Saturday Night Fever Film Blog

What is this film about and what does it reveal about the 1970s? Pick a single theme and use at least two to three fully described scenes from the film as evidence to support your points. Make sure you connect the scenes you select to key ideas in your argument explaining what the film is about and what it reveals about the 1970s.

Saturday Night Fever is a film following Tony Manero, a nineteen year old from Brooklyn who is “king” of the local disco club and works at a paint store. Although Tony has great dance moves, his home life isn’t as awesome. He always fights with his father, and his family has a wonderful view of his brother, a catholic priest, even though he left the priesthood. When Tony sees Stephanie at the disco, he starts training with her for the club’s competition. Tony wants to date Stephanie, but Stephanie has bigger plans and therefore won’t give in to any of Tony’s advances. Meanwhile, Annette is pining after Tony — but she is unsuccessful in her attempts to get him to show an interest in her.

Saturday Night Fever is a story rich in insight surrounding ambition and desperation, while simultaneously depicting life within the working-class neighborhoods in America. The characters are ultimately motivated to succeed on the dance floor because it is a way for them to cope with their stressful, normal lives. Stephanie helps Tony realize there is more to life than trying to impress others. Even though we see Tony change, his treatment of Annette keeps the viewer grounded in terms of his true character. A new blend of masculine and feminine characterizes the male hero. This is displayed as an attempt by the filmmakers to give Tony the image, sharp dressing, and compassion of a woman. But, the filmmakers are successful in this only at the expense of the women who often get harsh treatment. For example, in a conversation with Annette, Tony says, “Are you a nice girl or are you a cunt?” and Annette replies, “Can’t I be both?” Tony’s answer to her question successfully displays the attitude towards females in this movie – “No. It's a decision a girl's gotta make early in life, if she's gonna be a nice girl or a cunt.” The fact that there is no middle ground, and the use of the word “cunt” as a descriptor, really shows the lack of care Tony takes when he speaks – or his lack of knowledge as to how degrading that term is.

The attitude towards sex in Saturday Night Fever, and subsequently the 1970s, is highlighted in this film. With a wider acceptance for birth control beginning in the 1960s, the idea of sex in the 70s is different from that of the generations before them. An example of this is when Double J finishes having sex with a girl, he asks her, “What did you say your name was?” – This attitude is still relatively new in the 70s. Another instance with Double J, Joey tells Tony, “Hey Tony, Double J's been in the car twenty-five minutes with some chick!” He then refers to him as a “selfish prick.” This newer attitude towards sex is something that society is still adjusting to — not necessarily the young, but definitely the old.

How are the three main female characters, Stephanie, Annette, and Tony’s mother represented in the film? What do you think each symbolizes about the 1970s, the past, and the future? Use at least three fully developed scenes to support your answer.

The three main female characters are represented in a somewhat vulnerable, negative light in the film. Stephanie lives in Brooklyn but works in the city and she dreams of moving to Manhattan. It is this goal that keeps her from dating Tony. Annette is a flirtatious girl that loves Tony outright and directly and indirectly tells him that throughout the film. Stephanie represents a girl of class – at least outwardly – whereas Annette is promiscuous with a good heart. Tony likes Annette because she’s a good dancer, but he has no desire to be with her, which frustrates Annette to no end. When Annette is trying to score with Tony, at one point she attempts to pick him up by showing him condoms. Annette and Tony are both kind of lost. Stephanie, on the other hand, is not nearly as sophisticated and put together as she claims to be. As the film progresses Tony begins to understand that Stephanie is basically just a lower class urban girl that is trying to be refined on the outside. She is an odd reflection of him and he sees that. Because of this, Tony begins to long for the lifestyle she has: one of respect and dignity.

The three main female characters are represented in a somewhat vulnerable, negative light in the film. Stephanie lives in Brooklyn but works in the city and she dreams of moving to Manhattan. It is this goal that keeps her from dating Tony. Annette is a flirtatious girl that loves Tony outright and directly and indirectly tells him that throughout the film. Stephanie represents a girl of class – at least outwardly – whereas Annette is promiscuous with a good heart. Tony likes Annette because she’s a good dancer, but he has no desire to be with her, which frustrates Annette to no end. When Annette is trying to score with Tony, at one point she attempts to pick him up by showing him condoms. Annette and Tony are both kind of lost. Stephanie, on the other hand, is not nearly as sophisticated and put together as she claims to be. As the film progresses Tony begins to understand that Stephanie is basically just a lower class urban girl that is trying to be refined on the outside. She is an odd reflection of him and he sees that. Because of this, Tony begins to long for the lifestyle she has: one of respect and dignity. Stephanie helps Tony want more from life – while Tony helps her work through her own issues. There is a quiet moment where the two of them look at the Brooklyn Bridge and Tony tenderly lectures Stephanie on every factual aspect of the bridge. The bridge is a symbol of his desire to make something of himself in the city, instead of being promiscuous and wasting his life.

