All That Jazz

[fajrdrako]

Yesterday I watched (on DVD) the wonderful movie, "All That Jazz", from 1979.

I'd seen it when it first came out. I'd remembered snatches: most of all I remembered its superb quality, the combination of style and depth, a musical with bite.

It's autobiographical: choreographer Bob Fosse wrote it after he had a heart attack. It's an overview of his life from the perspective of his death. Putting it that way makes it sound less clever than it is.... Let me try again.

All brilliant creative artists are crazy: it goes with the territory. The artist in this case is Joe Gideon, a successful Broadway choreographer, who is working obasessively on a new show while juggling his relationships with his ex-wife, his beloved but often-ignored young daughter, his current steady girlfriend, a few girls in the chorus he's finding time to sleep with, his producers, and - Death: a beautiful, serene woman in white who is helping him to contemplate his life. I wondered if this Death had any influence on Neil Gaiman's personification of death, though of course his Death, though female, wears black and is perky rather than serene.

I love everything in this movie: the spectacular dance numbers, the pacing, juxtaposition of humour and tragedy, the non-judgemental examination of the cruelty of genius and the demands of creation. Between drugs and drink and work and sex, Joe Gideon drives himself to death: conclusions are left for the viewer to make. Is the price of being a genius worth it, or not?

We discussed the theme a little afterwards. maboroshimaki thought the movie might be Bob Fosse's apology for his life. I didn't see apology: I saw explanation - "This is my life. This is how it looked from my point of view." He isn't easy on himself, but he isn't excoriating, either.

Rod Scheider's performance is wonderful. I was also most impressed with young Erzsebet Foldi, who plays his young daughter Michelle. It seems this was the only movie she ever made.