I'm sure I have written this somewhere previously but with the ongoing pandemic, different job schedule (more M-F instead of Retail which gives some freedom regarding time), and my wanting to Marie Kondo my life - I have stacks of movies on DVD that I am going through. I'm working on keeping the art that makes me happy, and selling that which doesn't. With that in mind, more of these posts moving forward will probably be film oriented instead of theatre. And that is what it is.
I also had this idea of watching two films that were linked somehow and posting about them both in one post. Thereby creating the Double Feature Friday. First up, two John Travolta films.
This film came out in 1977 and while disco may have been on the downswing, this film helped give it a second breath. As far as I know, this was also the real start of Travolta's career on film. I believe he was very popular from the TV show "Welcome back, Kotter" and this was his first foray into a different medium. The opening is iconic - Travolta strutting his way down the street while the song "Staying Alive" is playing. He was 23 at the time of filming, his character was 19. I vaguely remember seeing this film years ago and was more mesmerized by the dance than the story itself. Which explains why after watching it again, I realize how much a product of its time it is. I didn't like any of the lead characters. I felt that they were consistently lying to each other, or trying to make them seem better than they were. A lot of that is what being 19 is about - trying to only have fun, no responsibilities, getting laid, etc. Worrying only about yourself and how others perceive you. That seems to be the through line of the character of Tony Manero - played by Travolta.
The film was inspired and partially based on a story written for the 1976 New York magazine article "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night." Tribal rites is accurate - a lot of time is spent watching Travolta get ready to go out, involving quite a few shirtless shots looking up at his face. I have to admit, Travolta looks great. It also shows how surface the characters life is - all about the looks, being the star of the disco, having all your friends look up to you - and yet not really knowing who you are, what you want, or even who your friends are. I get the sense from the films and media I have seen that this was a theme in the late 1970's. People trying to figure out who they were, but being dicks about their life until the end. The other aspects of this film that feel very 1970's NY Film is the casual racist language, gang violence, treating women as second class, and rape. Now what you expect from what is commonly thought of as a disco film. Is it worth watching? There are deeper connections that could be made about some of the characters - the relationship between Tony and the youngest of the group could be compared to the relationship between James Dean and Sal Mineo from Rebel without a Cause. If you have interest in 1970 NY film, or style of that time, you may find it interesting. It has a hopeful ending where it looks like Tony has realized that he needs to change, and he is off to make those changes.
Which brings us to this film. Tony has now been living in Manhatten...six years? The film came out in 1983 so why not use that as the timeframe. Tony is now 25 years old, trying to make it as a dancer on Broadway, while also teaching dance, and waiting tables. As a character, very little has changed about Tony. Then again, maybe watching these two films as a double-feature shows that off more than it would otherwise. I will be honest, when I first saw Staying Alive, in the movie theatre, I had not see Saturday Night Fever. I didn't know it was the same character, and at the young age I was - I didn't really care about the character. I liked the interactions, I loved the music, and I was totally taken with the dance sequences. That was me at a young age - shirtless John Travolta, dancing and showing off? yes please!! Though he shaved his chest for this movie which makes me a bit sad.
Now, having done a number of shows with choreo, and paired dancing, and dance auditions... there is so much that is wrong with this story. First off, the ego of Tony in the opening audition where he just starts doing his own thing and not following choreo? Then he gets upset because he didn't get in? Well...duh. Later on the lead female has long hair and is being lifted, and flips onto someone while the hair just flows. Yes, it looks great on camera but there are a number of times where you can see Travolta shake the hair out of his face so... not cool. Finally, the big final dance number - all this time and Tony is supposed to have grown, and changed as a character as he reaches his goal of becoming a Broadway dancer - and yet some of the shit he pulls? Totally unprofessional.
All of that being written, the music is good, the costumes and dance sequences are decent (though I have choreo questions, and questions about how just dance shows are on Broadway in the early 80's), and again, Travolta looks amazing. This movie probably had some impact in helping me realize that 1) I was gay, and 2) I really enjoy dancing.
For those who want to know...
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