Releasing the Director’s Cut is a nice way to celebrate Saturday Night Fever's 40th anniversary, but the new material does not offer much. For most people, the additional material will probably not be enough to warrant buying a new version, but those who consider this a classic may want to add this cut to their collection.
Viewers first saw John Travolta’s disco moves when Saturday Night Fever hit theaters in 1977. Now, forty years later, Paramount is releasing the Director’s Cut of the iconic film. This release features both the R-rated original version and the unrated new cut on the same Blu-ray disc. The Director’s Cut features almost five minutes of additional footage.
“This all-new Director’s Cut celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the iconic film that catapulted John Travolta to superstardom, garnered him an Oscar nomination and captivated audiences the world over. Travolta commands the screen as Tony Manero, a restless Brooklyn rebel who escapes problems at home and an uncertain future every Saturday night when he shines as king of the dance floor. Both the sensational dancing and moving story are driven by the timeless music soundtrack that will forever define its era. Brimming with special features, the 40th Anniversary edition of Saturday Night Fever is an essential part of every movie collection.” – Official Synopsis
Saturday Night Fever is considered by many to be a classic movie, but it was one I hadn’t seen before this latest release. I hit play expecting to hear a lot of disco songs and see a lot of dancing. While these elements were there, the movie itself isn’t really about the music – it’s about the characters. These characters range at times from being relatable, pitiful, and downright unlikeable. They are brought to life by John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pescow, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape, and Martin Shakar.
The movie follows Tony Manero (Travolta). Tony has a boring job and a dysfunctional family. Saturday nights are his chance to escape by going with his friends to a local disco club called 2001 Odyssey. Tony has the best dance moves and is the coolest person in the club.
We learn a lot about him through his interactions with other characters. Annette (Pescow) is in love with him, but he doesn’t return her feelings. Bobby (Miller) constantly seeks Tony’s approval and attention. Joey (Cali) and Double J (Pape) just want to have a good time.
Tony’s weekly routine begins to change when he spots Stephanie (Gorney) on the dance floor. She is older, sophisticated, and possibly his equal in dancing. As if that’s enough, she is something new in his boring, monotonous environment. With a dance competition a few weeks away, Tony tries to convince Stephanie to be his partner, but she has her own reasons for being distant.
While the movie doesn’t feature a blatantly antagonistic character, we do see the main characters unravel as the movie progresses. There is a lot of depth and symbolism presented in a relatively short amount of time. I’ll spare you the rest of the character analysis, though, and not turn this into a high school English class.
Personally, I wasn’t a fan of Saturday Night Fever. I found it to be depressing (and disco isn’t really my thing), but I understand why some people think of it as a classic. The characters are well-developed and often relatable, and the movie itself epitomizes the brief popularity of disco. While I don’t plan to watch it again, I do think it was worth watching at least once.
Director’s Cut Differences
The Director’s Cut adds just under five extra minutes, bringing this release’s total runtime to 122 minutes. While the new material adds a few extra scenes that further explore Tony’s character and personality, they aren’t necessary to the film’s plot. The biggest difference is an extra sequence that involves Tony’s father and his job, but again, it doesn’t add very much to the overall plot. Most, if not all, of the new material has previously been seen as deleted scenes in earlier releases.
Video
Both versions are presented in 1080p HD, and the Blu-ray transfer looks excellent. Everything appears to be sharper and more defined. The movie makes use of bright and bold colors that are only enhanced by the transfer to Blu-ray. This is noticeable from the opening scene as Tony runs an errand for his boss. The reds in both the opening credits and Tony’s shirt are much more bold and vivid. This release does not feature an HDR upgrade to further enhance those colors, but it would be interesting to see how much of a difference an upgrade could make.
Audio
The movie has an English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track and subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Audio appears out of synch with the actors’ mouths in just a few brief instances. Otherwise, the audio is fine, and dialogue is balanced well against the movie’s iconic soundtrack. Speaking of music, get ready to have the songs from this movie stuck in your head for days . . . and days . . .
Special Features
This release comes with the same special features included in the movie’s initial 2009 Blu-ray release. The only exception is that the deleted scenes have changed.
• Commentary by Director John Badham – Despite being the director’s cut, commentary with Director John Badham is only available with the theatrical version of the movie.
• 70s Discopedia – With this feature turned on, information about the movie appears on screen as the movie plays.
• Catching the Fever – This five-piece documentary looks at the movie’s legacy, soundtrack, clothing, style, and influence on Travolta’s career.
o A 30 Year Legacy (2007) (15:25)
o Making Soundtrack History (12:40)
o Platformers & Polyester (10:37)
o Deejays & Discos (10:19)
o Spotlight on Travolta (3:36)
• Back to Bay Ridge (9:01) – Actor Joseph Cali leads a tour of where the movie was shot.
• Dance Like Travolta with John Cassese (9:50) – This segment teaches viewers some of Travolta’s dance steps.
• Fever Challenge! (4:00) – This is a game that challenges players to follow dance cues on their screens.
• Deleted Scene – Tony & Stephanie in the Car (1:32) – Tony and Stephanie talk after driving around town.
Takeaway
While releasing the Director’s Cut is a nice way to celebrate Saturday Night Fever‘s 40th anniversary, the additional material does not have much to offer. The special features have been previously released and are not new to this release. For most people, the additional few minutes of material will probably not be enough to warrant buying a new version, but those who consider this a classic may want to add this cut to their collection.
