The coding blog of Alastair Smith, a software developer based in Cambridge, UK. Interested in DevOps, Azure, Kubernetes, .NET Core, and VueJS.
[4/5] 2002’s Chicago, directed by Bob Marshall, is an excellent and faithful adaptation of Kander and Ebb’s musical, and seemingly kick-started a small, slow revival in musical cinema (such as 2005’s The Producers and 2007’s Sweeney Tood).
Set in 1920’s Chicago, the plot follows the lives of Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) after they are charged with murder, Velma for a double homicide after finding her husband in bed with her sister (with whom she performed in a Vaudeville act) and Roxie for the murder of her lover (after she discovers that he wasn’t going to make her the Vaudeville star he’d promised). As Roxie arrives on Murder Row in Cook County, Illinois, Matron “Mama” Morton (Queen Latifah) is helping Velma re-build her career in advance of her acquittal thanks to lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). Roxie, a wanna-be Vaudeville star, seizes her chance, and Velma’s lawyer, and starts to make a name for herself as the latest celebrity murderess. It is on this journey that Roxie’s true colours really shine, as we follow her into a deeper web of lies, corruption and greed until we reach the conclusion that crime really does pay.
The murders, therefore, are rather incidental to the rest of the plot. Chicago is a satire on the concept of the celebrity criminal and corruption in Chicago in the 1920s, and works brilliantly as such. I’m yet to see the show on stage, but Marshall has transported it well across media, with more than a few numbers feeling as though they are on Broadway rather than the big screen; however, the vastly larger budget has been well spent on authentic costumes, sets and even computer graphics to really bring the characters and prohibition-era Chicago to life. The media of film also allows Marshall to carry off some of the numbers perhaps more effectively than is possible on stage: for example, Mama’s entry (When You’re Good to Mama) neatly cuts between a Cabaret-style stage show and the prison where she is welcoming her new charges.
As with Sweeney Todd, a number of cuts had to be made from the original score, and, seemingly, some new music was added too. The story unfolds in a manner that is faithful to the original plot with no re-telling, but it is paraphrased here and there, so fans of the musical may be mildly disappointed by this. The singing, too, is of a good standard: convincing, but not Broadway.
I do have one minor criticism of the film, and it’s one that will never really be addressed, due to the logistics of shooting such a picture. Whilst the cast do all their own singing, I was disappointed to see that the scenes were mimed with the soundtrack over-dubbed. I should really have come to expect this as it’s rather become accepted technique given the complexities of recording an n-piece jazz orchestra and singer(s) as well as all the visual recording too. All in all, it doesn’t detract from the quality of the film in any meaningful sense unless you’re an ultra-purist, and the technique does have the added advantage of providing a uniform sound/mix throughout the film such as you would get seeing this show at the West End or on Broadway.
In summary, then, this is an excellent adaptation, with some good performances and innovative direction. Purists may be a little disappointed, but it is an enjoyable picture with fabulous sets and costumes, not to mention a toe-tapping soundtrack and a dry wit.