Saturday Night Fever – The Ultimate Disco Movie What to watch
Long before he became a household name as a Strictly Come Dancing judge, Bruno Tonioli had a successful career as a choreographer to the stars, arranging dance for music videos, stage shows and tours for Tina Turner, Sting, Elton John and many others. Here he looks back 40 years to when he was a young dancer in New York and got caught up in the global phenomenon that was Saturday Night Fever.
It’s a great story, told with typical Tonioli verve, of how a low-budget film starring the then unknown John Travolta and using the music of a failing band of highpitched popsters, the Bee Gees, became one of the biggest box office draws of all time and gave half the world “disco fever”. It also shows how – to give credit where it is due – much of its success was down to the visionary genius and unstoppable determination of the Bee Gees’ manager, the late Robert Stigwood, impresario behind some of the most popular stars, and hit stage and film musicals (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Grease, Bugsy Malone) of the Seventies. Contributors include Travolta. Gerard O’donovan