Tony’s mother symbolizes the old-fashioned values still present in society – as the viewer is surrounded my images of an inherently sexual society. Tony’s mother favors his brother, the priest, even though he has left the priesthood. Her lack of understanding for Tony’s motivation to dance at the Disco, as well as his promiscuity, is a good depiction of most parents’ lack of knowledge in terms of their children’s sex lives. His mother favors his brother because he is depicted as saintly, and more wholesome, than Tony will ever be.

Is Tony a heroic character? Why is disco so important to him? Is he “interesting and intelligent”? Does Tony have a vision of the American Dream or is his character confused about what this means? Does he have a moral code? How does he and how does he not represent “typical” working class male culture in the 1970s? Use at least two fully developed scenes from the film to support your answer.

I think Tony is a mildly heroic character. The disco is important to him because it is an escape from his work at the paint shop, as well as an escape from Brooklyn and the societal expectations of life after adolescence. He is good at Disco — which ultimately makes him the “king” of the dance floor and his group of friends. I wouldn’t initially describe Tony as “interesting and intelligent” because of the way that he is depicted. Later on, after he develops a bond with Stephanie and realizes her goal (of getting out of Brooklyn) is something he aspires towards as well. His idea of the American Dream shifts from low expectations to the idea that more things are possible, that he can make something of his life. Stephanie is his inspiration at this point in the film – when he has a realization that he can do something better with his life. I think at the beginning of the film his character interprets the American Dream as staying in Brooklyn and continuing his life in a ‘typical’ manner.

He represents working class Americans because he feels as though his dream is out of reach, or any dream for that matter. But, after meeting Stephanie, he sees that he could make something of himself, and longs to do so. He is a “typical” working class male – a dominant one- within his group of friends. But he finds that he is good at something other than working — dancing. Through his new found talent for dancing, Tony finds his self confidence and his ambition to improve his life.

The opening scenes of the film accomplish three things. We hear the famous soundtrack, we see that this film is about the grittier portions of New York City, and the viewers know all about Tony. He moves paint cans around, indicating he is a low-paid, lightly educated employee. He eats pizza rather tactlessly, indicating his lack of sophistication. Tony doesn’t have enough money to buy a flashy shirt, flirts relentlessly, and charms his way out of awkward or compromising conversations.

Early in the movie, Tony has arrived a little late from his assignment — filling a customer’s paint order from a rival shop — irritating his good-natured boss, Mr. Fusco. But, Tony engineers a little boss-approved trickery to make a profit from an irritated customer. Then he makes friends with a different customer, and the shop is seen as a likable neighborhood establishment. But at the end of the day, Fusco closes the store with the heavy gate, which is very typical in many parts of big cities. The world is still a dangerous place. Fusco and Tony chat briefly about the future. “The future catches up with you,” he tells Tony. Even within all the hard work and gritty determination, Tony is destined to see the silver lining. The portrait of American life this movie portrays is that of hardworking Americans who just want to live a peaceful and happy life — but the young are distracted by the idea of the future and what plans they have for themselves.

Taxi Driver Film Blog

1. What is this film about and what does it reveal about the 1970s? Pick a single theme and use at least two to three fully described scenes from the film as evidence to support your points. Make sure you connect the scenes you select to key ideas in your argument explaining what the film is about and what it reveals about the 1970s.

