So many, many, many years ago, in order to complete my English major requirements in college, I had to take a class called, "Christians Perspectives in Drama."
I'm a writer who loves movies and I just happen to be Christian. This should, I thought at the time, be the easiest course I take all year. Just talk about how movies these days (1989) are going to hell in a hand basket because of all the sex and violence and I'm good to go.
It was a theory that had worked for me in the past. Give them what they want and they'll give you an A...or, more likely a B because let's face it, I didn't want to work all that hard and if it's a Phys Ed class, well, then it's a C for me.
But this class was different.
The professor was...well, an interesting guy. You remember the Hobbit movie from the 70's? Not the energetic creepy sprite from the live action movies, no the cartoon one. Yeah, well my professor for this course reminded me a bit of Gollum from that movie. Sort of creepy, dim eyesight, and like a wet string of spit always sort of stretched between his upper and lower lip; never swinging free, never dropping, just sort of always there. He also had a way of speaking that was unique; even toned, almost non inflective with a sort of musical timbre. If you can imagine Enya singing one or two notes continuously without increasing or decreasing volume or meter.
Given that I had to take this class at the end of my senior year, when most of my classmates were in their "Senior Slide" I was convinced this would be a no brainer nap time.
It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last time, but I was wrong. Really wrong. The guy opened the very first class with this question: Who has seen a movie recently?
I raised my hand. DUH. Hubby and I were pros at seeing every single movie that hit theaters within a fifteen mile radius of our campus. We saw some movies twice, but it was a movie released between the early winter of 1986 and late spring of 1989...we saw it.
The professor asked me to tell him about the movie. I summarized it, as any idiot 21 year old college senior might. I pointed out the morality issues, and how we as Christian teachers in training should be aware of this great decline in moral values and battle against it in out classroom.
Then I sat back and waited for my A.
"But who was the Christ figure in the movie?"
I didn't even blink. This wasn't a Christian movie, thought I, and therefore there was no Christ figure because that would be WRONG. "There was none, of course, it was a comedy."
I mean, when was the last time you saw Jesus starring in a comedy? It's "The Passion of the Christ" not the "HBO COMEDY SPECIAL OF THE CHRIST."
"Every film has a Christ figure and if you didn't find it you missed the point."
I remember nothing else from that class.
I mean, other than I had to write a play at the end to salvage my grade.
Why did I tell you this story?
Well to point out that people have very different reasons for watching movies and therefore the movie watching experience for everyone is different. And I'm saying that in the hopes that you'll stop reading and not notice the opinion I'm about to law on you:
I think "Staying Alive" if every bit as good if not better than "Saturday Night Fever."
First of all, I hate films made between 1968 and 1980 because the film style is non sequeter, the film lighting is overly gauzy, the dialogue often makes no sense, and the clothes are just....terrible.
Let's set aside my distaste for film styles of the 1970's because I have to admit that yes, "Saturday Night Fever" is a great commentary on the disco world in Brooklyn, following especially young Tony, who is willing to put up with his disapproving family, his terrible job, and his wildly annoying friends just so he can dance.
But 1983's sequel "Staying Alive" brings a slightly (very slightly) more mature Tony who is now living in Manhattan in the 80's. He's putting up with his disapproving family (who disapprove so completely, only one character, his mother, came back for this second film) both of his terrible jobs, is wildly annoying director and a lead dancer who is all hair and very little logic. But he deals with it all so he can DANCE.
It's clear that Tony has the comprehension of concrete in dealing with women. In "Fever" he uses and
In "Alive" he uses and abuses his friend and #1 groupie, Jackie, while he chases completely out of reach, in over her head, Laura. In the end, and here's where it gets good, he figures out that he loves Jackie and rejects Laura after she asks him to come back. (Oh, I didn't say Spoiler? The movie is 35 years old. BUY A VCR or something.)
So, Tony shows growth in "Staying Alive" where he shows very little in "Saturday Night Fever" Although I wouldn't really know, because the film style of the 70's was just to string several random scenes together without prelude so it took me about four viewings to figure out what Stephanie's deal was.
The dance numbers are better because disco dancing is terrible. Not that I'm going to buy a ticket for "Satan's Alley" any time soon because, well, it looked stupid, but the rehearsal shots for the Broadway show" were great and you know, it wasn't disco.
The clothes are better in "Staying Alive" because 80's clothes are awesome and 70's clothes are terrible. The exception being the iconic white suit which is in both films.
Travolta's butt is better in "Staying Alive" because isn't no in polyester. It's in denim or a really, seriously, well fit spandex dance outfit, or a loin cloth. But no sans-a-belt pants with bell bottoms!
Also the music is better.
OH FOR SHAME! HOW CAN I SAY THAT?
Yeah, I mean the Bee Gees are great and all...but that's really all you get in "Fever." And half the time it feels like they just said, "Well, the Bee Gees said we could use the music, so let's stick another song here." The music montages are...painful.
Meanwhile, 80's music montages and movie music not only fit in the story, sometimes the lyrics of the songs actually tell part of the story. Sure, very few of those songs made the top 40. (Frank Stallone's "Far From Over" being one.) And, fun fact, there are 18, yes 18 Bee Gees songs used in "Staying Alive." So yeah, the music is BETTER AND it includes the Bee Gees.
Finally, the dialogue makes sense. The conversations have a point. It's not some sexed up dudes running around saying this and that and using slang no one on the planet truly understands. Yeah, point to "Staying Alive."
Yes, "Staying Alive" is every bit as good as, if not better than, "Saturday Night Fever."
I never did believe there's a Christ figure in every movie, but I'm pretty sure, as I read my opinions, that my professor was trying to tell me I'm a moron for not looking deeper into a movie and drawing out all the hidden meanings.
Well he's hardly the only person who thinks I'm a moron.
Sometimes a movie's just a movie and you watch it because TV is terrible. You want good looking guys, good looking women, great music and dance numbers. Sometimes you don't want a movie to change the world. You want to escape the world. Then you find the movies that take you places.
"Saturday Night Fever" didn't take me anyplace I wanted to go. "Staying Alive" did.
Sort of makes you want to read my other movie reviews, doesn't it? I've got three collections, all right here.
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