You Should Be Dancing: ‘Saturday Night Fever’ Suit up for Sale

The custom-made white suit worn by John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" and an original Hulk figure from the premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" are displayed at Julien's Auctions in Gardena, California, on April 3, 2023. (AFP)
The custom-made white suit worn by John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" and an original Hulk figure from the premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" are displayed at Julien's Auctions in Gardena, California, on April 3, 2023. (AFP)
TT

You Should Be Dancing: ‘Saturday Night Fever’ Suit up for Sale

The custom-made white suit worn by John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" and an original Hulk figure from the premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" are displayed at Julien's Auctions in Gardena, California, on April 3, 2023. (AFP)
The custom-made white suit worn by John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" and an original Hulk figure from the premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" are displayed at Julien's Auctions in Gardena, California, on April 3, 2023. (AFP)

If you've ever fancied yourself as a disco legend -- and, let's be honest, who hasn't? -- this could be your chance, as John Travolta's "Saturday Night Fever" suit goes up for auction.

The most famous three pieces of polyester in movie history are going under the hammer in California this month, offering one lucky buyer the opportunity to set the dance floor on fire -- just don't get too close to the naked flames.

The wing-lapelled suit, in which a dashing young Travolta broke many a 1970s heart, is the centerpiece of the "Hollywood: Classic and Contemporary" collection at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills.

"I mean, this is the disco era," said auction house chief executive Martin Nolan.

"This is what we remember. When people talk about disco, you think of 'Saturday Night Fever,' you think of the Bee Gees, you think of John Travolta."

The suit, with its high waistband, flared pant legs and -- presumably -- an inexhaustible supply of static electricity, is expected to fetch up to $200,000 at the auction on April 22-23.

But, says Nolan, it could go even higher.

The offering is one of around 1,400 items up for grabs at an auction that runs the gamut of the last 100 years of cinema.

Other memorabilia include Charlie Chaplin's cane, a hoverboard from "Back to the Future III" and the original headdress worn by Theda Bara in 1917's "Cleopatra."

Harry Potter fans will be able to bid on various prop wands, while there will also be costumes from franchises including "John Wick", "Batman," "Iron Man" and "Star Wars."



Marrakech Film Festival Opens in Morocco with 'The Order'

FILE -A view of the venue of the 2023 Marrakech International Film Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
FILE -A view of the venue of the 2023 Marrakech International Film Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
TT

Marrakech Film Festival Opens in Morocco with 'The Order'

FILE -A view of the venue of the 2023 Marrakech International Film Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)
FILE -A view of the venue of the 2023 Marrakech International Film Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File)

One of the Middle East and North Africa's largest film festivals opened Friday in Morocco, drawing actors and directors from throughout the world to present 70 features from 32 countries.
The Marrakech International Film Festival, now in its 21st year, will showcase Oscar contenders and screen films for members of the public. But unlike larger festivals in Venice, Cannes or Toronto, it places unique emphasis on emerging directors and films from the Middle East and Africa.
The roster of actors and directors who will participate in this year’s conversations and tributes includes Sean Penn, Alfonso Cuaron and David Cronenberg.
Remi Bonhomme, the festival's artistic director, said what makes the festival unique is its ability to draw talent on par with the world's largest festivals while also spotlighting up-and-coming directors from Morocco, the Middle East and Africa.
“We pay a lot of attention to countries that are underrepresented in cinema,” he said. “We support filmmakers who have their own voice, who develop a story that is in a specific context, whether it is Iran, Morocco or the US."
“But they don’t have to be the voice of their country. They have the need to have the freedom to express their own personal vision,” he added.
Among the themes that Bonhomme is excited about in this year's films is family. Filmmakers, including “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” director Mohammad Rasoulof, are “exploring social and political impact through the scale of a family,” Bonhomme said.
The festival opens Friday with “The Order” — a thriller starring Jude Law that chronicles an FBI manhunt for the leader of a white supremacist group.
The jury competition contains 14 first or second films. The nine-person jury includes actors Jacob Elordi and Andrew Garfield as well as Ali Abbasi, the Iranian-Danish director of “The Apprentice.” Luca Guadagnino will preside over the jury.
The films in competition include Saïd Hamich's “Across the Sea” about a young Moroccan man's immigration to Marseille and Damian Kocur's “Under the Volcano,” Poland's Oscar entry for Best International Feature.
The festival — founded by Morocco's King Mohammed VI and is presided over by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid — plays a major role in showcasing and promoting Moroccan films and directors.