Chicago
Short description
Set in 1920s Chicago, the film follows Roxie Hart, a married chorus girl who dreams of stage stardom and idolises the vaudeville headliner Velma Kelly. When Roxie kills her lover and Velma is jailed for killing her husband and sister, the two women end up together on death row. There they compete for publicity and for the services of the defence lawyer Billy Flynn, whose skill in managing the press turns Roxie into a tabloid sensation even as both women await trial. The story, drawn from the 1920s murder cases that inspired the long-running stage musical, unfolds largely through song-and-dance numbers staged as vaudeville acts.
This is Rob Marshall's second feature as director, following his 1999 television film Annie, and it came before Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns and The Little Mermaid. Bill Condon wrote the screenplay with Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, and Martin Richards produced. Renée Zellweger plays Roxie, Catherine Zeta-Jones is Velma, Richard Gere is Billy Flynn, and Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly and Colm Feore appear among the 119 credited cast members; 76 crew members are credited. Made for a budget of 45 million dollars, it took about 307 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.2/10 from around 256,000 votes, on TMDB 7.1/10 from roughly 3,000 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 8.2/10 from 260 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- The play “Chicago,” on which the filmed musical was based, is dedicated to two high-profile murder cases that occurred in Chicago in 1924. The author of the play, Maurine Watkins, served as the prototype for the image of the meticulous journalist Mary Sunshine.
- This is the first feature film whose entire soundtrack was recorded using Sony's Direct Stream Digital technology and released on a multi-channel SACD disc.
- Producer Martin Richards purchased the rights to stage the musical back in the 70s. At that time, Bob Fosse was to direct the production, and Goldie Hawn, Liza Minnelli, and Frank Sinatra were planned for the leading roles. Unfortunately, the death of the great choreographer in 1987 dashed these plans.
- Miramax studio made its first attempt to stage the musical in 1994, but it was unsuccessful. Despite the script being radically reworked 7 times (!) during the process, Miloš Forman, Herbert Ross, and Baz Luhrmann each turned down the project.
- John Travolta, Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, and Hugh Jackman auditioned for the role of Billy Flynn at various times. Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Goldie Hawn, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Whoopi Goldberg, Britney Spears, and Charlize Theron all vied for the female roles in the film.
- This film marked the fourth time Richard Gere had been cast in a role that John Travolta also auditioned for. Similar situations had occurred during the casting of "Heaven Can Wait" (1978), "American Gigolo" (1980), and "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982).
- Prior to her work on the film, Renée Zellweger had never professionally studied dance or vocals. Before filming, Richard Gere attended tap dancing lessons for three months, and as a result, his signature dance scene was shot in just half a day.
- Deidre Goodwin (June), Denize Fay (Annie), Taye Diggs (jazz orchestra leader), and Sebastien Lacosse (June's husband) were members of the cast of the revived musical "Chicago," which ran on Broadway from October 23, 1996, to September 18, 2005.
- The vocal number "Class" was filmed but not included in the movie, as it did not fit the director's concept of "an imaginary show in Roxie's head," and was released as a bonus on the DVD. The fate of Roxie’s musical numbers "My Best Friend" and "I and My Baby" was even more unfortunate: they were cut from the script by the director.
- The director wanted Catherine Zeta-Jones to showcase her natural long curls in the film, but the actress insisted on a short haircut. She said she didn't want the hair constantly falling in her face to make the audience doubt that she performed all of her character’s dance routines herself.
- Catherine Zeta-Jones was initially offered the role of Roxie, but the actress preferred to play Velma, as that character performs her favorite song, "All That Jazz," in the film.
- Filming period: December 10, 2001 – May 2002.
- Throughout the film, lawyer Billy Flynn mistakenly calls Amos “Andy” – this is a reference to the popular 1920s radio show “Amos ‘n’ Andy”.
- The text of the rap recited within prison walls by Katalin Ujnyak, a Hungarian woman accused of murder, played by Russian ballerina Ekaterina Shchelkanova: “Mit keresek én itt? Azt mondják, a híres lakóm lefogta a férjem, én meg lecsaptam a fejét. De nem igaz. Én ártatlan vagyok. Nem tudom, miért mondja Uncle Sam, hogy én tettem. Próbáltam a rendõrségen megmagyarázni, de nem értették meg”. Translation: “What am I doing here? They say my lodger took my husband, and I chopped off his head. But that’s not true. I am innocent. I don’t know why Uncle Sam decided I did it. I tried to explain it at the police station, but they didn’t understand.”
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