This film was about Travis Bickle, who served as a marine until 1973. Originally from a rural area, Bickle ends up in New York City in 1975. After becoming a taxi driver, he meets a woman named Betsey and scares her away as a result of his ritual of watching in-theatre porn, and inviting her along. His failed attempt of a relationship with Betsey pushes the already unstable Travis into an obsessive, violent fanatic. Along the way he meets Iris, a prostitute and her pimp, Sport. Racism is a theme throughout the film, even though Travis never says anything specifically racist. The only way the viewer really knows his attitude towards black men is in the way he sees them. He is always noticing black men and he is slightly scared of them, while still harboring a hatred for them. The film often shows groups of black men, walking around town or in the diner, as if they are strange to Travis. Sometimes, they were shot in slow motion, with Travis stares. They are kind of like an obsession of his – a fascination. For example, none of the other drivers have an issue with the black driver, Charlie T. But Travis does not feel comfortable sitting with Charlie T. His suspicions are justified, to him, when he is leaving the diner with Wizard and Charlie T makes a gun with his fingers and pretends to shoot Travis. Travis is bothered by this gesture. Sometimes, Travis displays a little bit of jealousy for black people — like the couple dancing while he was watching American Bandstand. It’s almost like Travis wants to be as happy as they are — but does not necessarily understand why he is unable to be, considering he is a while male.

Throughout the film, though, there are really only two other characters that are racist. One of them is a passenger that gets into Travis’s cab. He asks him to wait, while he watches a woman through a window. He explains that the woman is his wife, and the man suspects that she has been cheating on him with a black man. He refers to this man as a “nigger” while also talking about shooting his wife with a .44 Magnum. The passenger is able to say things that Travis agrees with, but would not say himself. The third racist character in the film is the man who runs the convenience store. When Travis is in a convenience store, a black man walks in and tries to hold up the store. Travis shoots him, and then worries about what will happen because he has an unregistered gun. The storeowner tells him not to worry and simply beats the dead man with a crowbar. The racism that is present both in the world around him and in his own head, is symbolic of the country’s changing atmosphere and government feeling at this time.

2. Connect either Iris, Betsy, or Tom to Chapter 7 in The Seventies. Think of how the screenwriter might suggest he is reacting to women's liberation, cultural feminism, or the crisis of masculinity. Use at least two fully described scenes from the film to make your point.

Betsey is what Travis considers her his ideal woman. She is blonde and very beautiful. She works for the Palatine presidential campaign. At first, she uses her date with Travis as a kind of “experiment” but she soon looses interest because he takes her to a porn film. During her date with Travis, Betsey quotes a song by Kris Kristofferson song. She uses them to describe Travis as, “a prophet and a pusher, partly truth, partly fiction. A walking contradiction.” Betsey, at this point, thinks she understands Travis, but she does not. She is partially right, though. Travis is a walking contradiction. He is disgusted by sex/prostitutes, but he watches pornography and gives cab rides to prostitutes. He also wants to be healthy and work on his body, but he is always taking pills and drinking. Betsey does not know these details about him. The author’s use of Travis’s self-contradictions and Betsey’s song lyrics, the crisis of masculinity is approached. In post-war America, being a man “had been defined more by its negations than by itself.” (Schulman 179) Basically, masculinity was measured by the degree to which a man was not womanly. Betsy’s lack of understanding when it comes to Travis Is symbolic of this crisis of masculinity because she was not able to read him very well at all. The crisis of masculinity changes what the definition of a man.

3. Do you think this film deserves to be listed as one of the top 100 films ever produced in the United States? Why or why not? Use at least two scenes (not the same ones you have already discussed) from the film to make your argument. (American Film Institute ranking as the 52 greatest film ever made).

Yes, I do. I think that Taxi Driver does a great job depicting New York City in the 1970s. Because the film is from the perspective of Travis Bickle, the filth of New York is exaggerated. When the movie was filmed, in 1975, New York really was a dirty city. This was a year after the city filed for bankruptcy, and then the city trash collectors went on strike. Because of this, the streets filled with garbage. There was not any money in the budget for cleaning. The film accurately portrays New York City in this moment in history. The nation was in the middle of an important presidential campaign and the overall feeling of the nation was turning away from Vietnam. It's significant to Travis Bickle because, as an ex-marine, he sees the filth of the city as equal to the lack of help he received as a veteran. Subsequently, Travis hates how dirty New York is. He wishes for a great rain to wash it all away. It's not just the literal trash that affects Travis, it is also the people he considers trash. From the people in Harlem to the prostitutes. Even the hippies in Times square bother him. He mentions that someday a "real" rain with clean up the city. Taxi Driver does a very good job depicting New York and the National attitude as a whole in 1975.

4. What do you think the last scenes in the film (from the newspapers on the wall to Betsy's cab ride) signify? Since it appears Travis Bickle has become a "savior" to the New York press and potentially to Betsy, then what, as Bruce Schulman asks, "kind of nation has America become?"