Chicago (2002 film)

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Chicago

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Rob Marshall
Produced by Bob Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
Craig Zadan
Martin Richards
Written by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Bob Fosse
Fred Ebb
Bill Condon
Starring Renée Zellweger
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Richard Gere
Timothy Acuna
Queen Latifah
Taye Diggs
Christine Baranski
Music by John Kander
Danny Elfman
Cinematography Dion Beebe
Editing by Martin Walsh
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release date(s) June 27, 2002 (limited)
January 24, 2003 (wide)
Running time 113 min.
Country USA/Germany
Language English
Budget $45 million
Gross revenue $306,776,732
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Chicago is a 2002 musical film released by Miramax Films. First released in limited cities on June 27, 2002, Chicago opened in wide release on January 24, 2003. An adaptation of the satirical stage musical Chicago, the film explores the themes of celebrity and scandal in Jazz age Chicago. Directed and choreographed by Rob Marshall, and adapted for film by screenwriter Bill Condon, Chicago won six Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture. The film was the first musical film to win the Best Picture Oscar since Oliver! (1968).

Chicago centers around Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, two murderesses who find themselves on death row together in 1920s Chicago. Velma, a professional vaudevillian, and Roxie, a housewife with aspirations of being a star, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows. The film stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, and Richard Gere, also featuring Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Christine Baranski, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, Colm Feore, Alex Hedley, and Mýa Harrison.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Chicago, mid 1920s. Naïve Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) visits a nightclub where star Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) performs ('All That Jazz'), in hopes that her (Roxie's) boyfriend Fred Casely will get her a gig as a vaudeville star. Velma is arrested after the show for murdering her adulterous husband as he slept with her sister Veronica. After Roxie realizes that Fred won't help her break into showbusiness, she kills him in a fit of rage and tries to make her simple-minded, kind-hearted husband Amos (John C. Reilly) take the fall ('Funny Honey'). However, the police see through her ruse and Roxie is arrested and sent to Cook County Jail.

Once Roxie arrives and is booked, she is sent to Murderess' Row to await trial, under the care of the corrupt Matron "Mama" Morton (Queen Latifah), who supplies her girls with cigarettes and other materials if she's paid well enough ('When You're Good To Mama'). Roxie meets Velma in jail as the woman in charge, and learns the stories behind the other women in Murderess' Row ('Cell Block Tango'). Roxie decides that she wants Velma's lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) to get her off ('All I Care About'), and convinces her husband to talk to him. Billy decides to take Roxie's case and get her off by making her a star.

Flynn and Roxie manipulate the press at a press conference, reinventing Roxie's identity to make Chicago fall in love with her ('We Both Reached For the Gun'). Roxie becomes the new infamous celebrity of the Cook County Jail, much to Velma's horror and Mama's delight ('Roxie'). Velma, desperate to get back into the limelight, tries to persuade Roxie into opening a vaudeville act with her once they get out of jail ('Can't Do It Alone'). Roxie haughtily refuses and mocks Velma, presumably after Velma mocked Roxie earlier. Roxie and Velma become locked in a rivalry to outdo each other in stardom. The tables are turned on both ladies, however, when a new killer named Kitty (Lucy Liu) — a wealthy woman who killed her husband and both of his mistresses — enters the scene.

Roxie manages to steal back attention by claiming to be pregnant, which is falsely confirmed by a doctor (whom she seduced), much to Amos' delight; however, nobody notices that he even exists ('Mister Cellophane'). A Hungarian innmate (who can only speak three words in english, "Not guilty" and "Uh-uh.") is hanged after losing her final appeal, which fuels Roxie's desire to be free. Roxie's trial date approaches, and she and Billy begin to plan their strategy to find her innocent of murder using her star power and sympathy vote ('Razzle Dazzle'). Her trial proceeds and becomes a media spectacle, fed off the sensationalist reports of radio personality Mary Sunshine (Christine Baranski). The trial goes Roxie's way, until Velma shows up with Roxie's diary and, in exchange for amnesty, reads incriminating entries that Roxie claims to never have written. Using some quick talking, Billy manages to get Roxie off the hook and she is proclaimed innocent. However, Roxie's publicity is short lived: as soon as the trial concludes, the public's attention turns quickly to a new murderess. Roxie leaves the courthouse after discovering that Billy wrote the false diary entries, and sent the journal to Velma to get Miss Kelly off death row. Roxie reveals to Amos she faked her pregnancy for the fame.

With nothing left, Roxie once more sets off to find a stage career, with little success (Nowadays). But she is soon approached by Velma, who is willing to revive a two person act with Roxie. Roxie refuses at first, because of the hatred that they share for each other, but relents. The two murderesses, no longer facing jail time, finally become the enormous successes they have been longing to be (Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag).

