If you are at all a fan of Italo-Disco, who's actual glory time period was about 1982-1986 so definitely after the original explosion of what most people consider "disco", then you absolutely must see this film!!! Even if you don't know much about it but are a (music) lover of Italy/Europe and the 80s, it's worth it.
The main star is American singer Tom Hooker, who was a long time Italian resident from a young age and was the actual voice behind Italo-Disco star Den Harrow (look up their never-ending feud with each other if you want a good laugh, btw). Here though he purely acts and doesn't sing. The plot is that Hooker and Russell Russell (who I know literally nothing about) are friends who try to score funding for the biggest Italo-Disco party "ever". That's really basically it! However in true classic Italian style this paper-thin plot gets unbelievably stretched out and padded into a full length feature.
The glory here really is about the settings (the mobile disco-truck featured is an absolute marvel), the fashions, the (often sketchy) dancing, the absurdities and overall the music and performances. It primarily takes place at the huge Altromondo Studios club which is STILL going to this day in the same location as in the film in Rimini, Italy (Rimini is also featured heavily in other scenes). Every part of this film is just mind-boggling and actually almost hard to describe. It's one of those where if you're feeling it, you're ALL about it.. if you're not, you'll probably hate it. You have to honestly appreciate the real low-brow end of "classic" Italian cinema and the audacity that was the 80s.. basically you kinda need to be prepared for this one!
If you can get a few people over who would be into it, it would definitely be a fantastic party. However, let's all hope a blu-ray or at least a decent version on streaming platforms gets released at SOME point as finding a decent copy of this has been basically impossible so far. Music-wise the soundtrack is heavily dominated by the oddest of all Italo-Disco acts The Creatures (and no, not the follow up band to Siouxsie and The Banshees of the same name), who you could almost say were like the GWAR of Italo-Disco with absolutely grandiose/ridiculous costumes. Their performance towards the end of the film is really a "must be seen to be believed, if you actually can" kind of thing. It's honestly almost more like bizarre performance art... er.. in a disco. "Believe In Yourself" is the hot closing number and is one of my absolute favourite Italo-disco tracks.
