Chicago

[tabuno]

OK. I admit it. I just went to see Chicago. My second time. Chicago is a great musical movie that brings a great musical stage production to the movie screen in an exciting cinematic way - adding a delicious serving of editing and movie magic to the stage version. The storyline is good, the musical/dancing numbers powerful, explosive and sexy. So different, it challenges Moulin Rouge in its originality. Cellophane Man number is perhaps one of the most poignant pieces in recent history. All the musical pieces are snazzy, snappy and sizzle - hot!

[tabuno]

Something's amiss in the land of popularity and lightness. What is it about this movie that the sweet, lurid bedazzling and sparkling musical hides...We cheer and applaud, but underneath the brilliant excitement and entertainment are we duped and fooled as the rest of the jury? We have adultery, selfishness, materialism, greed oozing from the screen. We have payoffs and corruption, discrimination, and the seamier side of the human spirit win over the honest, committed, goodness of humanity. Have we as a society been as corrupted as the legal system is portrayed in this movie, manipulated like the press - there are deeper insinuations, more darker themes that seem to blind us. Who is fooling who here?

[pmw]

Am I a pessimist for saying that many of those darker themes are at the heart of human/animal nature? I think the applause is for the performance AND for the writer's embrace of the darker side of things. I liked it all around. I wonder, though, what its merits are over a musical itself. I found myself asking, why do this onscreen when it's already on stage... greater visibility is one reason, but was there anything about the film element which made it better, made an improvement on the musical?
P

[tabuno]

In response to Chicago as a film production versus a stage production, it think that through the magic of film editing, the juxtaposition of musical elements along with the dramatic scenes made for a seemless, powerful perspective that would have been almost impossible to occur on stage. The court room scene and the Roxie sex scene/Velma stage scene are two memorable energetic scenes that really fed off their different counterparts making the whole experience exciting, thrilling. The same goes for Latifa and the ward matron/stage scene. Even the fade back from the Cellophane musical, with John C. Reilly to the scene where he is ignored by Richard Gere at the end, just highlights his earlier musical number. While its possible to something similar on stage, it just wouldn't have the immediate impact at film can.

[pmw]

Good points. Id agree with that. Renee, Richard and Catherine were pretty damn good dancers and singers to boot. Miramax scores another big hit.

[Johann]

I bought the soundtrack to Chicago today. (I can't get "give 'em the old razzle dazzle" out of my head)

I don't think it's too early to say that this film is a classic. I reluctantly went to see this -the poster looked trite to me, and my opinions of Jones & Gere beforehand did not help- I'm glad I went to see this. I knew this was Fosse inspired when I saw Cathy appear in a spotlight. I thought the "all that jazz" opener was a rejected Cabaret number...Liza still has the crown, though.

This film will be cherished over time. It's just so much FUN.

[Mark Dujsik]

Originally posted by tabuno
In response to Chicago as a film production versus a stage production, it think that through the magic of film editing, the juxtaposition of musical elements along with the dramatic scenes made for a seemless, powerful perspective that would have been almost impossible to occur on stage. The court room scene and the Roxie sex scene/Velma stage scene are two memorable energetic scenes that really fed off their different counterparts making the whole experience exciting, thrilling... Even the fade back from the Cellophane musical, with John C. Reilly to the scene where he is ignored by Richard Gere at the end, just highlights his earlier musical number. While its possible to something similar on stage, it just wouldn't have the immediate impact at film can.

The scenes you mentioned here were mixed together on stage as well. Morton's number, though, is just that on stage--a number.

[Mark Dujsik]

Originally posted by tabuno
Something's amiss in the land of popularity and lightness. What is it about this movie that the sweet, lurid bedazzling and sparkling musical hides...We cheer and applaud, but underneath the brilliant excitement and entertainment are we duped and fooled as the rest of the jury? We have adultery, selfishness, materialism, greed oozing from the screen. We have payoffs and corruption, discrimination, and the seamier side of the human spirit win over the honest, committed, goodness of humanity. Have we as a society been as corrupted as the legal system is portrayed in this movie, manipulated like the press - there are deeper insinuations, more darker themes that seem to blind us. Who is fooling who here?

You're dead on about this. There are layers upon layers of irony in this musical.