Chicago

It's all about that fifteen minutes of fame that Andy Warhol promised all of us, and how short that fifteen minutes can seem. As we watch Velma and Roxie vie for the full attentions of attorney Billy Flynn (Gere), production numbers keep flowing from Roxie's overactive mind. Latifah really sells it when she sings "When You're Good to Mama," a song that's reminiscent of the carnival come-ons that try to woo customers into the tent. But some of the most memorable songs you won't even remember by name or by singable phrases. Numbers like "We Both Reached for the Gun" are positively vaudevillian. As Billy and Roxie appear before the press and Billy tries to speak for her so that she doesn't say anything incriminating, we see a parallel song in which Zellweger sits on Gere's lap like a ventriloquist's dummy, and Gere sings in a kind of W. C. Fields/vaudevillian voice while putting words in her mouth. Gere also does a great job on "Razzle Dazzle," during which he shares the secret of his courtroom success. But Zellweger is surprisingly good too, especially on a song called "Roxie." And Reilly might have the most poignant song of all with "Mr. Cellophane," which he sings with the weight of every nice guy who's ever been ignored or mistreated by a woman. As with any musical, some songs just aren't as memorable or successful, but overall, "Chicago" really nails it.

Video:
The 1080p Hi-Def picture (1.85:1 aspect ratio, which fills out a 16x9 screen) is, as I said before, inconsistent. Some scenes are slightly grainy, others are quite grainy, and still others are as bright and sharp and pristine as the best Blu-ray releases. I suspect it's directorial vision that's responsible and not a flawed or inconsistent source master. You can see in some of the later close-ups outside the cabaret atmosphere that there's a high level of detail and strong black levels. Color saturation, as with sharpness, seems to vary with the scene. Overall, though, I'd have to say that the picture is slightly improved over the "Razzle-Dazzle" edition.

Audio:
But there's nothing like uncompressed audio to make a vibrant musical come to life in your TV room. The 5.1 Dolby Digital (48kHz, 24-bit) audio is rich on the bass, which is good because percussion and low-end piano notes drive much of the music. There isn't as much rear-speaker action as I would have thought in some scenes, but for the most part the six-track soundtrack fills the room nicely. Additional options are standard English and French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 uncompressed audio--the latter an unusual option. Subtitles are in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Extras:
Because the film is relatively short at 113 minutes, there are a number of extras from previous releases that are included. The anchor is the commentary by Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon, which covers all the usual bases. There's also a short "behind the scenes" bonus feature that shows the cast and crew in production, and a more structured feature on "From Stage to Screen: The History of 'Chicago'." The latter, a carry-over from the Special Edition, is quite good. One deleted scene playable with or without commentary shows Zeta-Jones and Latifah performing "Class," which was cut because it didn't come from Roxie's point of view, and a number of extended musical performances from the Special Edition. Minelli, who starred in "Cabaret," also makes an appearance here via an extra detailing how she stepped in for Gwen Verdon in 1975 on Broadway. There are some interesting clips here, including an appearance by Minelli and actress Chita Rivera on the old "Dinah Shore Show." Rounding out the extras are the "Movie Showcase" best-Blu-ray clip feature (which strikes me as worthless) and three really slight profile-features on the director, production designer Myhre, and costume designer Atwood.

Bottom Line:
That "Chicago" sustains its energy and momentum and cleverly continues to weave together a realistic narrative with staged theatrical interpretations is a tribute not only to the original Broadway writers, but to screenwriter Bill Condon and director Rob Marshall. High-energy, clever, and brilliantly performed, it's a film that's certainly deserving of that Best Picture honor.

---

---