It can be said that a commercial song and dance movie can get such a high honor, not only the director's excellent shooting and editing, but also has an important relationship with the enduring music of "Chicago".
Since it is a musical, you have to sing and dance. The music of the film and the arrangement of the shots are not seen in the stage play.
A dizzying slew of chaotic shots at the opening, allegro jazz, and a cheerful nightclub awaiting the arrival of the best dance duo, the Kelly Sisters: everyone quickly gets into the vibe. So along with the joyful saxophone, the audience did not understand whether the story began or not, and what was going on, Velma had already shot and killed his sister and husband. Then the cheerful rhythm suddenly slowed down into the singing soundtrack, and Velma, who came to the nightclub alone, took the stage. The most classic masterpiece of "Chicago" - "All That Jazz" sounded. Maybe Zeta Jones played Velma in a series of faceless chaotic quick cuts at the beginning of the film, and finally revealed the true face of Lushan, the gaudy makeup makes you feel disappointed, after listening to a song "All That Jazz", you will feel , the director's picture of her playing this role is completely correct. With her icy temperament, fiery tone of voice, difficult dancing, and meticulous singing skills, it is really hard to find a more perfect actress than her. You may not be able to act if you sing well, and you may not be able to sing if you perform well, not to mention the high requirements of dancing. And after "All That Jazz" was re-arranged, it didn't seem too verbose, and the dance was more sexy, charming and concise.
In the late 1920s, the United States was being troubled by the economic crisis, but people were not affected at all. There was still a luxurious urban nightlife. The air was filled with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol. Reservedly displayed.
Then there is the plot of how Roxie shoots her lover after Velma is arrested and jailed. It includes "Funny Honey" sung by Roxie when her simple and honest husband Amos was the scapegoat to confess to the police. It starts with a slow lyrical rhythm, then Amos leaks, and the singing changes from gentle to angry, and finally Roxie roars and ends. After being locked in the prison car, the background music was a comedy saxophone jazz, which made everyone feel no anger or regret that the woman who was let down by her lover was imprisoned, but felt that it was a very happy plot.
In the prison, the cheerful jazz still did not stop. The warden appeared, and the coquettish song "When You Good To Mama" sang the jazz that black people are good at with infinite wit. Indeed, jazz is sung by black voices, and the clear voice of whites is very different from saxophone and piano without beats.
One of the most iconic scenes of "Chicago" begins as Roxie enters the cell. Six beautiful female murderers narrate the song about why they are in prison - "Cell Block Tango". Still following the concept of film, a virtual stage is performed at the same time as reality. With a cheerful and angry rhythm, the script writer wanted the audience to feel that they were all forgiven for killing their husbands, and that all the men "had their coming" and suffered for themselves. But the Hungarian woman among them was the only innocent one who was executed because she could not speak English and could not afford to hire a defense lawyer. The film's first big irony, the only innocent being hanged, is, to quote a reporter, "She made history, the first woman executed by Chicago in 47 years." So in the second half, when Hanya was hanged, she used a clever trick to virtualize Hanya's famous Hungarian disappearance performance of "The Great Change of the Living" on the stage. In reality, she walked to the gallows in tears; The people standing under the gallows had regretful faces, as if feeling sad, but the Chicago audience under the stage watched Han Ya "disappear" and all stood up and applauded, and continued cheering and shouting. This contrast made people strong. Feeling the greediness of the people in Chicago, it is not enough to see too many women in prison, but to hang women. The execution of Han Ya was full of intense drumbeats that made people nervous, always hoping that a hero would come out to save this innocent woman. It's a pity that the tense drumbeat did not disappoint everyone. The reality is still reality. If innocent people are rescued, this movie will lose its value.
Another great irony is the music played by the hero, the mysterious lawyer Billy. He sang "I don't want money, I just want your tender love" in a group of sexy female prisoners. But in reality, it only recognizes money and not people. The pitiful Han Ya asked him for help in Hungarian mixed with a few substandard English. But the reality and the stage are still switching, and he still sings "I just want to love".
Let’s talk about the two excellent singing and dancing parts of the film. One is the puppet double-reed show “We Both Reach For The Gun” performed by lawyer Billy and the heroine Roxie at the reporter’s defense. Roxie.
The double-reed scene is a scene that originally existed in "Chicago", but after the director's ingenious changes, it is simply ingenious to applaud. The rhythm of the song is upbeat, the two "understandable" sections that suddenly cut into waltzes are more comical, and the journalists' puppet-stiff makeup looks. A clever irony, but also a portrayal of the nature of today's journalists.
The double reed is over, Roxie is famous, and here comes Roxie. The most exciting scene of the movie is concentrated on this song, which fully reflects the advantages of song and dance movies over stage plays. The rotation of multiple mirrors, the dark background set off the protagonist's glittering costumes, and finally a huge "Roxie" neon light slowly rose, full of superstar feeling. As for the song itself, the prelude is a provocative bass jazz piano, and the protagonist tells a slow monologue about his experience of fame. Then suddenly introduced singing, showing a lazy voice and coquettish dancing. Classic Lyrics - "Who Said Murder Wasn't an Art... She's a Scandal". In today's society, there are still many artists who are wandering in the second and third tiers, in order to become famous, they will not hesitate to sell their privacy, or make a scandal of prison or drunkenness.
Speaking of Roxie, I have to say that the heroine's excellent performance. At that time, Renee Zellweger was just a little-known actress, not a second-rate star, but she was the most ordinary among the first-tier stars. I can't figure out who took the role of Roxie with her confidence. You know, this is the seat of the diva, known as "Diva". And she has neither singing skills, nor dancing skills, and her body is not hot enough, not to mention that she deliberately gained 10 pounds for the filming of "BJ's Single Diary" a few years ago. However, she did not disappoint us, she recovered to a slim waist, and she practiced dancing for three months. The only problem might be the singing aspect. However, the director would rather use a professional actor who doesn't know how to sing, rather than a singer who doesn't know how to act, to take on the burden of the protagonist. What's more, Renee's silly temperament and unobtrusive looks and figure are the best candidates for Roxie. Diva is more perfect than her, but you would never imagine the heroine of "The Phantom of the Opera" Amy Rosen to play Roxie. The singing skills required for the song "Roxie" are not very high, there are not too many jazz notes without melody, and there are not too many long notes that require vibrato, so it can still be regarded as a successful work. A person who has not received singing breath training cannot ask her to sing better.
The arrangement of the music is very in line with the music atmosphere of the 1930s, when Hollywood just developed from silent films to musical films, musical films were very popular, and the United States indulged in Billie Holiday's extravagant jazz. However, due to the economic crisis, the "Jazz Age" also came to an abrupt end after the 1930s. It was not until the end of World War II that people's heart of pleasure was gradually recovered.
The songs in "Chicago" are the most vivid embodiment of people's extravagant pleasures in that era. Whether it's the lazy "Funny Honey", or the two heroines returning to the stage to dance "Hot Honey Rag" enthusiastically at the end of the play, every scene in the movie is interspersed with the cheerful jazz of murder, Billy in court. "Razzie Dazzie," a song that teases judges and witnesses alike, echoes a social environment in which hedonism and profligacy prevail.
However, commercial movies are still commercial movies, and the end of the play must be beautiful. Even if they didn't get the punishment they deserved for killing people, the two girls "returned to the righteous" and returned to the stage of infinite beauty. If the writers wanted to make it more dramatic, the ending should have been changed to this: Two women go back to jail after killing a man again to become famous in Chicago in order to make headlines again.
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