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50 out of 65 people found the following review useful: Quite simply a brilliant film., 29 January 2003 Author: fateoptional from Los Angeles, California
To think that Fosse synthesized musical theater, artistic obsession, relationships, fatherhood, and satire all within the framework of a deconstructionist film musical and made it all about himself to boot (including predicting the manner of his own death) without being the least bit self-congratulatory is amazing. The film is edited beautifully; choreographed flawlessly; lit with stark colors that almost fade to black and white at times; and acted with heart and verve, especially by Roy Scheider. The film has one of the most effective uses of the zoom lens (despised by most filmmakers precisely for their inability to figure out when to use it) in film history. The shot pulls back from a lone choreographer on the stage while multitudes of bodies go flying by him, letting us feel his insurmountable task of choosing which of these people will make his show come alive. Some may say the final series of musical numbers runs long but I defy anyone these days to sustain a musical film with the same success. "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago", excellent films that they are, play their cards fast and furious, hoping to razzle-dazzle us just long enough that we'll stay tuned. "All That Jazz" dares to show you a taste of musicals to come ("Take Off With Us") and yet insists you remember where the form came from (the Busby Berkely-esque "Who's Sorry Now?"). When will they come out with the DVD? We can only hope soon.
40 out of 52 people found the following review useful: Brilliant summary of director/Co-writer Fosse's decent into show biz madness and death, 19 August 2003 Author: dean237
Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ has been mistaken for a rip-off of Fellini's 8 1/2 for some time. But that is giving it short shrift as an illuminating, sobering account of one man's burnout in the face of enormous pressure from the elements of the entertainment industry which he's involved himself in, namely Broadway and the film industry. Based on Fosse's experiences directing CHICAGO on Broadway and LENNY for United Artists, it stars Roy Scheider as Fosse's always black-dressed alter ego Joe Gideon, who's long road to success has been dotted with drug addictions, one-night stands, betrayals, and show biz phoniness.Particularly of interest in this film is the strong autobiographical quality of it. Fosse did, indeed, suffer his first heart attack during this 1973/74 period of his life. The film-within-the-film, "The Stand Up," is an interesting variation on LENNY (1974, with Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine)---much more irritating than that movie. LENNY ended up getting great reviews, for the most part, but it must have been a tough movie for Fosse to get his hands around, especially while dealing with his failed marriage to Broadway star Gwen Verdon (portrayed here by Leland Palmer). It's certainly portrayed as such in this film. And Chicago seems to have been a challenge for him, too. He obviously thought the original script for that show was lacking (as he actually went on record as saying) and that he had to spice it up for him to become interested in it. (How fascinating would a Fosse film version of CHICAGO have been? As it was, it looks as if eventual CHICAGO director Rob Marshall screened ALL THAT JAZZ many times in order to mine its many storytelling treasures, including the main conceit that most of the film's musical numbers appear in the minds of the main characters.)Scheider has never been better and deserved real consideration as that year's Best Actor Oscar-winner (he lost, ironically, to Dustin Hoffman who won for KRAMER VS. KRAMER). He is positively channeling his director's personality, down to his constant cigarette smoking and his artsy goatee (not to mention his snaky, rakish attitudes towards personality responsibility). The fine cast also includes: John Lithgow as a rival Broadway director who may or may not take over Joe's show if he dies on the operating table; Max Wright (the dad on ALF) as the producer of Gideon's film; Sandahl Bergman (from CONAN and RED SONJA) as the lead dancer in the "Take Off With Us" musical number that disappoints the stage show's backers; longtime Fosse girlfriend and dancer Ann Reinking as Gideon's other serious bedmate; Cliff Gorman as Davis Newman, the lead actor in "The Stand Up"; the lovely Erezebet Foldi as Gideon's precocious daughter (Fosse's real daughter, Nicole, later appeared in the film version of A CHORUS LINE); Jessica Lange in her first serious role as the Angel of Death; Keith Gordon (an actor in CHRISTINE and BACK TO SCHOOL, who's now an acclaimed director of films like MOTHER NIGHT and the 2003 film adaptation of THE SINGING DETECTIVE) as the young Joe Gideon; Ben Vereen, energetic as a show-biz veteran who "hosts" Gideon's final decent into death. The list goes on and on....And the tech credits are superb. The film won Oscars for its Tony Walton sets (Tony Walton has been married to Julie Andrews for years, and is an acclaimed stage and film set designer), its Alan Heim editing (Heim worked on NETWORK, among other things), its Ralph Burns scoring (which includes old jazz, classical, pop, and Broadway standards), and its Albert Wolsky costumes. Its photography, by Giuseppe Rotunno, is also great (Rotunno phtographed many Fellini films and probably had much to do with the lumping of Fosse's film in with Fellini's work).Tying in 1979 with APOCOLYPSE NOW for Cannes Palme D'Or, this is one of the greatest movies ever made, I think, and you'll know that once the first moments--a mass stage audition unbelievably well-edited to the tune of George Benson's version of "On Broadway"--unreel in front of you. It's an unflinching look into the madness of one artist that, eventually, became his undoing (Fosse died in 1986, in his early 60s, of another heart attack, after completing only one more movie, STAR 80, and one more stage show, BIG DEAL). See it and prepare to be moved in strange ways.
