all that jazz

I finally picked up the DVD for Chicago (the movie) two weekends ago and I'm hooked. I really enjoyed the show (as did Alicia) the last time it came through town (in 2003), but I had not seen the movie prior to buying the DVD. Generally, things that undergo a transformation from stage to screen or vice versa don't work out very well in my opinion. However, I think Chicago was able to break the pattern and make the transition really well. Unlike a stageshow where you can kind of stop and move to the next number, a movie has to flow, so they filmmakers framed the story through Roxie's eyes, which meant that they had some flexibility to rearrange things and had something to transition with. It was also good judgement on their part to maintain the stageshow element/feeling there too. The fact of the matter is, Chicago just has a great story, has a cool 1920s visual element tied to it (including costumes), and of course has some addictively catchy song and dance numbers. In terms of musical theatre, I'd say Chicago is one of my favorites as it has a gritty element to it that makes it all the more interesting.

It's sort of surprising to see how many incarnations Chicago has gone through. Maurine Watkins wrote the original play, based on stories that she wrote while she was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. The first movie based on it was actually a silent film titled Chicago in 1927 produced by Cecil B. DeMille. The second movie incarnation starred Ginger Rogers as the main character in the 1942 film Roxie Hart. Because of the MPAA's Hays Production Code, one couldn't make a film where the audience would sympathize with a murderer, so the story was changed from the original so that Roxie was innocent all along. The musical by Bob Fosse, which went back to the original story, first premiered in 1975 and was later revived in 1996 starring Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith from Frasier). The latest movie incarnation (the one now on DVD) starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere premiered in 2002.

The MPAA Hays Production Code (wiki, text) was an attempt at industry self-regulation to placate the public's perception that movies were immoral, even though movie attendance was at record highs. (I'll bet anything the Government probably put pressure on the industry too, out of response from citizen concerns.) The Production Code held from the 1930s until 1966(!) when the code was abandoned and replaced with an early version of the rating system. It seems like some things don't change all that much over time as we still hear the public's cries of how movies are a bad influence on young people, yet these "bad" movies open with ridiculous amounts of people of all ages (with their money) in attendance. Of course, we've also seen what the Government's been doing with respect to the entertainment industry lately too.

On a lighter note, both crhino and I noticed that Catherine Zeta-Jones with her short bob haircut in Chicago looks very much like Rachael. Well, Komokuten knows her best and I wonder if he's seen the movie and noticed it too. :)


(Photo courtesy of Miramax)