CHICAGO: Blu-ray (Miramax 2002) Buena Vista Home Video

Rob Marshall’s Chicago (2002) is the Oscar-winning big screen musical adaptation of Broadway’s stunning smash hit, co-written by legendary song and dance man, Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb. More directly, the inspiration for that musical came from a barely remembered non-musical starring Ginger Rogers – Roxie Hart (1942); an altogether more satisfying excursion. Like just about every movie musical attempted in the last 20-years, Chicago forgets that what is desperately required to make any musical click is more than just a shapely pose in silhouetted tight pants doing a few bell kicks or taps for the camera. To be sure, there are several finely executed musical numbers in Marshall’s reincarnation of the Broadway spectacular – chiefly, Richard Gears’ mesmerizing tap routine, executed as a court room summation in defense of accused murderess, Roxie Hart (Rene Zellweger). Alas, Marshall has adhered much too strictly to the trappings of this stagecraft, the audience kept at arm’s length from the sad, saucy and slick characters who populate this proscenium, never to cross over into a truly cinematic experience.  

Interestingly, Chicago became the first musical since 1968’s Oliver! to win a Best Picture statuette – just one of 6 Academy Awards bestowed on the production; a very luminescent, very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones taking home another for Best Actress. The movie is, of course, rooted in that legendary 1975 Broadway show by Fosse, to have run for 936 performances. In spite of its modest run – commercially – the Broadway show was not well-received by audiences, primarily due to its dour tone. Fosse had hoped to rectify some of the show’s shortcomings by directing a movie version himself. Certainly, his Oscar-win for Cabaret (1972) ought to have cemented him as the obvious choice here. But, by the end of the 70’s, no studio was willing to gamble on a movie musical. And thus, Fosse’s distinctive choreography would remain an enigma exclusive to the stagecraft, although some of it has survived this transmutation to celluloid.  If not for 1996’s minimalist revival on Broadway, playing for a whopping 9,562 performances (and currently, still holding the record for the longest-running musical revival on Broadway – as well as the second longest-running show in Broadway history) Marshall might never have been given this opportunity to bring Chicago to the big screen.

The original production's numbers were all staged as Vaudeville acts. And while Marshall’s re-imagining of the original material respects this contrivance, most of the numbers in the movie exist purely as cutaway fantasies gleaned from Roxie’s memory – rose-colored with a modicum of grit and infinitely more fanciful than the ‘present-day’ sequences, staged in a sort of dark and foreboding alter-universe that is uncompromising and contrasted with these escapist songs and dances – making their disconnect more jarring. Marshall insists this is why the electrifying duet, ‘Class’ performed by Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) and Mama Morton (Queen Latifah) was excised from the final cut.  Virtually all incarnations of the story are owed a little-known 1926 Broadway play by Maurine Watkins about two real-life Jazz-era murderers, Beulah Annan (a.k.a. Roxie Hart) and Belva Gaertner (a.k.a. Velma Kelly). Then, the legendary George Abbott-directed, with Francine Larrimore and Juliette Crosby - running 172 performances at the Music Box Theatre. With a year, Hollywood had produced its own version with Gaertner appearing as herself in a cameo. For this latest incarnation of Chicago, Miramax Films and The Producers Circle joined alliances with German-based Kallis Productions. And although the title seems to suggest an obvious choice of location, Chicago was actually filmed in Toronto, Canada, taking advantage, not only of Canada’s tax credits to film-makers, but also such locations as Queen's Park, the former Gooderham and Worts Distillery, Casa Loma, the Elgin Theatre, Union Station, the Canada Life Building, Danforth Music Hall, and at the Old City Hall.

Set during the rum-running twenties, Chicago is bawdy, gaudy and relentlessly showy. Under Marshall’s guidance, Chicago plays more like a pop opera than a traditional Hollywood musical. That is part, if not all of its problem. We get style-plus but without so much as a hint of substance. The score tumbles forth, one song laden upon the next with only the most superficial bits of dialogue to loosely connect the story from one vignette to the next. All of this would, of course, be quite forgivable if the characters had something meaningful to say or if Marshall’s direction had made even the feeblest endeavor to transform stagecraft into a celluloid experience. Alas - no, the movie remains trapped in its Broadway origins, Dion Beebe's cinematography, never entirely to step beyond those footlights. As such, Chicago emerges as a faithful recreation of 'the show'. Bill Condon’s screenplay musters up the flashier musical sequences with relative ease. But the numbers are just that – showstoppers, shot with a heavy-handed music video-esque approach that leaves everything stage bound.

