A long movie musical with boring songs. The only exception was the performance of the “mom” played by a black rapper. That's really fire, she sings and moves, really cool. Such a juicy, sexy aunt. Other songs are too dead for an amateur. Yes, they are well executed and fit the style of underground cabaret in 1920s America. But to call them outstanding language does not turn. Not masterpieces.
The husband of the main character is not properly revealed, although she is the only character in the film who evokes pity and sincere sympathy. Well, he's also a Hungarian girl from a women's prison (who for some reason also speaks Russian). These guys are the only ones who make a positive impression of the Chicago characters. Roxy (Zellweger) looks at his own husband, who jumps out of his underpants to save her from the gallows like shit. Savage, isn't it?
The work has a rather gray moral. More precisely, the film is full of gray morals. To be popular, a woman must be an unscrupulous bitch. If you perceive this movie as a subtle satire on showbiz, then the claims on this part fall off.
The key heroines of the story are very difficult to empathize with, besides, both are not beautiful. Their stage costumes are taken as if from a sex shop, and the actresses themselves are not the first freshness. The extra dancers were picked up as if from cheap strip clubs, especially in the room "Prison Tango" - very kringe dances.
The number with the dolls on the strings delivers, the visual and the idea are beautiful. That's why I give the painting such a high rating. Musically, this tape did not delight me.
My favorite movie! I would recommend this to all feminists!
I fell in love with this movie when I was 12. Since then, Rob Marshall has become my favorite director, ousting Luc Besson. I watched all of his movies and each one left a mark on my heart. Chicago was and still is my favorite. Jazz, art deco, showgirls, the fullness of life – all my values were embodied in this amazing musical.
In my opinion, Chicago is a film about lipstick feminism. About how a woman in a rapidly changing, progressive era chooses to be not a housewife, but an artist. Let the path to fame be very difficult and dirty, sometimes requiring radical achievements, the main character achieves success at any cost. And I find this approach win-win, because it's really original. Especially against the background of endless romantic films, exposing love as value No. 1.
In some ways, the career path of Roxy Hart (Rene Zellweger) is similar to the life of Arthur Fleck from Joker. She is also inept at her dream job and is unable to make her way to the big stage through talent. And so she, like the future Joker, gains coveted popularity thanks to the scandal.
The film is kept in perfect rhythm: from the first frame to the last. The musical numbers have blended into the plot so organically that even the haters of musicals will be enthralled. The main theme of the film is “All That Jazz”. Velma Kelly (Katherine Zeta-Jones) is so pretty, so sexy. Thanks to her, I watched the film fascinated, without taking my eyes off; almost in one breath. I never caught myself thinking about the tightness - everything that happened looked so colorful and energetic! When I saw this movie, I wanted more and more! This is an example of a well-deserved Oscar.
Richard Gere, of course, can't sing at all. Although in the room with puppets it sounds quite suitable, in other musical inserts it is quite weak. But he more than compensates for the lack of vocal skills with his charm, which he does not occupy.
10 out of 10
The naively cheerful and rosy-eyed musicals of the 1950s (or stylized ones) never seduced me. It's boring, funky and uninteresting. But the dark “Chicago”, shot in the style of Tim Burton, the best for me. Luxury mature women, jazz moods in the air, criminal intrigue and, of course, the atmosphere of the frankly dissolute 1920s (mixed with the spirit of the early 2000s, when this film was made). Burton’s vibes are felt here because his devoted assistants worked on this film adaptation – composer Danny Elfman and costume designer Colleen Atwood. They gave a gloomy aesthetic of "Chicago" Rob Marshall. In general, I find this film a mixture of the styles of Baz Luchermann and Barton. From the first, the aesthetics of bohemian cabaret and burlesque migrated here (see his film Moulin Rouge!), from the second - refinement with a touch of Gothic. In addition, the action of Chicago (2002) takes place in winter, and it brings to life in the memory of the winter tales of Tim Burton, so lamp and cold.
Very cozy tone of the narrative: there is no overload, protracted, subsidence. A balance is maintained between the fantasy vocal and dance part and the reality of what is happening. That is, there are not many musical numbers here, but just the right amount. Without excesses, so that immersion in the world of the picture is certainly successful.
Actors are hired very solid, convincingly playing their roles. By the way, there is no such thing that only the actor pulls the entire film and without him this film is bad. You know, there are a lot of movies that are only watchable by the actors/actors they hire. Take that actor away and replace him with someone else, that's it, the movie has nothing to hook me up to. And here is a precious case where cinema works because of its history and its well-written archetypes. I can imagine Charlize Theron, not Renee, as Roxy Hart; or Nicole Kidman, or Sarah-Jessica Parker, or Madonna, it doesn’t matter – the tape wouldn’t change dramatically. This indicates a qualitative scenario of the work. I think it's priceless. There would be more such works when the actors are the executors of their roles, and not the saviors of the whole movie with their stardom.
I liked Velma Kelly the most. A venerable, experienced beauty without complexes. She also has the strongest songs, including the title. Performing the role of Velma required the actress to have a strong sexuality of a vamp woman, a rich dark energy (ide) and an appetizing appearance. And Katherine came to this role in all respects, because she has all the above qualities. And, as time has proved, these qualities are immortal for Catherine: no wonder she, 20 years after the release of “Chicago”, will embody the image of the devilishly divine Morticia Addams in the series “Wensday”.
8 out of 10
For me, this movie is terrible, forgive me! No wonder no one remembers him now. For what? Why, tell me, is this incompetent (in my understanding) movie of the year at the 2002 Oscars? Released a year early "Moulin Rouge" in all surpasses "Chicago", literally in all articles.
Best Costume Oscar? All the costumes here are just a mess, just a piece of shit. Colleen Atwood is a talented designer, albeit less talented than Katherine Martin; Atwood’s costumes for the musical Nine (2009) can really impress any imagination, she (Atwood) worked on most of Tim Barton’s works and it was she who designed the great Hannibal Lecter mask for the Movie “Silence of the Lambs”. What's the great guy here? Nothing. I can see why Moulin Rouge won an Oscar for costumes. There are really impressive dresses, revolutionary and postmodern designs of each outfit (especially for 2001, at the time it was anything at all). And the outfits in Chicago are extremely simple, primitive and cheap. Where did the students find the best costumes? Do you remember any dresses from this painting? Some sequins, some sequins, everything is extremely ordinary; not a drop of originality at all.
The same goes for interior design. There is nothing special about this, absolutely! None of this, no roof-bearing luxury, no minimalist simplicity. The usual scenery, I did not see any outstanding beauty here.
Actresses don't play at all. Stoneface Zeta-Jones (aka the worst on-screen incarnation of Morticia Addams) gives for the whole film only a couple of variations of languid look, this is where her adherence to the image ends. Indeed, she is great at dancing (which is not to say about her singing), but to give an Oscar for it I think it is pointless. I don’t even want to talk about Renee Zellweger: an endlessly mannered girl who overplays to the point of nausea. The exhausted squint she shows from one picture to another, an overly loud voice and an unnatural wig-coop on her head. What a nightmare.
Music, too, does not inspire a single word, all songs are for an amateur. Except that the number with puppets looks energetic, otherwise solid stuffiness. By the way, none of the artists involved in this project can sing at all. At least they were duplicated behind the scenes, but apparently Rob Marshall is like “Oh, and so it works.”
Very ordinary installation, the picture does not shake for a second. It's not fascinating. Unusual camera finds are also not visible. It's a pretty sleepy video, it looks dull.
At the end of the day, I'm just wildly discouraged by the overestimation of this mess at the time. For a second: for the title of best film along with “Chicago” fought “Pianist” Roman Polanski. My God. Well, the aestheticization of murders (and the criminal way of life in general) is, of course, aerobatics. 'Bravo!!!!
1920s Chicago, hotbed of jazz, sex and murder. Valma (Zeta-Jones) has destroyed an affair between her boyfriend and her sister by using a pair of bullets and is now facing the death penalty. Roxy (Zellweger) did the same trick with her lover. Both girls hire a hardcore lawyer Billy Flynn (Gere), who can excuse anyone by just dancing a tap dance.
Review
The enchanting success of Chicago played a cruel joke with director Rob Marshall, raising the bar for him. His subsequent films almost completely failed at the box office ("Memoirs of a geisha", "Nine"), and then he fell into slavery to the Disney studio: careless fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Mary Poppins Returns" as if filmed by a neural network, not a living person. But in the film adaptation of the mega-successful Broadway musical, Marshall takes the romanticization of killers and dirty lawyers to the highest level.
Any musical “lives” the quality of its songs, and “Chicago” in this sense is an imperishable classic: the song here sounds almost every five minutes and it is a magnificent melodies, from the opening “All this jazz” to the piercing “Mr. Cellophane”. Each of them thickly beats on the themes of the American justice system (celebrity talks and crap walks), women’s rights and the changing nature of stardom – for the most part, these are classic songs that can be “listened with your feet”.
And although the pilgrimage to Chicago turns out to be more spiritual than real, since the film was mainly shot in Toronto (Canada), and from the real City of Winds there are only old stock shots, nevertheless, the musical “Chicago” was greeted with high raised eyebrows, “Oscar” for best film of the year and excellent box office – and to me this is absolutely deserved.
