Flashdance / Footloose (1984) / Grease / Saturday Night Fev...

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

John Travolta gives a sensual and intelligent performance as the troubled Tony Manero - Brooklyn paint store clerk by day and undisputed king of the dance floor by night. Every Saturday, Tony puts on his wide collared shirt, flared trousers and platform shoes and heads out to the only place where he's seen as a god rather than some young punk. But in the darkness, away from from the strobe lights and glitter ball, is a tragic story of disillusionment, violence and heartbreak. Without a doubt, Travolta's performance made him a Hollywood legend, but Saturday Night Fever is more than just a movie that defined the music and fashion of a generation. It's a powerful and provocative urban tragedy that carries as much significance today as it did in 1977.

GREASE

John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play Grease. Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film dbut as Sandy, Travolta's nave love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a "who's who" in this quintessential musical about the fabulous '50s. Grease is not just a nostalgic look at a simpler decade - it's an energetic and exciting musical homage to the age of rock 'n' roll.

FOOTLOOSE

Footloose jumps with spirit, dazzling dance numbers and an electrifying musical score. It portrays the timeless struggle between innocent pleasure and rigid morality, when city-boy Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) finds himself in an uptight Midwestern town where dancing - and therefore all youthful joy - has been banned. Ren revolts with best friend Willard (Chris Penn) and the minister's daughter (Lori Singer). A treasury of Top 10 songs - Kenny Loggins "Footloose", Salamar "Dancing in the Sheets", Deneice Williams "Let's Hear it for the Boy", Bonnie Tyler "Holding Out for a Hero", and the Footloose love theme, "Almost Paradise".

FLASHDANCE

In Adrian Lyne's FLASHDANCE, a young woman, Alex (Jennifer Beals), strives to achieve success as a classical dancer, but economic forces require her to work as a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Standing in her way is an abundance of profound social obstacles, not the least of which is her boss at the welding factory, Nick (Michael Nouri), who is also her boyfriend. Alex strives to be accepted into a prestigious ballet academy, and she is furious when she realizes that her boyfriend might be pulling strings for her behind the scenes. Along the road to self-discovery and independence, Alex also struggles to accept love, come to terms with her own stubbornness, and find the inner strength to turn her lofty dreams into reality.Edited for maximum rhythmic impact, FLASHDANCE is full of glistening bodies and metallic surfaces, powered by Giorgio Moroder's throbbing music and one hit song after another: Michael Sembello's "Maniac," Karen Karmen's "Manhunt," and, notably, Irene Cara's Oscar-winning theme song, "Flashdance...What a Feeling." FLASHDANCE marks the first co production between Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who geared the film toward the MTV generation.