|
|
|
A DVD Review of...
  
Images (C) Miramax, 2002 |
Genre: Drama/Musical
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Taye Diggs
Synopsis: First appearing in its current format as a 1975 Bob Fosse "musical vaudeville" by Kander and Ebb, "Chicago" is based on a 1926 play that led to "Roxie Hart" a 1942 Ginger Rogers movie comedy. Revived on Broadway in 1996, where it is still running - it has become one of the most successful modern musicals of all time..
Roxie Hart is a married chorus girl with hopes of being a headliner in Vaudiville. Velma Kelly is a former headliner. What do these two have in common? They both are murderesses. Roxie killed her lover when he walked out on her, and Velma killed her husband and sister, who were having an affair. Chicago's newspapers love the nitty-gritty and Velma is at the top of the headlines.
But then Roxie comes along and Velma is old news. They find themselves competing for not only the press' attention, but also the focus of their shared lawyer, the suave Billy Flynn. Add to the mix a sob sister, Roxie's hapless husband Amous, and a warm prison matron who watches out for her girls (if there's something in it for her), and you have Chicago.
Film Review: After being stuck in years of development, "Chicago" finally arrives on the big screen and the result is spectacular. The modern stage version of Chicago which most audiences are familiar with is famous for its lack of sets or props, and yet this is one of the most lustrous looking visual feasts of the year with every number utilising clever tricks with mirrors, absolutely stunning lighting rigs and rich costume detail to give the performances that much more weight. Considering this is Director Rob Marshall's first foray onto the big screen, it comes as quite a shock as short of a somewhat muddily edited opening 10 minutes or so - the rest of the production is shot with a strong level of confidence and skill that most filmmakers just can't do.
The comparisons with "Moulin Rouge" are inevitable and whilst Luhrmann's musical epic was a flashier and more energetic piece of cinema, it also suffered from choppy editing and weak script which caused the second half to be a bit of a struggle as Baz's message that "love is the greatest thing and conquers all" was basically screamed at us until our ears bled. It was a collection of great stolen pop songs done in an elaborate whimsical style and organised around a rather flimsy premise stretched a good 20-30 minutes beyond comfort level - yet it worked quite well. "Chicago" on the other hand is sourced from a far smarter pedigree - Baz may be a great filmmaker, but Bob Fosse was pretty much the master of his domain. The message of "Chicago" is not so grand but much more contemporary and works its material far better. Kudos should go to Bill Condon's script which brilliantly incorporates fantasy visions and reality (a real life hanging mixed with a dream circus performance dive is the film's most memorable scene) whilst making subtle changes to the storyline to give everything a more interesting and well-paced flow.
Performances are perfectly solid right across the board with Renee Zellweger delivering absolutely astonishing vocal numbers whilst handling the more dramatic yet black humoured material with the exact sense of fun and weight it needs. Zeta-Jones was known for her stage production roles long before she became a movie actress and so its not surprising she just lights up all her scenes. Richard Gere the absolute out of nowhere shock though as although he can sing (albeit not with much range) he makes very good with all his numbers, whilst Queen Latifah just rocks as the tough but lovable warden Mama.
Songs wise well everyone has different opinions in regards to different songs. As much as I love "All That Jazz" as a song, it suffers from firing so early out of the gate here despite the lavish visual look. "Cell Block Tango", "When You're Good to Mama", "Roxie" and "Razzle Dazzle" all utilise amazing set pieces and tricks to help these already solid songs reach stratospheric levels. "Mister Cellophane" is a sweet song and Reilly is a surprisingly good singer though aside from a light trick towards the end its a bit of a mood downer. On the flipside "We Both Reached for the Gun" is a brilliantly choreographed number utilising a string puppet trick, and the finale "Nowadays" perfectly caps off the movie. Utterly superb filmmaking done with love, care and attention to detail whilst still providing a deftly enjoyable narrative with which to get swept up in. One of the year's absolute best.- Garth Franklin
"Chicago: Widescreen Edition"
DVD Details In Brief (Region 1)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113mins
Versions: 16:9 Enhanced Widescreen, 4:3 Letterboxed
Aspect Ratio: 1.85: 1
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Language & Sub-Titles: English, Spanish, French
Commentary: Director Rob Marshall & Writer Bill Condon.
Documentaries: Making of Featurette
Clips: Deleted Song Number, Trailers
Region 1 vs. Region 4: No R4 Available |
 |
DVD Review: The best film of last year both to the Oscar voters and to me personally, this is a disc release I've been awaiting for a long while and whilst its kind of light on the extras its still a welcome first release kick off (hopefully a major 'special edition' will be done down the road in a few years). The transfer is immaculate, from the stunning colour and shadow use to the gorgeous level of detail - the only downside is the tiniest bit of overt edge enhancement every now and then. Audio isn't as strong though - the songs sound awesome and the range is excellent but surround isn't as well used as it ought to be. Dialogue is fine although a tiny bit soft. A commentary is on here with Director Rob Marshall and Writer Bill Condon and its a doozy. Many who've been following this film for a long time will be well aware of its colourful production history, and the pair bring it all up from the difficulties of translating a no-set musical into a film, working with the ghost of Bob Fosse, and some great on-set anecdotes about certain numbers.
The inclusion of the deleted "Class" number isn't as great as it should be. Its in soft non-anamorphic widescreen which looks like a VHS copy of a copy which is a shock compared to the quality of the final film on DVD. The song itself is fun but not a big nunber - just Zeta-Jones and Latifah sitting in pink light and belting out the number - its not as lively as some of the other songs and would've dragged down the second half a bit so it was understandably pulled. That's followed by the 28-minute "The Making of Chicago" featurette, standard interviews with the cast and crew can be seen but no real special insight or anything making this more like one of those crappy "Spotlight: On Location" deals than any real careful study of the film. To cap it all off are some trailers for other BVI home entertainment releases and the teaser for the yet to be released Ben Stiller/Drew Barrymore comedy "Duplex". All up this is a wonderful film and pretty good disc that's definitely worth having.- Garth Franklin
 .
|
|
|
|
|
|