37 out of 54 people found the following review useful: Depressing but brilliant, 30 May 2003 Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States
The life and times of Bob Fosse--oops! sorry!--Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider). He directs, choreographs and writes Broadway musicals and the occasional movie. He also has sex with every woman he can, is a chronic smoker...there's more but I don't want to ruin it.Basically, this is a character study and an absolutely fascinating one. This is Bob Fosse doing a movie about himself and showing his life in an extremely negative light. I saw this movie when it first came out in 1980. I thought it was one of the most depressing things I had ever seen--but went back to see it three additional times.The acting is just great all across the board--Scheider is cast against type...and pulls it off. In fact he was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance (he lost to DeNiro for "Raging Bull"). Jessica Lange is playing...let's call her Our Lady of the Oxygen Tank (you'll see what I mean). Seriously, she has a difficult role and plays it beautifully. The direction is superb, mixing fantasy with reality seamlessly. The songs are good and the dancing is just great (especially in one VERY erotic number about casual sex).This movie is not for everyone--I know of one theatre in which half the audience walked out demanding their money back--but, if you're game, you probably won't be able to take your eyes off the screen.Depressing but just great. Fosse's best film (even better than "Cabaret"!)
25 out of 32 people found the following review useful: Fosse's extravagant homage to the musical stage he loved..., 26 March 2005 Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
At the end of the seventies, Bob Fosse, director of "Cabaret," created the most striking—and certainly the most controversial—original musical film to appear in many years… Audacious or intimidating, dazzling or simply bewildering, depending on one's point of view, "All That Jazz" was Fosse's extravagant homage to the musical stage he loved—a love tempered by wit and irony—and an autobiographical account of one man's hectic travail in the theater, ending with the ultimate experience of his death… His Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), egotistical, selfish, and womanizing, but also guilt-ridden and striving for a perfection he can never achieve, perceives his entire life in terms of show business… This obsessive view is his gift, his burden, and his tragic flaw… "All That Jazz" is the most cinematic musical in a very long time… In a style clearly influenced by Italian director Federico Fellini, Fosse uses the camera with brave insurance, moving from naturalistic scenes of frenzied theatrical activity to flights of fantasy, without signaling the audience when the realism ends and the fantasy begins…Viewed entirely through Joe Gideon's brilliant, disorderly mind, the world is composed of the important people in his life—his ex-wife, his present girlfriend, his young daughter, and all the slightly mad, flamboyant show people he works with, as well as figures from his past and future, most especially the ravishing young woman who represents the Angel of Death…"All That Jazz" has some painful moments, and is not easy to follow; it demands the attention that many viewers, irritated by Fosse's self-indulgence, were unwilling to give…Splendidly photographed, "All That Jazz" follows Gideon through the exhausting, driving day-to-day routine… There are a few quiet moments—in one of the film's best scenes, he gives a private dance lesson to his young daughter Michelle (Erzsebet Foldi) , showing a pride and a tenderness he usually conceals… But all of his energy is given to choreographing the movie's most outstanding musical number, "Take Off with Us." Brilliantly conceived, the number involves a group of dancers in sensuous choreographed movement… "All That Jazz" has flaws, but no musical since "Cabaret" has worked so assiduously to weld all the elements of a musical film into a single entity that could only be done on the screen: a personal statement that could be dismissed or even mocked but that could not be ignored…
13 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Razzle Dazzle 'Em, 1 March 2006 Author: brocksilvey from United States
A never less than fascinating, barely fictionalized biopic about legendary choreographer and director Bob Fosse. The character in the movie is named Joe Gideon, but come on: he's in the middle of choreographing and directing a stage musical that looks an awful lot like "Chicago," and he's in post-production on a film that looks an awful lot like "Lenny." I think we all know who this movie is REALLY about.It's self indulgent to be sure, and a bit of a mess overall, but it's just so damned accomplished in every way that it's impossible not to sit back and enjoy the ride, however destructive that ride might be. And boy is it destructive. You're going to feel like you need to go on a rigorous exercise regimen and a system-cleansing diet after watching the Fosse stand-in in this film abuse himself to