10 out of 10
Exactly 20 years ago, the standard musical film was born.
Growing up primarily on Disney and Soyuzmultfilm cartoons, I have never been indifferent to musical films. My entire childhood was spent watching musicals, and I was caught up in this genre. I watched the movie Chicago, which is 20 years old today. I began to watch it with disbelief, for I was expecting something vulgar and tasteless. However, the picture fell in love with me from the very first seconds and did not let go until the credits (and until now, many years later).
Among all the other representatives of its genre, Chicago is distinguished by impeccable, meticulous and professional directing. This is not The Greatest Showman, which is a glued-together music video; it is not Moulin Rouge!, shot in a wild and unseemly manner. No, it's a reference musical movie. The two-thousand years were rich in musical films, but only Chicago won an Oscar for Film of the Year. Why?
Because only in this film is there a balance between musical numbers and ordinary action. There is no annoying abundance of songs and dances, they are woven into the plot organically. The action does not sag, as the installation in Chicago is energetic (in moderation). In addition, the color scheme of this film is balanced and not replete with too bright colors; the picture is designed rather in blue, but because it does not seem too gloomy.
My favorite song from Chicago is All That Jazz by Catherine Zeta-Jones. This song fully captures the spirit of the 1920s, the time of the film. Everything in the All This Jazz room is perfect: the semi-dark lighting of the club stage, Velma's little black dress, cigarette smoke, sexy dancers, intoxicating music, camera work. Katherine did a phenomenal job, and I loved her character at first sight. Velma performed by Zeta-Jones is a fiery hot woman, so glamorous and cool. She has a very tough character, she loves herself and embodies the ideal of the jazz era.
The main character – Roxy – performed by Renee Zellweger, in my opinion, is funny and nothing more: she pales next to the chic Velma Kelly, although the latter is allocated an order of magnitude less screen time. Zellweger’s mannerisms (face expressions including her endless squinting and lip puffing) are the same in all her films, although she is surprisingly hot and sexy here. Strong musical numbers she also did not get here, except for the last two – slightly less than incendiary – performances.
Richard Gere also got a rather empty role as a cynical lawyer. I agree with people who call him a charismatic man, but I think his character lacks special charm. He is ordinary in his role as a rich scoundrel, his incarnation of Billy Flynn did not strike me to the depths of my soul.
But Quinn Latifah in the role of a turntable here burns to the full program. God, she and Catherine Zeta-Jones make Chicago an unshakable masterpiece for all time. Matrona “Mother” Morton in her performance is a hot, juicy badass heroine. Her first appearance through the eyes of Roxy Hart was fire. The way she manipulates the opahal and the way she manipulates Roxy's imaginary viewers is an unforgettable extravaganza. I don’t want to give spoilers, just watch the video “When You Good To Mama” and maybe you will understand me.
Chicago is my cozy movie. This picture creates a New Year atmosphere around me, the languid jazz and sweet atmosphere of the city of free morals take me out of a depressed state. I would like to pray for this movie: I've seen it literally hundreds of times, I grew up in this movie. Rob Marshall is a brilliant film director, his film became more legendary only 20 years later. This is a true classic.
10 out of 10
In my opinion, Katya Shchelkanova is simply inimitable in the role of the slandered Hungarian Catalin Halenski. Excellent actress.
For some reason, this amazing creation does not attract the attention of today’s moviegoers. Even winning an Oscar in the main category and becoming the culmination of all of 2002, the film “Chicago” was forgotten by the mass audience quite quickly and since then has not been rewarded with at least nostalgic tributes. Meanwhile, the interest of sinophiles in musicals does not cease and they are created more and more. Only the lazy did not praise the pathetic "La La Land", the overestimation of which cannot be overestimated. Although, contrary to almost universal misconceptions, the mainstream (by the standards of independent cinema) craft Damien Chazelle was not the first jazz musical from the cinema of the 21st century; the first jazz musical from the cinema of the 21st century was Chicago in the distant 2002.
In the film industry at the turn of the millennium, the musical seems to have never gone anywhere, but rather produced mediocre works. Evita, starring the controversial singer Madonna, was never a sensation, and Lars von Trier’s pretentious Dancing in the Dark did not produce the expected revolution. Geniuses fussed, and soon the 21st century was opened by a mind-boggling degree of experimentation movie Moulin Rouge! Luchermann base. This wild shock content stunned viewers of all tastes and preferences, at the same time breathing new life into a once-dying phenomenon. And a year and a half later, the screen version of the Broadway musical Chicago with the same name appears on the screens.
And, unlike “Moulin Rouge!”, this picture of Rob Marshall did not make people gasp with surprise; atypical for the refined genre of the musical of postmodernity is not observed here, there are no revolutionary solutions either. But it is a magnificent, refined, classically performed dinner for me as a fan of Hollywood musicals (a lot of tautology, isn’t it?).
In fact, “Chicago” is not replete with innovative ideas and the story is not new: the main character named Roxie Hart (Rene Zellweger) is a dreamer who lives with dreams of fame and endless countertransferences in her head (looking at her idol, she imagines herself as her; hard to endure stressful situations, she hides in the cabaret of her imagination for the ease of perceiving pain). Once in prison, Roxanne escapes panic through her ability to hide in illusions. All the most interesting and exciting begins with the moment when she meets in prison Velma Kelly (played by the main star of the film – the divine Catherine Zita-Jones) – showgel, which is inspired by Hart. If I keep giving you the details of the story, I'll spoil you. So I will share my personal impressions.
Velma, the incarnate Zita-Jones, is a goddess. She is my role model and I do not hesitate to copy her in all times progressive behavior (unless I am not a murderer). She's a proud woman, she's a fearless person and she's a cheeky bitch. For a few moments she reminds me of Esmeralda from Disney shit (for she is also a sexy brunette dancer), but I do not see in Velma the cruelty of the aforementioned gypsy. Yes, Ms. Kelly can be a badass to an impudent rival, and yet she doesn’t call her a “creature.” It deifies Kelly in my brown eyes and makes her the greatest example of the inner core for me. At first, I could not get used to her rude voice, because for the first time I watched “Chicago” in the official Russian voiceover (in Russian the film was duplicated in full, including all the songs performed by the actors); the vocals of Masha Katz turned out to be much sweeter, and Catherine’s singing is very harsh and sometimes even intentionally fake. Catherine Zita-Jones sings a little bit in a thwarted, growling, forced voice. To get a feel for the original, I’ve revisited Chicago in the original. And now I can’t accept the version of Masha Katz, it sounds too sweet for me and seductive.
As the lead actress, Renee Zellweger was unable to overshadow the bombshell Catherine; although Renee is much more talented and charismatic than the latter. I won’t say anything special about her performance in this film, because Renee’s performance didn’t give me a reason for that. I'll just point out one thing: in some scenes, Rene plays with his eyes. And her eyes tell me much more than the depth of her character implies. In these moments, I think Roxy is mysterious and even more gorgeous than her rival. But it's only seconds. And, well, about her vocal data: Renee Zellweger does not need to be a singer of the Whitney Houston caliber to play the main role in the adaptation of the Broadway musical. Renee is a brilliant actress, she puts her acting talent into her singing. You might think that my last statement about Zellweger’s acting work contradicts my original statement about it. Well, that's the point: Roxy's character is not one-dimensional, contradictory and half-complicated. Renee plays more subtlely than her hot partner, which in itself gives rise to an ambiguous character. In what other musical films will you see such a soft originality of the image, devoid of primitive intentionality?
10 out of 10
“Chicago” is almost the only (!!!) large-scale film of the planet Earth that does not impose on us the obligation of love for men / romantic relationships with men. It promotes self-love, love of life, revelry in fame, jazz and favorite things, but not love for strangers.
Chicago is a film about hedonism, a movie about the sweet lives of single women (although the main character has a formal husband, I tend to believe that she does not live with him out of love for him). Roxy and Velma, they're not teenage girls, they're both in their 30s. But their lives are not finished, they live in high and they enjoy their boundless femininity, sexuality.
Renee Zellweger brilliantly played the role of Renee Zellweger as a desperate housewife-killer. No, this is not a mistake or a repetition: in any picture where Rene appears, she invariably plays herself: a dorky-infantile woman who goes against her low self-esteem and misunderstanding (non-supportive) surroundings. Her singing in this tape became my reprehensible pleasure: Zellweger's vocals are very disgusting, but her singing voice is bloody sexy. And even the strong opposition of her rattling, utterly going down the nose, the voice becomes the highlight of the outrageous character Roxy Hart.
Unlike Renee, Catherine Zeta-Jones played a showgirl named Velma Kelly with unambiguous brilliance. Her performance caused instant recognition of both professional film critics and you and me - viewers and users of the KinoPoisk portal.
Katie’s “All That Jazz” scene (as well as the cameraman, lighting artist, and editor) took me by surprise. I was forever imbued with her facial expressions, complemented by the harsh, deeply sensual singing of her luscious voice. I remember the gloveletts on her arms highlighting Velma's dark power; yet costume designer Colleen Atwood knows how to express the character of a character in the finest (literally) detail.
