Chicago – The Razzle-Dazzle Edition

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: B     Film: B

 

 

After endless directors and stars were attached to the film, with Madonna and Goldie Hawn being among the last names, Chicago the stage musical finally became a film in production.  Catherine Zeta-Jones, who had never shown any music skills on screen, was cast, while the casting of Renee Zellweger was an even larger shock because she was an even gentler actress.  Could they play women who would fight and kill?  Richard Gere was added, the film finally began production and the film was in production with Director Rob Marshall at the helm.

 

When the film finally came out, it shocked the public and the entire industry upon arrival by being done so well in so many ways.  The cast surprised at every turns, all the way to supporting performances by Rapper-turned actor Queen Latifah and the great John C. Reilly.  Lucy Lu and Christine Baranski also impress.  There was chemistry, the film cohered very well, the choice to do the film as if it were from Roxie Hart’s (Zellweger) point of view.  Hart is the gal who becomes the center of a media firestorm in the 1920s, when she kills a man she is with.  Was it murder or self-defense?  Will it matter in a modern city of sin?

 

She admires the successful performer Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) who is an amazing talent, but has some darker things happening in her life as well.  Roxie might just be heading for the slammer and outright disposability, until hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Gere) decides to intervene for his own personal gain and interests.  The film boldly exposes all the hypocrisy, maneuverings and goings-on behind the scenes of what is really going on.  Who is for real and a phony?  Who can out manipulate whom?  Is this early idea of the modern city just a preview of corruption to come?

 

The story had been told over and over since the 1930s, but the late Bob Fosse’s groundbreaking choreography and all-time great score by John Kander & Fred Ebb gave the story a new immortality that is still underrated and underestimated three decades later, despite al the critical and commercial success up to this film.  It is easy to take such a great work for granted, but those who know better and love it know it still shows the power of the Musical.  It has helped bring back Musical filmmaking and has to re-teach new generations that the forum is for more than just fluff and escapism.  The world still has not totally caught up to Chicago, but the film is a very faithful adaptation and is yet another great milestone moment for a classic that has yet to let up.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 picture is slightly clearer and better than the previous widescreen release, if not perfect.  Don Beebe, A.C.S., shoots the film very memorably with great camera angle choices and articulate lighting.  The color range, despite being a dark film visually, is nice.  The depth and detail of this transfer are very good, while Video Black fares well.  The sound mix is here in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, but the DTS is a little better, though both have the singing maybe more towards the center channel than one would like, though not anywhere as obnoxious as Chris Columbus’ recent gutting of Rent.

 

As for extras, DVD 1 repeats the commentary by Marshall and Bill Condon, a history of the musical from the stage to date (27 minutes) and deleted Class music number with Zeta-Jones and Latifah, while the DVD case includes an illustrated booklet with stills and great text information.  DVD 2 offers an extended section with more of the musical numbers, including behind the scenes footage options as you watch which has never been done like this on DVD before and is very nice.  You also get Chita Rivera’s “encore” (5:10) showing her cameo in the film, the VH-1 Behind The Movie program (35 minutes) on the show, featurettes on Marshall, Production Designer John Myhre, legendary Costume Designer Colleen Atwood and a great featurette about a time when Liza Minnelli stepped in for Rivera during the stage run when Rivera became ill from a freak accident.  All in all, this makes The Razzle-Dazzle Edition the set to own on one of the best Musical films in a very long time.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo