Ìý John Travolta shimmies into another of his career-defining roles in the mesmerising "Saturday Night Fever", which is hot for DVD.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture The consistent grainy veneer to the film will disappoint some, but many forget the gritty nature of the film, and the shooting style that went with it. Colours are good during the dance scenes, and the widescreen transfer is a mighty improvement compared to the pan and scan video releases.
Sound The real treat of this disc is in the new 5.1 sound mix. Not only has the music been transformed into a wrap-around-bass sensation, but considerable work has gone into ambient effects too.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary Director John Badham takes a trip back in time to a movie that still seems very fresh in his head. He offers some useful historical facts on the fashions of the time, and the social background that forms the setting of the film. He has a good few amusing quips to deliver about Travolta including, "he can just look at food and expand", although at the same time he commends him for staying so trim for the shoot. Apparently, whenever lunchtime was near, Travolta's stomach could clearly be heard rumbling away. It's flat as a pancake in the film, though, especially for the shot taken from beneath his crotch when he's dressing for a night out. As Badham reveals, that scene of him in underpants provoked a fury of complaints.
Behind the Music This 30-minute documentary is made up of highlights from one of VH1's Behind the Music programmes. As anyone who has seen them will know, the presentation quickly sucks you into high melodrama that's hard to turn off. As it turns out, the shoot of "Saturday Night Fever" was a tough one, with Travolta admitting to wondering if the film would ever get completed. John G Avildsen, fresh from "Rocky", was lined up to direct the movie, but he wanted to soften-up Travolta's character from the sexist, racist, homophobe he was into a nice guy. Travolta wasn't up for that and Avildsen was canned shortly before shooting began, throwing the production into turmoil.
Deleted Scenes Three deleted scenes are included on the DVD, without commentary. They're short, but well worth a look.
Region: 2
Chapters: 21
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Technical Features: Scene selection, animated menus, multiple language subtitles, and English captions for the hearing impaired.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