Our story begins in 1924, Roxie Hart enamored with Velma Kelly’s performance at the Chicago Theater. Desperately craving stardom, Roxie begins an affair with Fred Casely (Dominic West), who claims to have ‘an in’ with the show’s manager. Afterward, Velma is arrested for killing her husband, Charlie and sister, Veronica who were having an affair. A month later, Casely confesses to Roxie he has virtually no showbiz connections. He just wanted to get her in the sack. Enraged, Roxie murders Casely. Convincing her husband, Amos (John C. Reilley), to take the rap by lying to him about having just killed a burglar in self-defense, Amos confesses to a detective. However, when detectives reveal to Amos that Roxie and Casely were having an affair, he recants his testimony. Roxie begrudgingly confesses and is immediately arrested. Ambitious District Attorney, Martin Harrison (Colm Feore) seeks the death penalty. At Cook County Jail, Roxie is placed in the ‘care’ of corrupt Matron ‘Mama’ Morton. Here, she also comes face to face with her idol, Velma Kelly, but is quickly disillusioned when Velma fluffs her off. On Morton's counsel, Roxie hires Velma's lawyer, the devious, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) who effectively launches an all-out campaign to obfuscate the truth.  The press eats up the fiction peddles as fact and Roxie is raised to the rafters as a martyr. Bitterly displeased, Velma, cajoles Roxie into joining her act to replace the sister she has murdered. However, as her own popularity supersedes Velma’s now, Roxie declines the offer.

Meanwhile, wealthy socialite, Kitty ‘Go-To-Hell Kitty’ Baxter (Lucy Liu) is arrested for murdering her husband and his two lovers. What a sensational story! The press immediately drops Roxie and Flynn to pay more attention to Baxter’s case. Rather ruthlessly, Roxie steals the spotlight back by claiming to be pregnant. Virtually ignored during all this chaos, Amos is convinced by Flynn to play the part of the grieving husband, knowing the child is Casely’s, goading Amos to launch into a lurid divorce. Overly confident, Roxie fires her attorney. But when Katalin Helinszki (Ekaterina Chtchelkanova), a true innocent in prison, wrongfully accused of murder, is publicly hanged, Roxie quickly re-hires Flynn to get her off. Flynn transforms the trial into a three-ring-circus, exploiting the press, discrediting witnesses and manipulating the evidence. His smoke screen works, until Velma produces Roxie’s diary as evidence, reading lurid excerpts in exchange for amnesty in her case. Nevertheless, the wily Flynn discredits the diary and Roxie is acquitted. But her instant celebrity evaporates only moments after being exonerated when another woman, who had also shot her husband, suddenly murders her lawyer on the courthouse steps. Flynn tells Roxie it is all part of the game of celebrity, that he tampered with her diary, in order to incriminate the district attorney and also free two clients at once. Amos misguidedly attempts a reconciliation with his wife. Instead, Roxie rebuffs him, explaining she was never pregnant. Separately, Roxie and Velma try to resurrect their careers, but to no avail. Now, despite their mutual resentment, the girls team up for a rousing razz-a-matazz finale that wows audiences.

To be certain, Chicago is brash, brassy and bold. But the movie is more like a pony put out to pasture, modestly repainted for one last shot at the big-top only after the circus has already left town. It has its’ moments and offers a showcase of star talent, performing some fairly impressive routines. Catherine Zeta-Jones wallops her numbers with enough voracity and venom to make each note crackles as it should, and Queen Latifah has undeniable ‘great fun’ imploring her inmates to ‘just be good to mama!’ Rene Zellweger’s performance is the weakest of the bunch here – her voice, thin, and her dance routines, somewhat aping, though never rivaling Zeta-Jones’ electricity. Richard Gere’s superbly rendered court room ‘tap dance’ is astounding – by far, the most eloquently staged dance routine in the entire picture. Yet, the songs and dances are unable to sustain the story. The vignettes, though sultry and saucy to the point of distraction, are just that – vignettes; begging the question – is this really the Best Picture of 2002?!?

Buena Vista's Blu-ray rectifies the shoddy treatment Chicago received on DVD. Grain structure has at last been accurately preserved in 1080p.  On the DVD it tended to lock up or look gritty and digitally harsh. But the Blu-ray gives us a dense patina of grain that is quite natural. Colors are well balanced and fully saturated. Flesh tones still look a tad too pinkish and flat for me. But fine detail takes a quantum leap forward, even during the darkly lit scenes.  Edge enhancement, that was also a problem on DVD is gone on the Blu-ray. The audio is 5.1 DTS that is aggressive. When Chicago had its initial release back in 2003 extras were slim pickin's indeed. But in 2005 we were given the 'Razzle Dazzle Edition' and its these extras - most of them anyway - that have found their way to Blu-ray. Director Rob Marshall delivers a rather comprehensive audio commentary. We also get 6 deleted scenes, outtakes and the complete song - 'Class' - cut from the movie before its premiere. There are also 5 rehearsal performances from the voice recording and choreography sessions.  Best extra is the 27 min. 'History of Chicago' that skips through the creation of the Broadway show that actually flopped in 1975 before Bob Fosse gave it a complete overhaul. Four vintage featurettes about the film follow with cast, crew and director, Marshall affectionately waxing about their participation on the project. There is also a vintage piece from the Dinah Shore Show featuring Liza Minnelli singing Nowadays. Minnelli stepped into Gwen Verdon's shoes on Broadway after the latter swallowed a feather and developed a throat infection. I have to say I enjoyed the extras much more than I did the movie which, upon renewed viewing, I still find heavy-handed and fairly dull in spots. The extras raised my appreciation for the material, but not the movie. The Blu-ray is a class act, however, and will surely delight those who love the movie. For that reason, this disc comes highly recommended.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

3

VIDEO/AUDIO

4

EXTRAS

5