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Jazz Hands!

Catherine Zeta-Jones, as Velma Finally, someone sums up the biggest problem with Chicago: Margo Jefferson complains how the editing in Chicago takes away from the essence of Chicago, which is the dancing. Yeah, there's all the blah blah about the movie musical being revised, but there's been no great dancing or great singing yet. When I think movie musical, I admit I think Singin' in the Rain, Wizard of Oz, Funny Face, On the Town. Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire or Cyd Charisse whose legs were so long that Gene Kelly had to tailor choreography for her, to hide the fact she was taller than him in Singin' in the Rain. I think Bill Condon, the screenwriter, did a good job in streamlining the story, but when I see the cast of the movie on Charlie Rose, bragging about how all the cutting between scenes was in the screenplay, I think it sucks, because part of the pleasure of watching a movie musical is seeing them dance, not dance in the dark. And for the millionth time, why not Bebe Neuwirth reprising her stage role as Velma in the film? Right, blah blah star power.

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  • Yeah, I wish you'd read my own depressing experience with seeing Chicago in Jan, it may have saved you the pain of seeing it.

    http://greg.org/2003_01_01_archive.html#90223859

    I put the blame on Moulin Rouge, or, more precisely, on Moulin Rouge-syndrome, a feeble attempt to capture that film's energy (and, more importantly, cover up untalented "star" dancing) with lame edits.

    Of course, I wish I'd found gothamist sooner, too, so there you go.

  • tania

    my fair lady and the sound of music also come to mind for me as classic movie musicals. ultimately the musical is about using the form of the song for expression and to propel the story - it's believable that characters suddenly break into song because that's the way they express themslves in this format. Chicago the movie fails at that by cutting away every single time a number occurs. it just doesn't work.

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