death. This movie will quickly disabuse you of any illusions about the glamour of the show business world.Roy Scheider gives the performance of his career as Joe Gideon. My other favorite performance came from Leland Palmer as Gideon's long-suffering ex-wife (and presumably Gwen Verdon stand in). These two make poignantly obvious what made them click in the first place while at the same time conveying perfectly why they can't live with one another. Ann Reinking plays Ann Reinking, one-time girlfriend to Fosse who does the same honors in the movie. And before anyone knew who she was, Jessica Lange played a very ravishing angel of death."All That Jazz" isn't as tight or as powerful as Fosse's previous musical, "Cabaret," but that's largely because it's so much more insular as a movie. It's really about the demons plaguing one man, and it doesn't have any broader context than that. Whether or not you like it will depend heavily on how fascinating you find the world of New York theatre, and how much you care about Joe Gideon in the first place. To his credit, Scheider is able to make Gideon an entirely sympathetic, if not entirely likable, character.And if there aren't any musical numbers to rival the razzle dazzle of the "Mein Herr" or "Money, Money" numbers from "Cabaret," there are still a fair share of showstoppers in "Jazz," notably a cute little duet for Reinking and the girl that plays Gideon's daughter, and the rousing opening number, in which a stage full of Broadway hopefuls audition for a show in a whirl of quick edits set to the song "On Broadway." A fantastic, mesmerizing film.Grade: A
16 out of 20 people found the following review useful: Classic!, 28 February 2004 Author: k h from United States
One of the best musicals ever made, it's a love song to theater and hedonism and all things Fosse.Roy Schieder does a fantastic job brings Fosse to life, making the charming womanizing cad unrepentant and lovable at the same time.Jessica Lange as 'the angel of death' is all you'd want from a grim reaper, and more.But the real standout is the vibrant editing and music- long before MTV coopted the fast and loose cutting styles that make it hard to focus, Fosse put it to good use- he doesn't just cut for shock value, he cuts WITH the music, creating images that go right into your inner rythm somehow. I don't know how he did it, but every film student in the world should study this masterpiece.Ten out of ten!
13 out of 17 people found the following review useful: A dance with Death..., 22 October 2005 Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca
Bob Fosse's autobiographical look at his life, with Roy Scheider fabulously standing-in for Fosse as Joe Gideon, pill-popping, womanizing director-choreographer on the verge of collapse in New York City. Fosse paints himself as suspicious, paranoid, driven, indifferent, exhausted and horny. It's more than most of us want to know about the guy, who seems intent on showing us what a creep he is...but a talented creep! It's a film that doesn't particularly look good (it's a gray, chilly movie), but it has amazing musical flourishes and the self-styled bombast is actually rather amusing once you get the idea. Jessica Lange is beautiful in an early role as the Angel of Death (imagine Fosse explaining that role to her!), and Scheider's performance is really something to see (only occasionally does the camera catch him not knowing what to do). Fosse tries hard not to be pretentious, he keeps things playful and perky, and his ironic ending is wincingly funny. The film is alive and ticking--but that's not Fosse's heart, it's a time bomb. *** from ****
16 out of 23 people found the following review useful: On The Wire, 15 August 2000 Author: gurghi-2 from Lexington, Kentucky
One of the most gleefully indulgent, self-loathing films ever made- yet watchable as a train wreck, thanks to its bravery, wit and overall excellence.Scheider is unexpectedly effective as the director's mirror image, a talented louse who deserves what he gets. I can only imagine the smirk that must have been on Fosse's face throughout this production. He doesn't ask for forgiveness, he doesn't try to justify Gideon's behavior, and he certainly didn't encourage Scheider to be sympathetic. "You're right, I'm a bastard," he seems to be saying.While catchy and professional, the musical numbers (particularly the art direction and costumes) range from tasteless to bombastic- as they were intended, I think. The choreography is precise, the editing masterful, and the performances in sharp focus. These elements, plus the acerbically mournful script, make for a fascinating deconstruction of self to an extent rarely, if ever, seen in the movies.Not every artist should think himself so interesting, but thankfully, both Fosse's professional and personal life merited such honest examination. I can't think of any of our more iconic filmmakers today who have been turned the camera back on themselves in such unflinching fashion.Note: Among the direct parallels to Fosse's actual career are "The Stand-Up" to "Lenny", and Lithgow's snooty Lucas Sergeant to theatre's estimable Harold Prince.
