Chicago [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that "there's no such thing as bad publicity" can go in this screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Chicago, originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. In the mid-'20s, Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) is a small-time chorus dancer married to a well-meaning dunderhead named Amos (John C. Reilly). Roxie is having an affair on the side with Fred Casley (Dominic West), a smooth talker who insists he can make her a star. However, Fred strings Roxie along a bit too far for his own good, and when she realizes that his promises are empty, she becomes enraged and murders Fred in cold blood. Roxie soon finds herself behind bars alongside Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a sexy vaudeville star who used to perform with her sister until Velma discovered that her sister had been sleeping with her husband. Velma shot them both dead, and, after scheming prison matron "Mama" Morton hooks Velma up with hotshot lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), Velma becomes the new Queen of the scandal sheets. Roxie is just shrewd enough to realize that her poor fortune could also bring her fame, so she convinces Amos to also hire Flynn. Soon Flynn is splashing Roxie's story -- or, more accurately, a highly melodramatic revision of Roxie's story -- all over the gutter press, and Roxy and Velma are soon battling neck-to-neck over who can win greater fame through the headlines. A project that had been moving from studio to studio since the musical opened on Broadway in 1973, Chicago also features guest appearances by Lucy Liu and Christine Baranski. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: ABC
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: French, Spanish
• Features:
  • Feature film:
  • Feature audio commentary with director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon
  • Behind-the-scenes special
  • Deleted scene - "Class" with optional commentary
  • From stage to screen: The history of Chicago
  • Musical performances
  • An intimate look at director Rob Marshall
  • When Liza Minnelli became Roxie Hart
  • Academy Award-winning production designer John Myhre
  • Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood
  • Movie showcase:
  • Instant access to select movie scenes that showcase the ultimate in high definition picture and sound
  • Seamless menus

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Art Direction - 2002 (John Myhre, Gordon Sim)
•     Won Best Costume Design - 2002 (Colleen Atwood)
•     Won Best Editing - 2002 (Martin Walsh)
•     Won Best Picture - 2002 (Martin Richards)
•     Won Best Sound - 2002 (Dominick Tavella, Michael Minkler, David Lee)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2002 (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 2002 (Renée Zellweger)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 2002 (Bill Condon)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 2002 (Dion Beebe)
•     Nominated Best Director - 2002 (Rob Marshall)
•     Nominated Best Song - 2002 (Fred Ebb, John Kander)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 2002 (John C. Reilly)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2002 (Queen Latifah)

• American Film Institute

•     Won Top Ten Movie of the Year - 2002

• Broadcast Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Ensemble Acting - 2003
•     Won Best Picture - 2003
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2003 (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
•     Nominated Best Acting Ensemble - 2002
•     Nominated Best Picture - 2002
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2002 (Catherine Zeta-Jones)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Won Best Director - 2002 (Rob Marshall)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 2002 (Richard Gere)
•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 2002 (Renée Zellweger)
•     Won Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 2002
•     Nominated Best Director - 2002 (Rob Marshall)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 2002 (John C. Reilly)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 2002 (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic - 2002 (Queen Latifah)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 2002 (Bill Condon)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Directorial Debut - 2002 (Rob Marshall)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 2002

• Screen Actors Guild

•     Won Best Actress - 2002 (Renée Zellweger)
•     Won Best Supporting Actress - 2002 (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
•     Nominated Best Actor - 2002 (Richard Gere)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 2002 (Queen Latifah)

• Writers Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 2002 (Bill Condon)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Catherine Zeta-Jones - Velma Kelly
       Renée Zellweger - Roxie Hart
       Richard Gere - Billy Flynn
       Queen Latifah - Matron Mama Morton
       John C. Reilly - Amos Hart

• Director:

  Rob Marshall

• Producer:

  James Cresson, Robert Fryer, Martin Richards

• Play Author:

  Maurine Watkins

• Screenwriter:

  Bill Condon

• Cinematographer:

  Dion Beebe

• Composer (Music Score):

  Danny Elfman, John Kander

• Featured Music:

  Fred Fisher

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Paul Bogaev, Maureen Crowe

• Editor:

  Martin Walsh

• Production Designer:

  John Myhre

• Art Director:

  Andrew M. Stearn

• Co-producer:

  Don Carmody

REVIEWS:

• If {#Moulin Rouge} heralded the triumphant return of the movie {\musical}, {$Rob Marshall}'s rhapsodic rendition of {#Chicago} takes that tendency a welcome two-step further. Using the best capabilities of both stage and screen, {$Marshall} mounts a rousing cinematic achievement that may trump {$Baz Luhrmann}'s -- he's filmed a conventionally structured {\musical} that needs no tricks, only its own tight mechanics, to reach across generations of moviegoers. A Broadway chestnut written in the 1970s about the 1920s may not seem ripe with 21st century relevance, but an astonishing cast of performers breathes new excitement into the lyrics and music of {$John Kander} and {$Fred Ebb} and the swagger of playwright/choreographer {$Bob Fosse}. And in {#Chicago}, "performer" is no term of backhanded praise. {$Renee Zellweger}, {$Catherine Zeta-Jones}, and {$Richard Gere} sing every impressive note and cut every impressive groove across each dance floor, their heretofore unknown talents prompting bouts of surprised applause throughout the audience. That they deliver award-worthy acting on top of it is a bonus. But {#Chicago} is as much a triumph of editing as any other attribute. The production numbers run steadily throughout, so {$Marshall} deftly weaves expository passages into the score's quieter moments, the lyrics and images offering a perfect symbiosis of storytelling methods. {$Martin Walsh}'s editing also gets its own chance at center stage, notably during the thrilling sequence in which {$Gere}'s climactic courtroom speech alternates with footage of the actor engaged in a rapid-fire tap dance. That {#Chicago} also functions as a familiar but juicy indictment of the bloodthirsty media and its fickle readership...well, it leaves a reviewer about as breathless as {$Zeta-Jones} after a spirited romp across the set. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
• If Moulin Rouge heralded the triumphant return of the movie musical, Rob Marshall's rhapsodic rendition of Chicago takes that tendency a welcome two-step further. Using the best capabilities of both stage and screen, Marshall mounts a rousing cinematic achievement that may trump Baz Luhrmann's -- he's filmed a conventionally structured musical that needs no tricks, only its own tight mechanics, to reach across generations of moviegoers. A Broadway chestnut written in the 1970s about the 1920s may not seem ripe with 21st century relevance, but an astonishing cast of performers breathes new excitement into the lyrics and music of John Kander and Fred Ebb and the swagger of playwright/choreographer Bob Fosse. And in Chicago, "performer" is no term of backhanded praise. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere sing every impressive note and cut every impressive groove across each dance floor, their heretofore unknown talents prompting bouts of surprised applause throughout the audience. That they deliver award-worthy acting on top of it is a bonus. But Chicago is as much a triumph of editing as any other attribute. The production numbers run steadily throughout, so Marshall deftly weaves expository passages into the score's quieter moments, the lyrics and images offering a perfect symbiosis of storytelling methods. Martin Walsh's editing also gets its own chance at center stage, notably during the thrilling sequence in which Gere's climactic courtroom speech alternates with footage of the actor engaged in a rapid-fire tap dance. That Chicago also functions as a familiar but juicy indictment of the bloodthirsty media and its fickle readership...well, it leaves a reviewer about as breathless as Zeta-Jones after a spirited romp across the set. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

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