“All That Jazz” is the most acting song, even very venerable singers find it difficult to convey its spirit in an outstanding way. Catherine Zeta-Jones managed to present this jazz manifesto in an intoxicatingly mature and charming manner inspired by the decadence of the 1920s.
The rest of the cast of Rob Marshall's Chicago didn't spoil my impression of what I saw, and thank them for that. Still, in my opinion, they pale next to Renee and Catherine. These great women who have had the greatest impact on me, my life.
10 out of 10
I love this movie; they don’t make movies like that anymore. This is the most that neither is a classical musical film, from and to permeated with vaibo cabaret. This is how musicals should be made (although in our time, this genre seems to have sunk into oblivion, despite even attempts to revive it in the form of films such as La La Land and The Greatest Showman). The spirit of old golden Hollywood is what makes this film really tasty and fascinating. Shine of costumes and scenery, hard charismatic actors, masterfully staged musical numbers and, of course, jazz. Music in Chicago is the element that gives everything else a special chic and sexuality. The burlesque atmosphere, freedom, and decadence of the 1920s are conveyed in a delightful way. Something similar can be seen in the Disney animated film “The Princess and the Frog”, except that “Chicago” – in my opinion – benefits from live / not two-dimensional action.
Of course, it's an amateur movie. In addition, the actors involved in the film coped with the vocal parts very peculiar and not all viewers (even those who like musical films) can like their performances of songs. However, I find Kathryn-Zeta Jones’ singing and Renee Zellweger’s singing delicious in large part because of the charisma and acting skills of these artists. They brought to the voices of their heroines a lot of charm and a variety of chips associated with intonation - this is the very juice of their performances, and not in the "perfection" and "perfectness" of vocal techniques.
The very first musical performance “All That Jazz” sets the mood for all subsequent screen action: brightness, sexuality, fiery passions and energy. Velma Kelly played by Catherine Zeta-Jones is a self-confident and selfish femme fatale. And in this number, she perfectly conveyed the bohemian, languorousness of her character.
Given the above, it is clear that she admires Roxie Hart (Rene Zellweger), her envy and desire to surpass Velma. Roxy, despite her inherent infantility and absurdity, achieves what she wants at any cost. Not having the slightest chance to become famous at the expense of talent, she unconsciously decides to come to success in another way - through scandal and black PR. In a fit of anger, she kills an unfaithful lover and goes to prison. There she coincidentally meets her adored Velma Kelly, who ended up in prison for almost identical reasons. And over the course of several successful circumstances, Roxy sees that getting behind bars brought her idol even more popularity. And then she, enlisting the help of burned lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is promoted in the press thanks to the murder she committed.
Accordingly, “Chicago” is not just an incendiary musical with spectacular choreography, it is also a very caustic satire on all the rotten show business and those who scavenge the rot it produces. Viewers are not averse to being fooled, they are happy to stick to the void in a bright wrapper. And popular today media scandalists (in the United States it is Amber Heard, in Russia it is Morgenstern and Instasamka) once again prove the perpetuality of this problem raised in this frivolous – it would seem – musical.
Richard Gere showed nothing surprising here, as always embodying the typical image of a groomed and rich uncle. Quinn Latifah, of course, is a character and fits the role of a cynical and tough prison “mom.” John C. Riley is also touching in the image of an unhappy husband-loser, not taken seriously by anyone.
Rob Marshall's Chicago is replete with pompous theatrics, with a lot of frivolous aesthetics in this film. Sometimes the degree of this frivolity goes upside down and makes the picture close to a drag-quin show: the same gag mannerisms, sequins; sexuality, traceable in everything and bordering on vulgarity. But all this jazz-old-school pathos, all this sweetness gives the film its unusual charm. This extravaganza, this grotesque and pretentiousness that make the viewer experience fun and cheerfulness. So Chicago is basically Moulin Rouge, but without the melodramatic component. It's a carnival movie, if you will.
Musical 'Chicago'! I've heard of him 100 times. I thought it was something great. I finally got to him. And... Disappointment followed after 5 minutes from the beginning and by the middle only intensified, and the second half I just checked, propping my head with my hand and thinking: 'When this is over. . . '.
2 hours of crap. Dystopia. I don't like dystopias.
It’s just a 2-hour movie about a horrible city where murders happen, killers are acquitted, and murders happen again. No one living here is embarrassed by this. And as one character put it: 'In this city, murder is a form of entertainment.' In general, I was disgusted for 2 hours to watch nothing really happen, except murders, violence, false trials, the triumph of stupidity and the normal attitude of all, absolutely all the characters. And even the amazing dances and songs didn't save it, because they're all about that too: 'I killed, but I didn't do anything terrible. . . '.
I expected that someday there would be some kind of morality. But she wasn't. . .
And the worst thing is that the murders committed by the two main characters were actually in life.
A six-scar film by Rob Marshall, based on the famous musical 18 years ago. There were a damn dozen nominations, but the six received were a resounding and well-deserved success. The film is really beautiful and has a number of difficult secrets.
At first glance, the whole film is the adventures of Roxy in the Chicago women’s prison, because how she got there, at the beginning is told fluently, and what was in the end, almost nothing: viewers see only the show in the theater hall on the screen and in the cinema hall, looking at the theater and stage with a singing and dancing couple of yesterday’s rivals, bitchy competitors and feuding prisoners.
And what kind of show was happening before the heroines Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones from candidates for a long stay or even the gallows turned into pop recipients of applause and bouquets, only the cinema knows, yes we are with you, if carefully individually watched a great movie.
After all, in the film, the audience of the 1920s in Chicago, and then in all the States, was masterfully fooled by the forces of the ultra-expensive successful lawyer Billy Flynn, who has not yet lost a single case. He won and this - duplet, pulling two charming necks from the loop at once.
The best film of the year, this work was called for good reason: only true masters can combine political satire with humor, cool play and music. All who tried to hype on the success of the film with their crafts, suffered a fiasco – the bar of quality in the film was at an unattainable height.
The film is so rich in detail that it is impossible to see everything at once. The secret was shared by an old pirate, in the days of the premera of Chicago on video in Russia, writing this movie on hundreds of cassettes for round days. As a result, he watched the whole film only about a hundred times and told about such details that he was able to watch the movie.
However, let us not spoil the pleasure of people from their own discoveries: in a beautiful film there is not a single extra frame, there will not be a single second wasted time. Everyone enjoys getting acquainted with the masterpiece many times.
Chicago is one of those movies that I was discovering gradually. When I first started watching, I turned it off 10 minutes later. And then, listening to the musical numbers and mesmerizingly watching the dance pas, I was completely fascinated by the world of Chicago! I have long been planning to write a review of one of my favorite musicals.
Chicago, 1920s. Young starlet Roxy Hart, watching the performance of the diva Velma Kelly, dreams of wealth, fame and brilliance of spotlights. However, her dreams do not come true when she kills her lover for cheating. Roxy goes to prison and faces the death penalty. However, it is in prison that Roxy begins her high hour - she becomes the heroine of the secular chronicle, receives recognition and fame, and also hires a lawyer for the most brilliant lawyer in the city, Billy Flynn, who is famous for not losing a single case. Now Velma Kelly, who is in the same prison, is considering a plan to remove Roxy from the pedestal of honor.
When I first sat down to watch Chicago, I turned it off pretty quickly: at that time it was not easy for me to watch a movie that covered such topics as treason, murder, corruption. And then I started watching from one of the dance numbers, and I was really interested. I’m looking at the film from two perspectives. First, it is interesting plot - a crime drama in which the two main characters fight for the attention of the press. I wonder who will win out of such a fight. And secondly, it is incredibly bright and colorful, sparkling and radiant, brilliant and unforgettable performance that will remain in memory forever! At one time, it was unusual for me to watch scenes of ordinary life switch to scenes with songs, dances and performances in clubs on stage, and the gray everyday clothes of the heroes turn into bright costumes with feathers and rhinestones, and now I consider it just a genius decision! All this adds to the film individuality, unusualness and brilliance. And ironic. Not immediately, but you understand Billy Flynn’s remark “It’s all show business,” when a serious lawsuit turns into a chase for fame and a fight for front pages in the newspapers. And also - the conclusion of the trial and the final number, probably the most ironic moments with the whole film.
Now let’s look at all the moments that make a musical. Because they are so amazing, Chicago has become the benchmark for all musicals, and I still unwittingly compare all new musicals to Chicago. But still, all the songs and dance numbers are so organically integrated into the action that sometimes it seems that the characters really sang and danced in between scenes. Luxury costumes, incendiary music, spent dance pas – probably never forgotten. Songs are a separate theme. I'm just crazy about them. Both from the original version and from the Russian dubbing - I love both versions. All That Jazz, When You're Good to Mama, Cell Block Tango, All I Care About, Razzle Dazzle, Today/Hot Honey Rag
All the characters of the musical, despite their doubtfulness, greed and thirst for fame, all win our sympathy and recognition. Renee Zellweger plays the lead role, starlet Roxy Hart, who misses her marriage to a boring mechanic and dreams of a vaudeville scene. And having received it, will not allow anyone to take it away and will go to any tricks to remain in the spotlight. Although I am very impressed with Renee’s performance, my favorite was Catherine Zeta-Jones, who played Roxy’s rival Velma Kelly. Hiding her long hair under a wig (so that there is no doubt that she sings all the songs), performing the most complex dance pas in the fourth month of pregnancy, embodying the image of a luxurious female vamp, Catherine simply cannot help but impress! The Oscar is proof of that!
