All That Jazz Reviews

It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since I sat stunned after seeing this amazing film in the theater when it was first released.

Young Jessica Lange appears as the beautiful, veiled personification of Death; young John Lithgow as an egotistical rival director; brilliant music and choreography; some of the most haunting images I have ever seen in a film:

Joe Gideon's farewell to his young daughter and ex-wife in the "Bye Bye, Life" finale, followed by his calm, gliding exit into the arms of Death with a soothing trumpet solo is heartbreaking. This movie is one I watch every couple of years and remains one of my favorites.

UNFORGETTABLE!

Rating: 5 - Oh, no! They're taking their clothes off !
And so they do in what is arguably the most electrifying erotic sequence captured on film. Nope, it's not an orgy nor a couple faking passion---It's a dance number.

Surprised?

Do you dance? I mean have you ever really, really gotten into it at a party or a nightclub? When it clicks, the gods take hold. Dionysus made flesh.

With the phenomenal success of "Chicago" a new generation has been re-discovering the director of 'Cabaret' and 'All That Jazz'---Broadway's greatest choreographer, Bob Fosse.

Dead for nearly two decades, his influence continues to grow. Many have tried but no one has been able to match his style.

Ok, so what's the plot of the movie?

Roy Schreider plays Joe Gideon, a thinly disguised Fosse. He's the director and choreographer of a Broadway musical who is fighting the clock to come up with original ideas before opening night.

Ruthlessly self driven, He pops amphetamines, so he can be always 'on.' (It's Showtime!) Destructive towards his health, he ends up fighting the clock in more ways than one.

Though Gideon states that his only belief, his only certainty is the reality of death, he's really a woshipper of The Goddess. To call him a womanizer is to miss the point. Women are his religion.

Thus we have Jessica Lange, a sexy and bemused Angel of Death, who is is mythically woven in 'dream sequences' with the real women in Gideon's life: A threefold Muse arrangement comprised of his young daughter, his current girlfriend and his older ex-wife. Men are not important. There is no secondary male lead.

The music is spectacular. The dancing even more so. Schreider and the supporting cast are superb. The flaboyant show biz world, contrasted by the intimate scenes at home work well to pull the audience into Gideon's mind.

Many a good film is derivative from an earlier classic. The Nutty Professor is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jaws is Moby Dick and "All That Jazz" is Chaplin's bittersweet masterpiece of soul, "Limelight." Too many similarities to explore, so I'll confine myself to two: Both are love letters to artists and both are the 'last will and testament' of the director, a tribute of his life.

(Moral: If you're going to steal, steal from the best.)

People, you've got to see this film!

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All That Jazz