21 out of 33 people found the following review useful: Self-congratulatory, but, without a doubt, brilliant, 13 December 2002 Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN
A brilliant movie from a brilliant artist, and you'll be reminded of that constantly as you sit through All That Jazz, both in positive and negative ways. This, Fosse's fourth and also penultimate film, is his version of 8½. But the great success of Fellini's semi-autobiographical masterpiece, easily one of the five or ten best films ever made, is that its author depicts himself with the greatest humility. And not only great humility but, most importantly, honest humility (or at least believable humility). Fellini's constant self-deprecation felt like honest self-criticism, and it felt as if he was truly exposing his inner self to his audience. In All That Jazz, Fosse tries to do the same, but the self-deprecation comes off almost as back-patting. Fosse presents his alter ego, Joe Gideon (well played by Roy Scheider), as a lovable cad. Oh, he might bang every chick in sight, but it's very much applauded.I can complain about these more arrogant aspects of All That Jazz, but what is undeniable is how great a filmmaker Fosse really is. It may be extremely self-congratulatory, but, judging from this film itself and its three predecessors, it can be argued that Fosse deserved the adulation that he supplies himself. As a fan, I loved the way he incorporates semi-fictionalized versions of his previous films into this one. 1974's Lenny plays a major part, as Gideon is going through the process of editing his new film The Stand-Up throughout the film. He brings his daughter to its premier, and, it being her first R-rated movie, she thanks her dad and then asks him why that guy wanted to sleep with two women at the same time. The reference to Cabaret is less pronounced but clear, when, stemming off from the daughter's question about threesomes, Gideon flashes back briefly to himself recreating the "Two Ladies" number. This number, of course, was famously created for the film version of Cabaret by Fosse. I'm not 100% sure if there is a reference to Sweet Charity (which would make sense, since it bombed horribly and almost ruined Fosse's filmmaking career), but the musical number with Gideon's girlfriend and daughter begins sort of like the "If They Could See Me Now" number, with Shirley MacLaine in Ricardo Montelbahn's bedroom.The musical numbers are something to behold. I think this is a given in a Bob Fosse film, but every single one is breathtaking. The sexy rehearsal number, which leads into the even sexier "Airplane" number, would be pilfered by singer/choreographer Paula Abdul in her video "Cold Hearted Snake." More silly trivia, John Lithgow was so goofy looking in his relative youth, that guy who was the captain of the Love Boat and also the dad in ALF has an important part, and Wallace Shawn, of Manhattan, My Dinner with André and The Princess Bride fame appears in the most poorly calculated scene in the movie (Fosse wasn't scrutinizing his film enough if he left it in), has one line, and it is the worst line in the entire film. Damn, I wish I could remember it! 9/10.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: The Most Human Film - Rendered In Pure Artistic Scope ***minimal spoilers***, 12 December 2005 Author: Vinnie Kmetz (vinniekmetz@yahoo.com) from Danbury, CT
Does art imitate life, or vice-versa? The brilliance of this film is that it suggests that they are imitating one another and the original, authentic part is the soul. That's too grandiose a sentiment, but here's what I mean: Does the sexy, risqué dance rehearsal number come from what is best about Gideon (his command and imagination in the art) or what is his worst, (his womanizing and failure to give honest commitment to those that love him in lieu of sexual gratification)? In the scene juxtaposing Gideon's open heart surgery with the conference on the insurance value of the show (one of the most compelling scenes in cinematic history; it manages to be graphic while maintaining dark comedic cadence) is Fosse making the cynical satirical point that life is cheap because a fiscal value CAN be put on it? Or is he mocking the cynics with a hard penance of life's bloody fragility right in the face? Those are philosophic points to be sure and there's such a rich variety of them in this movie, as to dazzle the mind. But to just concentrate on the cerebral is only half the wonder of this film which is a strong contender for Top 20 status in this writer's mind.The other half - pure Fosse - is the range of artistic expression utilized to present an integrated total whole. It's a movie that takes you the viewer on your own artistic journey from the guts of a production to the unseen polished art in Gideon's heart and mind, where even mortal death must be turned into art to be defeated. Shots of tedious life are shot in tedious muted tones, the footage looks raw at these times and if it owes anything to Fellini it's that the more hyper the closeup or edit to sparse angles, the more "real" the subject becomes and the LESS you feel you are watching a film.Time doesn't permit me to go on, and I don't know if any new viewers will even see this review - but if they are reading this, and you love great cinema - this is it.pax vk
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