No less attention deserves the most famous Chicago lawyer Billy Flynn, who was introduced to us by Richard Gere - charming, cunning, sneaky, who did not lose a single case, and for five thousand dollars will take on the most disastrous, and just masterfully dances tap dancing!
The secondary characters here attract no less than the central characters: the sarcastic and eccentric overseer Matron "Mama" Morton (Queen Latifah), who keeps the entire prison in hedgehogs, but for a certain fee, will fulfill any request of the prisoners; the naive and gray husband of Roxie Amos Hart (John C. Riley), who, perhaps, is the only positive hero of the film, causes pity and involuntary laughs; the principled journalist Mary Sunshine, who does not serve the main characters (>>> Chicago).
Chicago is probably my favorite musical of all. This bright, brilliant, unforgettable city of songs, dances and interesting personalities is simply impossible to forget. It undoubtedly deserves all the awards, nominations, critical acclaim and the love of the audience. This is Chicago, baby!
10 out of 10
The action takes place in the legendary "Windy City", in 1924, in a significant era for America of jazz, gangsters and Prohibition. However, the script of the film is very relevant: thundering into the zone for the murder of a lover, visiting a housewife Roxy Hart (Rene Zellweger) meets ... Velma Kelly (Katherine Zeta-Jones) - the soloist of the Onyx cabaret theater, arrested for the murder of her sister and husband! Roxy, ready to forget about his dream of becoming a dancer and indulge in eternal grief, cheers up. The fact is that Velma does not suffer too much from the hardships of imprisonment. On the contrary: she is visited by journalists, she is popular as never before, and her release is not far off. Why? And all because she is defended by a very cool lawyer named Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), which no goat to drive, except to give the chief warden responding to the word "Mama" (Queen Latifah) a hundred bucks for one (!) phone call. Thanks to the efforts of Roxy’s husband, Amos Hart, Billy agrees to take up her case. Roxy becomes a puppet in his hands. And not only is she alone: through the efforts of a lawyer, the Chicago press instantly glorifies the new blonde. Unable to resist his own popularity, Roxy is pretty fucked up. And because without the recognition of the crowd, she threatens to become forgotten and even executed, she fights for him, several times losing and regaining her fame. . .
Director and one of the choreographers of “Chicago”, Rob Marshall, borrowed a very important technique for his film from the musical Lars Von Trier “Dancing in the Dark”: the main character presents cases from her life with music videos, sometimes intersecting with reality. I mean, in fact, in the day-to-day life of the film, people don't sing or dance - the show is only in Roxy's imagination! But this concept is not that important. After all, in classical musicals, the actors sing and dance for real! No, they do all of this, of course, but it's just an association with their actual actions. In other words, musicals show how characters would express a particular episode from their lives, resorting to singing and dancing. In Chicago, this topic is not abstracted.
Rene Zellweger is an exceptionally radiant woman! Impressed by this masterpiece, you will involuntarily begin to repeat her facial expressions - this ridiculous smile, slapping cilia and a sea of grimaces that this actress showed in this film. And she also has such a funny and wonderful voice - high, clean, with its timbre reminiscent of Zhanna Aguzarova: But before that, she neither sang nor danced, and after her iconic role as Bridget Jones, no one could imagine her as a diva. I have read a lot of insulting comments about this actress, in particular, about her appearance. Gentlemen - if you do not like the appearance of a person, then be polite - preserve human dignity and do not slide into banal insults! As for me, I am more than sympathetic to Renee's charming face - her squinted look, those plump lips and blond hair curled with waves!
Appearing on the screen, the brilliant Katherine Zeta-Jones so captures the attention that the audience ceases to blink. Oh, that look! These golden brown eyes, filled with irrepressible energy, which can only be splashed out in a successful dance! Her rigid contralto cannot be confused with any other voice. And how dashingly and tirelessly she dances! Every movement, up to the final attack, is made at the highest level! And she dances, my girls, being on demolition and in corsets!
Usually, when it comes to this adaptation of the musical “Chicago”, it is customary to admire the actor’s slave “Richard Gere” and assert what a wonderful singer he is. I am more than indifferent to this actor. Rene and Catherine's stunning images overshadow him. It is interesting only when singing in the voice of Philip Kirkorov:
Queen Latifah as a prison warden is incredibly cool! The one in which she puts the prisoners in their place is the most hilarious episode of the whole movie! And when in the Russian dubbing she sings: "All the chicks covered with my wing ..." - then I just choke with laughter!
The music is delightful: the single song "All That Jazz" written by John Kander and Fred Abbe and beautifully arranged by the great composer Danny Elfman is enough to forever love this film. And in the performance of Maria Katz this song became my favorite!
Clothes are gorgeous: no dress is a dream! Especially memorable is the dark blue Charleston dress, in which Velma performs in the opening number.
The film is atmospheric. He will guide you through the neon signage of 1920s Chicago night to the doors of the Onyx Theatre. Outside are unsightly brick walls with faded, half-torn posters. But there is luxury and freedom inside! You will feel how jazz music fills you, leaving no room for anxiety and fears, can taste the forbidden gin and air electrified by live music and cigarette smoke. And like Roxy Hart, you can imagine yourself in the place of singing and dancing characters. Chicago is really my favorite movie! While I’m not a fan of Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, I think they’ve shown their dramatic, vocal and choreographic abilities in this film. Thank you to them and the most talented artists – John World and Colleen Atwood who designed the sets and costumes! Bravo!!
A musical. A real musical. A musical. More loud music, jazz, murder, duets, bright dresses, 20s, everywhere movement, their life is a continuous performance with fanfare and dancing. And most importantly, no love. Absolutely. Everyone has firm principles - they are for survival, where there are veal tenderness and sentimental dreams (although a musical without a love line).
There is no love line in Chicago.
Rob Marshall's production is bright, interesting and memorable, it's an ongoing show, and sometimes listening to and watching it is even more interesting than Broadway numbers.
Perfect cast. What is unusual for Hollywood, I never saw boredom in the eyes of the actor, everything is natural, they really enjoyed participating in the filming. We are told the same by the well-staged and performed dance numbers. The actors did something that professional dancers could hardly do! Bravo! Also, vocals at a fairly high level, which was pleasantly surprising, because, for example, I have never heard Renee Zellweger sing.
Perhaps this is because the characters who got Renee Zellweger (Roxie Hart, a small and rather ordinary girl in real life who dreams only of fame), Katherine Zete-Jones (a kind of bitch with crazy eyes who knows what’s going on in life) and Richard Geroux (lawyer, cheerful, a little tricky, who rules the whole show) - these characters are very different from the usual roles of actors, even in appearance, this applies only to the main one.
I really liked the spirit of the show, the eternal performance - it reigns even in the heads of heroes. You are a prison guard, a female murderer, you wash dishes or climb the scaffold – all this can be turned into a real show! In their imagination, they are all bright, domineering, sexy and... loved by the public!
The humor in the musical is amazing.
And if it does not talk about sublime and universal values, then in “Chicago” it is not necessary: he conquers with every frame, every witty phrase, every dance step.
And about fame: yes, it is passing, and sometimes you do not even have time to enjoy it. People demand something new ("the smell of fresh blood can't beat"), they need a show, a new experience, a new star - which they will forget the next day. This is America, this is Chicago.
I liked everything. See if you can have a lot of fun.
If Chicago swallowed you, it won't bring you back. . .
I want to start by saying that I really love musicals. Many people have an aversion to this genre, but for me musicals have always been something incredible. To combine songs, dances and at the same time lead the thread of the story requires great talent. And Rob Marshall proved he has it.
Plot. Thank you to Mary Watkins, who wrote this piece in 1926. Well-written characters, the narrative is smooth and does not cause questions. Who would have thought that the story of two women murderers dreaming of fame could be so interesting?
Acting. I really love Catherine Zeta-Jones, she is a very strong actress and if given the right role, she will perform it brilliantly. And this time, she didn't fail either. I don't see anyone else in Velma Kelly's place. Renee Zelleweger is also not a bad actress, but as for me, against the background of Catherine Zeta-Jones, she somehow lost, but in general she coped with her role and it is good. Richard Gere certainly pleased, did not think that he would really look good in a musical.
Choreography and songs. A musical for that and a musical to please us with an excellent production of dance and voice. And this film showed us all the charms of a true musical. All the actors moved well, great performance of songs. It was obvious that the actors gave everything.
In the end, I think 'Chicago' deserved an Oscar, and I'm sure for a second! Everything is beautiful in this film: from acting, to scenery and costumes. 'Chicago' this is a real and worth watching musical.