[edit] Cast

  • Chita Rivera, who originated the role of Velma Kelly on Broadway in 1975, makes a cameo appearance as "Nicky."

[edit] Production and filming

The film is based on the hit musical Chicago, the original Broadway production of which (in 1975) was not well-received by audiences due to the show's cynical tone. The minimalist 1996 revival was much more successful, however, and the influences of both productions can be seen in the film version. The original production's musical numbers were staged as vaudeville acts; the movie respects this but presents them as Roxie's fantasies, while scenes that take place in "real life" have a hard-edged realism.

Chicago was produced by the American companies Miramax and The Producers Circle in association with the German company Kallis Productions. Chicago was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The courthouse was in Osgoode Hall. Other scenes were filmed at Queen's Park, former Gooderham and Worts Distillery, Casa Loma, the Elgin Theatre, Union Station, the Canada Life Building, the Danforth Music Hall, and at the Old City Hall. All vocal coaching for the film was led by Toronto-based Elaine Overholt, whom Richard Gere thanked personally during his Golden Globe acceptance speech.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Academy Awards record
1. Best Supporting Actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones
2. Best Art Direction, John Myhre, Gordon Sim
3. Best Costume Design, Colleen Atwood
4. Best Editing, Martin Walsh
5. Best Picture, Martin Richards
6. Best Sound, Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella, David Lee
Golden Globe Awards record
1. Best Musical/Comedy Picture
2. Best Musical/Comedy Actor, Richard Gere
3. Best Musical/Comedy Actress, Renée Zellweger
BAFTA Awards record
1. Best Supporting Actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones
2. Best Sound, Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella, David Lee, Maurice Schell

[edit] Academy Awards

Chicago won 6 Academy Awards:

It was nominated for seven others:

[edit] Golden Globes

Chicago won three Golden Globe Awards: Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Actress in Musical or Comedy (Renée Zellweger), and Best Actor in Musical or Comedy (Richard Gere).

It was nominated for five more: Best Director (Rob Marshall), Best Actress in Musical or Comedy (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Best Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly), Best Supporting Actress (Queen Latifah), and Best Screenplay (Bill Condon).

[edit] Other

[edit] Songs

Main article: Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture
  1. "All That Jazz" - Velma Kelly & Company (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
  2. "Funny Honey" - Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger)
  3. "When You're Good to Mama" - Matron "Mama" Morton (Queen Latifah)
  4. "Cell Block Tango" - Velma Kelly and Mona (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mýa)
  5. "All I Care About" - Billy Flynn (Richard Gere)
  6. "We Both Reached for the Gun" - Billy Flynn, Roxie Hart, Mary Sunshine and Reporters (Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger, and Christine Baranski)
  7. "Roxie" - Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger)
  8. "I Can't Do It Alone" - Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
  9. "Mister Cellophane" - Amos Hart (John C. Reilly)
  10. "Razzle Dazzle" - Billy Flynn & Company (Richard Gere)
  11. "Class" - Velma Kelly and Matron "Mama" Morton (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah; this song performed by Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones was filmed, but it was cut from the film. The scene was later included on the DVD release and the film's broadcast television premiere on NBC in 2005, and the song was included on the soundtrack album.)
  12. "Nowadays" - Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger)
  13. "Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag" - Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly (Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones)
  14. "I Move On" - Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly (Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones)

[edit] Sources

The movie is based on the Kander and Ebb Broadway musical, Chicago, which was based on the Maurine Watkins play, Chicago, which was in turn based on the stories of two Jazz-era killers, Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner.

The film follows a similar plot to William Wellman's 1942 film Roxie Hart, starring Ginger Rogers as Roxie and Adolphe Menjou as Billy Flynn. However, the only singing or dancing were performances by Rogers.

The film was to have been the next movie project for legendary stage and film choreographer and director Bob Fosse, who directed and choreographed the original Broadway production. Although he died before the film was made, the influence of his distinctive jazz choreography style can be detected throughout the film. In particular, the parallels to Cabaret are numerous and distinct. He is thanked in the movie's credits.

The satiric presentation of a criminal underworld that mirrors the "respectable" world of daily life goes back to The Beggar's Opera[citation needed].

[edit] References

  1. ^ Top Grossing Movies That Never Hit #1 at the Box Office

[edit] External links

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Awards
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2002		 Succeeded by
The Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King
Preceded by
Moulin Rouge!		 Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Musical
or Comedy
2002		 Succeeded by
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Academy Award for Best Picture

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