Tony Manero (John Travolta) doesn’t have much going for him during the weekdays. He still lives at home and works as a paint store clerk in his Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood. But he lives for the weekends, when he and his friends go to the local disco and dance the night away. When a big dance competition is announced, he wrangles the beautiful and talented Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) to be his partner. As the two train for the big night, they start to fall for each other as well.

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Video Quality

Saturday Night Fever debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a mostly disappointing 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer that falls well short of what we could have gotten under ideal circumstances. This release comes with the older Blu-Ray disc of the feature film, and some may prefer it as an overall experience from a consistency standpoint. There are areas of improvement, but it is up to the individual viewer to judge if the good outweighs the bad. As has become an issue of concern with some titles, the studio has misjudged what consumers actually want from a 4K presentation. We do not simply want the cleanest, crispest picture possible; we want the highest quality presentation possible of the natural look of the film.

The clarity of the transfer has been mucked up by some unsightly digital tinkering. The natural film grain is where the movie holds most of its distinct texture; it is what makes a film look like a film. Where this should give you a rich amount of textural detail, you are instead provided a processed, smoothed over image in various moments. The exact degree to which this occurs is inconsistent from scene to scene, as some moments look more natural than others. When the transfer gives you a glimpse of what the film could be, you get some nuanced texture and detail to the transfer which would have been a wonder to have seen throughout.

The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are apparent in the best moments, especially in distinct details within the production design and the environment. Black levels are passable and allow the picture to maintain a solid amount of depth and detail in darker environments such as the club. White levels are brighter and provide a greater stability without veering into blooming. The transfer remains very soft throughout which is exacerbated by the digital processing. Dolby Vision does help bring out more nuance in the colors and contrast. The UHD disc contains very deep colors throughout including the striking hues of certain pieces of clothing and lighting choices. It would be great to see this film given another pass that leaves the core film elements in their natural state, but until that time this is an unfortunate release.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray presents the movie with a surprisingly underwhelming Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track that is actually worse than the previous Blu-Ray. This is a film that deserves a formidable audio experience, especially in the opening jive down the sidewalk, but the track sounds a bit neutered on this new disc. When compared to the Blu-Ray, the music is very timid, along with the other elements of the soundscape. The dialogue also struggles from prominence throughout most of the runtime with more bustling environments leaving the listener strain for certain words. The surround channels seem to provide less engagement overall with much of this track focused on the center channel. The low end is not the most robust you have ever heard. Even directly porting the previous Blu-Ray audio track directly onto this disc would have been a much better experience.

Special Features

Theatrical Cut (1:59:02 – 4K UHD & Blu-Ray) and Director’s Cut (2:02:15 – Blu-Ray Only)

Audio Commentary: Director John Badham provides a really terrific commentary track in which he recalls so many stories from the production of the film which examines the place of music in the narrative, the fervor surrounding John Travolta, the production design and costumes, the characteristics of certain bit players, certain performers angling for additional scenes, the staging of certain moments and much more that makes for a rewarding listen.

70s Discopedia: An option to watch the film with a pop-up trivia track is provided here.

Catching The Fever: A five-part, 53-minute retrospective featurette which gives a very rewarding exploration of the enduring legacy of the film, the themes of the narrative, the breakout soundtrack that permeated popular culture, the clothing in the movie and what it symbolized in the culture, disco music and its place in society, and the career of the star of this landmark film.

- A 30 Year Legacy (15:25)

- Making Soundtrack History (12:40)

- Platforms & Polyester (10:37)

- Deejays & Discos (10:19)

- Spotlight On Travolta (3:36)

Back To Bay Ridge: A nine-minute piece with actor Joseph Cali who takes you through some of the locations featured in the film from a more modern perspective with additional insights from Location Executive Lloyd Kaufman and actress Donna Pescow.

Dance Like Travolta with John Cassese: A ten-minute instructional video on how to cut a rug like the stars of the film.

Fever Challenge!: A four-minute game in which you try to follow some dance patterns on screen.

Deleted Scene – Tony & Stephanie In The Car: A minute-and-a-half unused scene is provided here in which Tony puts the hard sell on Stephanie to get more intimate.

Final Thoughts

Saturday Night Fever is a tremendously entertaining drama which does not take its jaunty premise lightly. This coming-of-age tale has some very tough developments which star John Travolta handles effortlessly. In fact, his performance is so good that it makes you long for the days when he put in effort. There are elements of the plot which can be a bit unfortunate in hindsight, but overall this is a very engrossing tale. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray that stands as a missed opportunity. The A/V presentation leaves a lot to be desired, and there are no new supplemental features to enhance the value of the package. If you already own this one, there is not much of a reason to upgrade.

Saturday Night Fever is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.