Beginner singer Roxy Hart takes in her apartment lover named Fred Caseley. Actually, he only sold her furniture, but he and Roxy had an affair. This is not the first night, but it was destined to be the last in Caisley’s life. All the promises he made to make Roxy a career, invite her to auditions with the right people, and all the stories about his connections with influential people in the show business turned out to be fiction and ridicule. All he had to do was put the naive blonde in bed. Roxy's hope of breaking out in people has collapsed. And now she just has to cry bitterly. But the police tears do not soften and, hiding his eyes from reporters, Roxy Hart goes straight to the Chicago County Jail, to the casemate of the killers.
In prison, she meets convicted of murder star of former cabaret duo Velma Kelly, a charming beauty with legs from eyelashes. As well as a brutal warden nicknamed "Mama Morton" and a savvy, resourceful lawyer who cannot be confused, Billy Flynn. By the way, they have not lost a single lawsuit. There are many reasons for mental disorder among the inhabitants of the casemate of murderers, but even in these harsh conditions, women find time to philosophize and nostalgize about bygone times. With unexpected and excessive joy, sometimes with pleasure, they remember the victims of their crimes and even find convenient excuses for their actions. As a rule, all victims are men who cheated on them on the side. The number “he came up with himself”, where the prisoners “let off steam” is direct proof of this. Lonely hours of boredom in the cell are growing, but the professional ambitions of lawyer Billy Flynn are also growing, as in a gambling card game, where the main stake is the lives of his clients: Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart.
The film Chicago is great, it penetrates deeply into the essence of its characters. And the human essence, as the ancient Indian proverb states, is a vessel. And to check its contents, to find out what it is filled with and to throw out everything is in each of us - you just need to overflow this vessel. And of course there's room for hatred, jealousy and greed, and how people use those qualities. How they pull the trigger of a gun, not thinking what a price this momentary confusion of feelings, resentment for shame and humiliation and contemptuous laughter will cost them. The heroes of the film are not wax figures, but living creatures, and each has its own need for an outlet. Each hero or heroine of the film has their own concepts of honor, loyalty, attitude to life and their own motivation for their actions in it. They don't mimic life, they're what they are, that's how the human machine works. The film “Chicago” brought together a variety of characters, and allowed us to look deeper into these people, as a powerful beam of a spotlight illuminated all their imaginary and obvious advantages, all their shortcomings and mistakes, revealed all the internal sores. And he showed it just fantastic, with the dizzying speed of the eruption of the volcano of passions.
Brilliant. Sex. Jazz. In a word, Shikagou! This is what Americans call their city of eternal gangsters. And if modern Chicago is inferior in glamour to its past of the 20s - 30s, then the legendary musical of Bob Foss forever instilled in the minds of many people the spirit of dangerous romanticism of this metropolis.
Rob Marshall, who considers Foss his teacher (he even staged his immortal "Cabaret"), absolutely "transferred" on film everything that lived, breathed and was famous for "Chicago" Broadway. Martin Richards, the producer of the film, receiving the Oscar for best film of the year said that the director was sent by God himself, and it is impossible not to agree. Marshall was groundbreaking in creating his Shikagou, and while evil tongues claimed he just wanted to outdo the Foss idol, I think that’s not the case. Like any artist, it was pointless to create a pale replica of someone else’s genius creation. And so, first of all, he changed the concept of the narrative itself: musical numbers are addressed by the characters to the audience, to the hall, and not to each other, as in classical musicals. Rob generated a hybrid of theater and cinema, a symbiosis of two worlds: the imaginary and the real. The main difficulty was to correctly capture the moments of jumps and transitions from the fantasies of the characters to the harsh life of reality and vice versa, avoiding the clumsiness or protracted episode. What the director and editor coped brilliantly, although because of this, several numbers had to be sacrificed.
But, as you know, the key links of any musical are actors. They are also dancers and singers. Not everyone is given to combine all this (even for Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady” all the parts were performed by a professional singer, since the producers strongly doubted the vocal abilities of the actress), but this “Chicago” with its star cast can only be proud. This is evidenced by 5 acting nominations for the Golden Globe and 4 Oscar nominations (Richard Gere did not inspire academics) – this is very rare. There are legends about the casting of the film. In total, the heroines: “tear off” Velma and “stupid” Roxy was played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellwegger respectively.
Zellwegger had to play the role of the most complex character in the musical - the character of Roxy Hart is dual and impermanent, her everyday cunning and subtle calculation succeeded the actress. Surely the director (what to say about the critics, who predicted the whole “Chicago” failure) did not expect such a rush from Renee: she lost weight (remember her Bridget Jones?), learned to dance, perform jazz hits – made her Roxy real, unforgettable.
Katherine Zete-Jones was easier: she had already sung and danced, but I’m sure that’s not what she expected of herself! Filmed pregnant (!) she danced as if she was born on the stage of a jazz club, and Catherine’s voice struck even the most notorious skeptics. That's where they're really hidden talents! Leading casinos in Las Vegas already offer the actress $250,000 for each (!) performance in their evening show, and she is thinking about recording a solo album.
By far, this is the best Zeta-Jones role to date, rightly noted by Oscar (though, for the role of the supporting, most likely, the academics realized that they could not break between Catherine and Nicole (Kidman) and cheated).
The main story is almost unchanged:
Velma killed her husband and sister. Roxy killed her lover. And both killed for the case. They claim to be innocent, but they face gallows unless... unless super lawyer Billy Flynn (Gere) offers his help! He has not lost a single trial, and his main weapon is fame! Fame is valued more than human life in Chicago – if you are famous, you will never be hanged, and if you are hanged, you will be even more famous! Velma was popular and hoped for Billy, but she alienated Roxie, who admired her and only dreamed of fame. "Well, #34," Roxy decided, "Velma will pay for it!" One! Two! Three! And now Roxy Hart is the star of the city, she is protected by Billy Flynn, which means that the excuse is not far off. How all the intrigues and tricks of the characters led to a happy ending with befriending rivals, you will learn by watching the film to the end.
And separately I would like to note the performers of secondary and episodic roles:
Quinn Latifah is a dark-skinned actress and pop singer who plays Matrona the Warden, whom all the inmates call "Mom." It is she (for reasonable remuneration and affectionate attitude) who connects the heroines with Billy Flynn, and also helps them to get everything they need to maintain star status. During the performance of her musical number "Be kind to Mom, Mom will return everything" from applause impossible to resist! And although the actress is more characteristic than dramatic, we rarely see so much energy and enthusiasm on the screen.
John C. Reilly had the only positive role of Roxy’s husband. He's a simple worker, a little rough, a little stupid. But he loves his wife, doing his best to free her, yet admitting his worthlessness in Mr. Cellophane. The appearance of the actor is very suitable for his character: an expressionless, repulsive face and clumsy body movements. Raleigh worked a lot in 2002 (even in the “Gangs of New York” got) – apparently in vogue comes some ugliness plus talent, which is also nice.
But it is doubly pleasant to participate in “Chicago” Russian actress. The role of a Hungarian girl sentenced to death for a murder she did not commit (here is another positive character and the only dramatic episode in this show) was given to ballerina Ekaterina Shchelanova, currently living in the United States. Katya became friends with the entire crew, and is very proud of her success - because this is her debut.
Well, in conclusion of the acting ensemble, we will remember Christine Baranski, in the role of a compassionate reporter, who with her inhuman face once again made us feel the full power of great art - cinema.
Remember, this is not a movie, this is a spectacle worth seeing! It was created not only by the director and actors, it is the talented work of the cameraman (John Beebe), and thoughtful scenery (John Mir and Gordon Sim), costumes by Colin Atwood, whose chic eclipsed any fashion show, and many, many others.
And, of course, the brilliant musical compositions of John Kander and Fred Ebb, which made us love "all this jazz."
It is unlikely that Maureen Watkin, the author of the play Brave Baby, in his distant 1925, could imagine that on the basis of her work so many interesting creative works and real masterpieces of Bob Foss, Rob Marshall and other people who staged or filmed Chicago (although the names were different).
How do you know how much more can be born? Our whole life is unpredictable. And the whole world. And all this jazz!
10 out of 10
“In this city, murder is a form of entertainment. ?
The official date of death of musicals is considered to be the end of 70s. Since then, they have hardly been removed, apparently for fear of failure. But, at the turn of the new millennium, Baz Luhrman proudly presented, raging with bright costumes and pompous scenery, a delightful production with famous musical hits and a tragic love story - Moulin Rouge!.
It was followed by no less successful "Chicago", directed by Rob Marshall, known in his circles, master, theater director and choreographer, a little later won the hearts of the audience with the paintings "Memoirs of a geisha" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On strange shores.
Marshall from the very first minute immerses in the atmosphere of the 30s of the last century in the city whose name is associated with the criminal empire of America. Although the surrounding scenery may seem restrained, but, surprisingly, they are full and very detailed convey that era!
The person sitting in the director's chair should be given credit. The entire cast, so that the viewer forgets everything else and penetrates the whole, plays as if to complete devastation. Two, by no means similar, talented and charismatic actresses, on the same screen!
