage version of the film, and the movie-soundtrack connection that Saturday Night Fever established is still going strong. Luckily, no one still tries to bust a move like Travolta did in 1977 - well, not many, anyway - and those flared crotch-crampers have also been consigned to history.
After working his way through stage, TV (as the dim-witted Barbarino in Welcome Back, Kotter) and made-for-TV movies (The Boy in the Plastic Bubble), Travolta became a major star thanks to his role as wannabe dancer Tony Manero. He fits the role seamlessly, giving the disco era a hero and tapping into youth culture's inherent desire to break free from society's shackles. And such is his natural charm that you can forgive the character's failings, too - he's not a nice chap for the most part.
Manero sees dancing as his ticket to the high life, but as his fame spreads, so do his choices, and his women, and we end up with a man who learns the hard way that it's hard to escape your roots.