Renee Zellweger's phenomenal talent is being deployed here! She appears in the image of a touching simpleton Roxy, dreaming of success on stage. Soon you begin to believe that she is just a victim.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, in every sense, perfectly performed the role famous in that very era, Velma Kelly! Choreography, singing, acting... She was great! And, although her role was of the second plan - her play eclipsed the no less significant Renee Zellweger. It was after this role that Katherine became a full-fledged world superstar, and received the coveted Oscar.
Richard Gere gave us his dazzling smile and delighted us with an energetic tap dance. He filled his image of a lawyer with characteristic charisma and grandeur.
"Chicago" is an outstanding musical! Wholly and fully deservedly received six Oscars and was recognized as the best film of the year. Through this brilliant and masterpiece musical there is a consonance of powerful and energetic music with bright and strong voices. Amazing and glamorous costumes give even more courage, already crazy dancing! And the magnificent game of the star cast of the picture is filled with subtle sarcastic humor. All this gives reason to call "Chicago" one of the best musical films in the history of cinema!
P.S. “Chicago” is a film about cynicism in all its chic and brilliance, vanity, wealth, unscrupulousness and wit. A world in which there is no place for love, loyalty and compassion. You will have to taste the gourmet cinema, wanting to see something unusual.
Sometimes the question arises in my head: ' Isn't it time for me to watch the musical?' With such a spiritual impulse, either a great love for the genre can begin, or a complete rejection. So, musical. The triumph of burlesque and fast, light shots. The musical has always been very well received by the audience, because nothing is more emotional than music. It gives a sense of celebration and takes your breath. A musical is joy for the soul and rest for the brain (in the good sense of the expression). This is not the case with '. Chicago'.
From the very beginning of the film follows a series of interesting, exciting shots and camera decisions: eye in focus, heels, tearing the poster. Attention is drawn to the little things that add up to a certain picture, although, rather, to a certain feeling of tension and relaxation at the same time. Yeah, the beginning of the movie is just lovely. But after a couple of minutes, this meticulous but too fast shooting of details begins to strain: trying to see something, the viewer loses the thread of the narrative. Some of the reactions, and to be more precise, the most important reaction in the film, with which it begins, are terribly implausible.
Tell me why Roxy’s lover suddenly jumps up so sharply and starts immediately spoiling relationships that could still serve him, and he does it in a very rude form.
Further, most dances, especially the courtroom circus allusion, are very straining, as such a color scheme (predominantly red) is difficult to perceive. Quick installation only contributes to the intensification of fatigue.
This is probably one of the few films that can boast of such a phenomenon: a beautiful constellation of actors could not bring the plot and idea of the film to a decent level.
Of course, there is nothing to say about the production - it is close to splendor, but here is the idea, which, in my deep conviction, should be present in every film regardless of genre, here completely sifted out as ... an extra point of attention of the viewer. So at the end we get two hours of unjustified dancing and singing. The main character gets what she wanted, not a drop changing and spitting on her sucker-husband, whom she milked more morally than materially. ' Having committed a couple of murders, you will come to the top of fame' - is this the message for which the producers threw so much money? Is this what we should learn after spending two hours of our lives?
In one of the articles leading up to the release of the glam rock musical Rock for Ages, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones said that she knows who it is difficult to work in a musical. Knowledgeable people immediately realized that she unequivocally hinted at her shooting in a beautiful and solemn musical with a small gangster bias “Chicago”, thanks to the role in which Catherine Zeta-Jones received the only free (yet?) Oscar statuette.
The glamorous and bravura musical “Chicago” made a lot of noise. Set on the play of the wonderful slave of the theater (pardon this metaphor?) Maureen Dallas Watkins, he could not have become a triumphant, the creators clearly risked. Why a triumphant? Six Oscars, including Best Picture, plus seven nominations where the statuette swam into other hands, isn’t that enough? Back then, in 2003, the awards were awarded not with global political correctness, but suddenly the masses would vote, but were awarded to worthy paintings. What's the risk? “Chicago” today can be considered a reference in its genre, complex, which has so few fans, but all of them consider themselves an elite close to art, even Philip Kirkorov himself (forgive me even more) invested funds and efforts in staging this extraordinary creation, and for the voice of “Chicago” performed this “high rhinestone” vocal parts belonging to the hero of Richard Gere.
But it's worth praising the producers of Chicago when they brought in Rob Marshall for the production. This is a famous master in his circles, this is a theater director and choreographer, for film lovers his name was a novelty. And he makes a wonderful, almost epochal movie. To understand how Marshall worked, it is worth recalling the name of Mark Zakharov, a beautiful and even great theater director who nevertheless made such a contribution to Soviet cinema that his merits will not be rejected. From the very first second, “Chicago” plunges into the world of the 30s of the last century in the city, which has become nominal for the designation of its criminal essence. Costumes, makeup, hairstyles, not large-scale (like Scorsese in “Gangs of New York”) scenery, compact, but quite reflective of the era – this is all in “Chicago”. Marshall detailed his painting in such detail that a mosquito won't poke his nose. He could not free himself from the chains of his main work, he created a masterpiece as if for a thousand or two spectators, while “Chicago” came out to view millions. It was a winning ticket and the creators of Chicago pulled it from the lottery.
But when you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this amazing production, you will also find the "Prize" sector on the drum. Rob Marshall puts tense, Hitchcockian suspense moments when you need drama and depth, psychosis and euphoria, in the format of vocal parts. Imagine, a young girl kills her lover, madly in love husband decides to save her, taking the "wet" on himself, but the brave detective quickly bites through the forgery, the husband begins to give truthful testimony, and in the background, as if on stage his bubbling emotions expresses his wife, who is about to feel the shackles on her wrists. To be honest, I wanted to exclaim “Bravo!” and applaud standing up. Now think about it: this is just the beginning, there will be more. Cinema foodies who want to see something extraordinary will be in ecstasy. This artistic technique was so successful Rob Marshall that you can write textbooks on his example.
Another bow in the direction of the director: he made all the actors play to the point of total devastation, so that the viewer penetrated and forgot about everything else, except what is happening in Chicago. Two characteristic actresses, so different from each other, but so talented on the same screen — try to combine them again. Renee Zellweger easily plays a simpleton, but her phenomenal talent unfolds in full swing when she changes the persona of her character in Chicago, looks at her and falls in love slowly (by the way, she showed this in Bridget Jones). Do you ever wonder if she is a victim or not? Bravo, Renee, Bravo! Catherine Zeta-Jones has long been a female vampire, a conqueror of men’s hearts, a fire for a moth, but it was difficult for her to get to her niche and fate gave her a chance, she played in Chicago. That's bravissimo! Honored statuette. Michael Douglas is said to have put his wife in Chicago. The effort is justified, Catherine Zeta-Jones is in favor.
And a separate bright male character, which went to Richard Gere. It seems nothing new, he was already in the role of a kind of narcissistic womanizer with a successful life of a bean (for example, “Autumn in New York”), but how could he create such a metaphorical image of a savvy lawyer with his game? Fame and money are his credo, in theory, the Puritans, we should reject him, write him down as an avid antagonists, but in fact, other than sympathy for him, we no longer feel anything. Dancing, singing, playing perfectly - what else? And we just have to say it again: thank you, Rob Marshall, for being able to pull all the juices out of the actors and achieve absolute perfection in combining a movie as a theater. A fundamental work, marked by the "Oscar", and do not be skeptical - just watch and listen to this unique musical. There will be an opportunity, I would not mind to go to it, although I do not consider myself a theaterman, but I am not so sure that I will receive such a dose of emotions from splendor as from the Chicago film play by Rob Marshall.
Even if you don’t like musicals, at least watch Chicago with one eye, because this musical is worthy of your attention.
10 out of 10
The whole point of the show is the American (and now our) culture of sensationalism and manipulation of public opinion. It doesn't matter what you did. Even kill a man. If you have a good PR manager and a lawyer, you get away with it. The main thing is to properly promote the case and turn the accused into a victim. By the way, today’s trial of Evgenia Vasilyeva is very indicative. Not otherwise lawyers and the defendant herself recently revised 'Chicago'. And the press, as in the film, will prepare articles with options 'Guilty' and 'NotGuilty' and then on occasion will develop the topic on the result of the trial. And all sorts of strange people (in terms of mental health) will buy clothes and ' works of art ' criminals and for free, or rather even at their own expense, PR her and increase her welfare.
In general, the film will appeal only to fans of musicals and busy actors. Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones), Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Doctor "T" and his women) for female bait. The rest can simply squander scenes with the musical. The translation will ruin everything. Although without translation, the meaning is no more than in the harsh rapper carts hung by gold African-Americans. Women complain about life justifying their murders. ' The Innocent Me' a victim of circumstance. Well, like the cherry on the cake to finally lower below the plinth of ordinary working men ' pecking for 14 hours a day' while the wife instructs the horns, the husband of the main character was given an aria of soldering. To know your place.
He himself clinged to the film because of the scene with Gere in court, the episode with the diary of the main character. There is some play of words, twist - (English twist - twist. - twist), confuse. And dancing a step-twist destroying all the arguments of the prosecution and brainwashing the jury. Strong moment. Another short monologue of Gere's character 'You have nothing to worry about. It's a circus, a triple circus, and this court and the whole world, and show business, but you work star'
It is worth calling things by their proper names and noting that the musical, as an art genre, is not designed for a wide audience. Therefore, a film based on such a work can inspire and delight one person, and seem boring musical dancer for another. Looking ahead, I will say that the film, after two careful views, did not produce on me, for the winner of the most prestigious film award, an impression.
It will be important to mention that we are not just a feature film about the fate of several young ladies in trouble. The story is presented as a whole theatrical performance, with a corresponding invigorating mood. Everything that happens on the screen can be divided into two narrative styles. First, it's an ironic, lyrical and dramatic narrative, with music only as an unobtrusive background. Secondly, a beautiful dance and vocal spectacle. Dozens of people in the frame breathe creative life into an ordinary criminal story. The variety of interesting ideas within these scenes is surprising - even in the second half of the film, it is sometimes difficult to guess the place of the change of character of what is happening.
Of course, there is also an effect of saturation with what is happening, and it comes long before the apogee of the plot, which cannot be called outstanding. In some places, the film is perceived as inevitably drawn out. At the same time, another breath of fresh air was a skillfully selected cast. It is necessary to pay tribute not only to the famous names on the poster, but also to the level of physical and creative preparation necessary for the musical. Especially remembered appearances in the frame Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Chicago is a crime comedy musical and the best film of 2002 according to American film critics. The movie turned out bright, dynamic and rabid. It's original and really musical. If you like musicals, you should definitely watch this one. If you are not a connoisseur of musicals, then do not even start watching this movie, because this film is one big, rabid and explosive musical concert.
We see the main character who shot her lover, and now she can hang. A girl goes to prison and finds herself the best lawyer in the city, and all this we see through a chic and colorful musical.
Renee Zellweger is a talented and interesting actress, and I noticed her a long time ago. In this film, she was on top and with the main role coped well. She has a certain charm and a real acting talent, so I like Renee. Richard Gere is the favorite of a million women, and he is also a talented actor. There are a couple of moments in this musical where it will surprise the audience. I liked Catherine Zeta-Jones the most. She is a beautiful, spectacular woman and also a talented actress. In this musical, she just fascinated me, and it was just impossible to break away from her. All her songs after the movie were in my head. The movie itself turned out really original and bright, and I appreciate it positively. Each song of the heroes was a real concert, and it's great.
Watch “Chicago”, and this movie will take you to an unforgettable musical with an original staged story and a brilliant cast.
9 out of 10
The film is a continuation of the revival of the musical genre, which began to lose popularity in the 60s, and, in the 90s, has almost disappeared. Revival was initiated by the 2001 film Moulin Rouge and this film successfully helped to consolidate the result achieved earlier.
The plot of the film is very original (for a musical, of course): Roxy Hart dreams of singing and dancing on stage. Her idol is Velma Kelly’s Diva Diva. And Roxy dreams of, if not reaching her heights, then at least approaching. Due to a number of wrong actions, she finds herself in the same position with her - in the dock on charges of murder.
Now they can save only one thing - the lawyer Billy Flynn, who is known for never losing a case. His work costs $5,000, but it's worth it. He takes on their affairs, and then begins such that it is better to see in person, and not read from other sources!
The actors in the film were very well selected. Renee Zellweger plays, sings and dances beautifully. Still, a year of training was not in vain - the result is visible on the screen. Let's not forget that she sings and dances on the screen for the first time. It is difficult to imagine in this role Nicole Kidman or Catherine Zeta-Jones, by the way, also playing in this film.
- I'm a star! I'm a great star! I love the audience and the audience loves me! And I love the audience! The audience loves me because I love the audience. We just love each other! That’s because we lacked love as children. And it's show business, baby!
Katherine Zeta-Jones definitely shines in the film, eclipsing everyone else. Her charm, grace, plasticity and mystery are perfect for the role. She also sings and dances brilliantly for the fifth month of pregnancy at the time of filming. The Oscar for the role is absolutely deserved! Bravo! Angelina Jolie in this role I absolutely do not see!
Richard Gere performed well as Flynn's lawyer. He's a little weak, of course. But for his performance, and especially for his tap dance, he can be forgiven for this shortcoming. John Travolta might have been the best candidate for the role, but Richard did, too.
- Imagine everything with a chic shine - chic, shine give!
- People have not yet begun to get smart - they like to be fooled!
Of the other performers, I remember Queen Latifah as matron Morton and Christine Baransky as journalist Mary Sunshine.
The film is completely built on a bright show of songs and dances - each number is performed, as it were, in two parallels - on stage and in reality (at trial, in prison, at a press conference, etc.).
“And All That Jazz,” “When You’re Good to Mama,” “Cell Block Tango,” “Roxie,” “I Can’t Do It Alone,” and “Razzle Dazzle.” And, of course, it is impossible not to mention the final dance of Rene and Catherine – the women perform everything absolutely synchronously and professionally, which pleases.
In general, it turned out to be a beautiful musical, which may well claim to become one of the masterpieces of this genre in the XXI century. Fans of the genre and fans of Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, the film should definitely like!
10 out of 10
I am quite wary of musicals, because I am always afraid that translated into Russian songs will sound ridiculous or awkward. So I was hoping before watching that this movie would not be like that. My hopes were fulfilled!
From the very first shots, we open the whole world of the city of Chicago of the last century, with which jazz, debauchery, parties and other attributes of nightlife splash out on the screen. And from the very first minute I want to start dancing, because the music just disperses the blood through the veins.
The songs that I was most concerned about turned out to be great. Everyone wants to listen to them again and again. After the dubbing, even the desire to listen to the original disappeared.
Actors. It’s like they’re all made for their roles in this movie. Roxy Hart (Rene Zellweger) – at first glance, another fool, dreaming of stage and fame, in fact very stubborn and purposeful, gets what she wants. Velma Kelly (Katherine Zeta-Jones) is a bitchy, arrogant, unable to lose. I think I remember the most in the movie. The cabaret dance at the beginning of the film is just amazing. Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) is a very colorful character, although I have sometimes been disliked. Probably because I don't like Gere. This is one of the few downsides of the movie.
Summing up, I want to say that the musical should be just that: bright, rich, leave behind a lot of emotions. I hope to see this show live someday.
I’m so excited to see the great Chicago. It is strange that I saw this miracle only today, 11 years after the premiere. In the film, I consider absolutely everything perfect: the atmosphere, the music, the brilliant cast and of course the amazing work of cameramen and editors.
The plot is quite simple: Roxy – a girl, deceived by a lover who promised her golden mountains, killed him and went to prison for girls, where the whole subsequent show began. I think it makes no sense to retell the film because everyone knows about it.
Everything was beautiful in this movie. All that JAZZ performed by Katherine Zeta-Jones in cabaret. Brilliant phrases of killer girls about their victims during their incredibly charming dance in prison. And of course, the magnificent view of Chicago itself, its image as a city where people work during the day, and at night they live.
Renee Zellweger, an actress who has never been distinguished by her beauty, against the background of all this splendor, seemed one of the most beautiful in the world, and her acting abilities are not worth arguing about. In every movie we see, Rene shines like a top-level actress. That is what she showed here.
Watching Richard Gere dancing and singing was very interesting. For me, for some reason, Gere has always been antipathic, even though the actor is a genius. After watching this movie, my opinion has changed. It's natural for the better.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, the one who always surprised us with her beauty and did not fail. Her usual long, lush hair was ruthlessly hidden under a wig. But even without them, Katherine looks great. And her stunning dances simply could not but please the eye.
Of course, I also want to mention Quinn Latifa. As always, she coped perfectly with her comedic role as a prison warden. The Oscar nomination is proof of that.
If you want to spend the next 2 hours in the best mood, want to see a movie that doesn’t make you think, but makes you feel free and certainly want to see a bunch of dancing celebrities, then “Chicago” is what you need. And of course, the evaluation.
10 out of 10
This film won six Oscars. Well, it should be seen. That's what I said to myself before I hit play. You know, I wasn't wrong. The movie is really good. It's a mix of Social Network and Burlesque. From the first film, the trial, from the second - songs and girls in underwear. Not only the girls, Richard Gere is also in the black.
So the writer decided to create something original. How do you create something original when everything has already happened? Of course, you just have to take what was and mix it in a way that no one has mixed. Take a musical and a film about crime and punishment. Wonderful!
Director grabs his head: how to shoot? It is necessary to show how cool the main characters sing, arrange a show and at the same time keep intrigue and tell with quite serious faces how and who committed the crime. At first, the director really tries to do it, and then in the court scene, he just scores on it. Richard Gere is overdoing it? Whatever! Still, the next frame on the edit is his dancing with girls in feathers.
The camera work in the film is beautiful. Because it's invisible. We're listening to this movie. What's a camera job when there's a bunch of songs? All right, the lights are well set and everything is in focus. No, I don't say that because I don't know the operator. Although it's true. I say that because it's not Malik's Tree of Life, where there's only an operatic aria of songs and you get a sense of how wonderfully it's made. You don't have to. Actor in focus? Lights normal? Drive!
Actors. They're always a problem. And then you need to recruit those who properly sing. Renee Zellweger. I'm personally known as Bridget Jones. She's just amazing... strikingly similar to Marilyn Monroe played by Michelle Williams. It's not about white hair or image. It's facial expressions. It's weird. I also liked John C. Riley. He plays the husband of the main character and his name can not remember Richard Gere. He's a lawyer! He remembers a lot of laws and can't remember one name! Back to my husband, John C. Riley. I haven't seen this actor before. I just haven't seen The Aviator or What's Eating Gilbert Grape. But John, how wonderful it is for you to play a simple-minded man with an eternal, weak-guilty smile on his face. He played great. Better than Richard Gere. I’ll add that Catherine Zeta-Jones is just beautiful.
Now we turn to the artist. Well, here you can safely say - either genius or lazy. Or maybe both. Just half the movie or more is shot in a big hangar. All in the interior. But on the other hand, it doesn’t spoil the movie. So why bother?
Some costumes I frankly did not like, but this is my business, as the costume designer has a different taste.
As someone who has seen Burlesque, I would say that dancing in Burlesque is better. There's only one thing that really made me happy: the red scarves. Take a look and evaluate.
Thank you to the writer for the wonderful dialogue. The phrase "some guys can't stand arsenic" is almost a masterpiece. It's almost like "A vampire can be killed with a stake in the heart." The ordinary person will certainly survive.” But you can laugh at it. All right, laugh. Better than watching a movie with a stone face.
And finally, the music: the main part in the film. She is wonderful, beautiful, loose, libertine, lively, passionate, but no, I will not listen to her on the phone as a theme from the “Beginning”. So it's not a top flight. For me, at least.
The idea of the film is not that life is a show. You can even make a show in court. Nightmare, now in court! And the idea is not that the media (those nasty, persistent, ubiquitous savage journalists who need to feed their families and raise their children), I repeat what the media makes of the whole show. Nope. For me, the idea is that you can have different attitudes to life: you can sit in prison and make it a tragedy or a horror movie, or you can dance between the bars in your underwear. No, I guess you can't dance there. But you can think of it as a show, a show, a circus, if you like. Almost a comedy. You can laugh and talk about how a rich beauty sewed three, like Richard Gere does. No, that's too much. This is probably too philosophical for this film. The latest example of the triple murder seems to confirm the first two ideas, as well as the fact that Richard Gere played a disgusting scum.
But even these ideas are embodied in the script wonderfully. Which proves once again: even with some shortcomings, having a good script, you can make a film that will receive 6 Oscars.
7 out of 10
Chicago is a hero city and a cloaca city, an insatiable mouth of a greedy monster, ready to devour starlets with giblets or lift to the top of momentary glory. It exists as a fading dope and an opium mirage, here the court is indistinguishable from a cabaret, here the ball of a concrete mixer of dreams and regrets rules. Life experience pours sandy waterfall, a year in three, and feelings are short-lived: only jazz is eternal. Butterflies fly into the fire, moths smear on the windshield. From the facade - feathers and cancan, and in the scenes from the tap pours rusty water. A double city, a cardboard wild west. It is here that Roxy Hart lives - Mademoiselle, whose character is exhaustively demonstrated by the classic scene "producer - provincial", whose unsympatheticness is more than compensated for by dreamy bulletproof determination. Mrs. Hart is married to the naive Winnie-the-Pooh, stupidly honest, but she is attracted by a whirlpool of music, liquor and cigarette smoke, intoxicated and dragged into a funnel from which it is impossible to return to the former.
A musical is a genre deliberately invented so that good people can enjoy being idiots. Good artists do things that a lot of people would be ashamed of in the morning: Quinn Latifah, for example, holds a silk scarf between his legs, and I'm afraid this spectacle will haunt me forever. Absolutely everything plays on the collective image: Chicago appears as a city of dancing, smoky rooms, messy connections and endless sprees. Ladies hide revolvers behind a garter of stockings, a black warden rules the local Shawshank with an iron hand, execution is like a show, lawyers are cynical to classicism, and the faces of all normal people express squeamish bewilderment. Everyone smokes tastefully and dances tastefully, and despite the vaudeville one-dimensionality, it is quite noticeable that the pleasure of the process is completely sincere. Stockings, corsets, suitcases, hairstyles, cat backstage in the race for glory and buffoonery political technologies, all this is Chicago. Richard Gere wears a funny hat, and Zellweger, regardless of the peculiar data, believes - because it is very easy to imagine that it is in this empty head that only jazz sounds, and nothing but jazz. Her subconscious reactions to any events determine the main artistic reception of musical numbers, and in a dozen years this technique will borrow Snyder.
However, the atmosphere of jazz: a universal charming mess, where everything is fake; the world of cabaret, even more senseless and merciless than the world, for example, opera, spoils a frail attempt to add a certain plot and supra-plot meanings. Inventive episodes are replaced by more primitive ones, straightforwardness begins to tire, sweet, ecstatic jazz moves somewhere to the third plane, the story from a bright circus falls into some kind of pop procedure, and this is sad. And you feel like you're sitting in this very cabaret, where it's nice to spend a couple of hours with a cigar and whiskey, but all night - fire. From fumes, cigarette smoke and loud music, there is only one natural reaction - a sore head.
What did America not see and experience in the 20th century? Increased crime, Al Capone, unscrupulousness, alcohol, drugs, and jazz all reflect the reality that has gripped American society. The value of life was so low that killing a person was one way to have fun. The most vividly this psychological situation was reflected in the cult musical “Chicago”, based on which the famous film was shot in 2002.
Synopsis
Young and as yet failed jazzist Roxy Hart always dreamed of performing on stage with bright numbers and getting universal fame and fame, which received her idol, the odious Velma Kelly. But fate brings both girls behind bars after each of them went to murder. Now the girls at all costs need to win their own lawsuits, and for this to win the attention of the public. This is where their intense rivalry begins.
Game of actors
The most difficult thing for an actor in any musical is the embodiment of the image of the character being played not only during normal play, but also during performances, that is, when an actor or actress performs a solo number. I can say with confidence that the entire cast of Chicago has succeeded. Renee Zellweger played the naive but purposeful Roxy, who all her life dreamed of fame and tried to achieve it, despite failure. Catherine Zeta-Jones played the role of the odious and bitchy Velma, who constantly held in any situations with dignity. The brightest and, perhaps, favorite heroine was Mama Morton, played by a stunning actress and singer Queen Latifa.
Director
It is amazing that Rob Marshall was deprived of the Oscar in the nomination “Best Director”, because he managed to perfectly shoot not just a musical, but a film. Usually, musicals are perceived as a kind of fantasy, that is, something unrealistic. However, Rob Marshall managed to combine numbers with action: when the characters faced new characters or found themselves in critical situations, to more easily reflect their emotions and thoughts, the director simultaneously introduced scenes with their performance.
Scenario
The plot of the film is an adaptation of two novels and one play, which gave the light an amazing script that deserves a whole galaxy of awards. I will not repeat the plot, as I have already voiced it in the beginning, but will emphasize only a number of distinctive and vivid details due to which the film earned such flattering attention of the audience. First, it's a stunning portrayal of the work of an ordinary lawyer. In most movies, this work is portrayed as a lawyer approaching his client and trying to save him as a friend. Here everything is different and real, that is, as happens in life, the lawyer dictates to the client how to behave and what to do. The client is wildly annoyed because he or they can not understand that everything that is done is done for their benefit and salvation. Second, the story should be praised for its unexpected twists. So, for example, I was impressed by the scene in which Roxy, fearing that Billy Flynn, her lawyer played by Richard Gere, would lose interest in her, as the audience, i.e. the jury, attracted attention by claiming that she was pregnant. In general, it is worth once again emphasizing the splendor and genius of the plot of “Chicago”.
Installation
One of the positive technical features of the film is its editing. Editor Martin Walsh to enhance the emotional coloring of the film and for a clearer immersion in the era of the 20s used various methods of cutting frames so that the viewer could feel the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the characters. So, for example, to make the viewer understand what the era of the 20s is like, Walsh used cutting abruptly successive scenes in the club, demonstrating drinking, cigarettes, licentiousness and cynicism in relation to human life. And in the episode where the main character lied that she was pregnant, before that she realized that she was losing her way to a career, so that the viewer understood this, we see a three-second frame with a fading neon sign with the name Roxy.
Decorations and costumes
When the film takes place in a different, earlier era of time, the filmmakers have the great task of re-creating this very era through artistic images, namely, through the scenery and costumes that succeeded in the film “Chicago”. The scenery was stunning in its scale and detail: it was not small rooms, but entire buildings. Impressed scenery on stage during the episodes with the performance of numbers. Costumes reflect the era to man, to his life.
Result
Chicago is one of those rare movies that you can watch as much as you want. Its positive atmosphere, bright performances, mind-blowing plot endlessly keep you in an easy mood. In general, if you want to have a good time, I definitely recommend the film to everyone.
10 out of 10