I used to watch this movie all the time, I haven't in quite a while... but watching it this time around I noticed that there are a lot of strong, feminist themes in the movie... and it kind of shows how women were treated in the 1920s and what has changed since then... and probably what has not. I'm mostly going to discuss the characters in this review... maybe I'll sort of compare this to other famous 1920s pop culture things later... Not really sure, just thinking out loud- let me know if you are interested. Anyway, onto the review!
There are not many men in this story at all really. I've seen the play, and I think the play does a great job showing that, but I think that's an interesting choice to show a movie mainly about women. There aren't a lot of really positive characters either... Most of the women in the movie are murderers, most of the men have cheated on their significant others, or they're just kind of selfish. I think Richard Gere's portrayal of Billy Flynn does show that he loves Roxy and Velma kind of like sisters, but I think all the male characters are just looking out for themselves. Even Amos, he really doesn't care if Roxy is going to get hanged or not if it's not his baby that she's carrying. So really... I wouldn't even say he's a positive character. I'm not trying to be a man-basher here... but it does show men and women as equals. The men and women are all kind of just as selfish.
The movie also shows a lot of women in... more powerful positions than in most period pieces. I get annoyed at movies and plays that take place in the 1950s and 1960s because a lot of times it just shows women as secretaries and men treating them badly... and that's why I can't watch shows like Mad Men, or any of the attempted replicas of Mad Men. I know there are lots of strong female characters on Mad Men, but it's just something I don't really like seeing in movies and TV. I just don't like watching men treat their secretaries or any woman as an object... and that's kind of what I got from the first episode of Mad Men... so it wasn't something I was interested in watching any further than that.
... back to what I was saying about Chicago, they had characters like Velma, Mama, and Mary Sunshine... and those are all women that are in powerful places. Mama probably has the most power and leverage over everyone in the movie, and she's very much in control and takes advantage of her position. Velma, is a huge star, famous for a double act and the movie opens with her singing solo on stage. Mary Sunshine is a very famous radio reporter... and at the time everyone in the movie is glued to the radio listening to every word she says... so women really have a lot of control of the town, which again, is awesome for a movie set in a time where women weren't necessarily the most powerful people.
Roxy is also very strong throughout the movie. At the beginning, she lets Fred know what she wants right away, and when he says, she's never going to be a star and he never talked to anyone, he's only interested in sleeping with her, not helping her career... she- well she gets rid of him. I'm not saying that was a good thing to do at all- if I were Roxy I probably would have just told his wife about everything and maybe broke some of his stuff and yelled at him a lot- but her reaction certainly wasn't a weak reaction. Roxy is also the one coming up with all the ideas. She's the one that faints and says "I just hope the fall didn't hurt the baby" when people begin to lose interest in her case... she's the one to... convince the doctor to lie and say that her pregnancy test is positive. She is even the one that writes the song at the end that *spoilers* saves her and Velma's career! Although- it is with the help of Velma's choreography and persuasion of starring in a double act. But still- women with the good ideas! See girl's are important!
The saddest story in the whole movie also shows a woman's struggle and that is of corse the Hunyak... who is innocent of killing her husband, but still is hanged for the murder. This story and scene didn't add a whole lot to the movie or play... it did get Roxy scared enough to reconsider Billy Flynn as a lawyer... but I don't really think The Hunyak's plot was the answer to that problem... I think the Roxy and Billy fight was a solution to show the Hunyak's tragic end. I think it was important to show that she did not have Billy Flynn as a lawyer and no one really believed her because she was foreign. Part of her solo in Cell Block Tango even (roughly) translates to "I don't understand why Uncle Sam thinks I did it." ( I looked it up on IMDB if you were curious, her lover cut off her husband's head and somehow she was accused and put to death because of the crime.) That one line about Uncle Sam shows a lot about how she was treated as a foreigner... and while the other women that did commit crimes did not hang- this innocent woman was put to death because she was not from the country.
Back to the sort of "happier" tone of the movie... the ending. As I mentioned before- it is pretty epic what happens when Velma's choreography comes together with the song that Roxy wrote. I think the movie really does show that Velma is more of the performer and Roxy is the writer- she keeps a diary. The musical numbers are all taking place in Roxy's head- it definitely highlights her creativity there... whereas Velma is more creative with physicality and choreographed moves. She even choreographs showing off her blue garter belt in court to get some sympathy from the jury and the press... and Roxy steals that because that's not her strong suit. It is epic to see two women- that don't get along putting their differences aside and using their strengths to get their names back out there and become famous again.
So- that is my take on the movie Chicago. I think a lot of people kind of judge things where women are scantily clad and think "Ohhh that's so inappropriate and sexist" but if you don't pay attention to that stuff and pay attention to the messages that they're sending... it makes it way more meaningful and awesome!
Also weird fact about this movie: This is when they started making stricter rules about showing cigarettes in movies... and I always thought it was kind of stupid to pick this movie. Like really? It's a movie about women killing men- what you're worried about is Velma smoking a bunch of cigarettes? Don't smoke- but really? That's what people got from this movie? So silly!
Byeee!
-Shannon
There are not many men in this story at all really. I've seen the play, and I think the play does a great job showing that, but I think that's an interesting choice to show a movie mainly about women. There aren't a lot of really positive characters either... Most of the women in the movie are murderers, most of the men have cheated on their significant others, or they're just kind of selfish. I think Richard Gere's portrayal of Billy Flynn does show that he loves Roxy and Velma kind of like sisters, but I think all the male characters are just looking out for themselves. Even Amos, he really doesn't care if Roxy is going to get hanged or not if it's not his baby that she's carrying. So really... I wouldn't even say he's a positive character. I'm not trying to be a man-basher here... but it does show men and women as equals. The men and women are all kind of just as selfish.
The movie also shows a lot of women in... more powerful positions than in most period pieces. I get annoyed at movies and plays that take place in the 1950s and 1960s because a lot of times it just shows women as secretaries and men treating them badly... and that's why I can't watch shows like Mad Men, or any of the attempted replicas of Mad Men. I know there are lots of strong female characters on Mad Men, but it's just something I don't really like seeing in movies and TV. I just don't like watching men treat their secretaries or any woman as an object... and that's kind of what I got from the first episode of Mad Men... so it wasn't something I was interested in watching any further than that.
... back to what I was saying about Chicago, they had characters like Velma, Mama, and Mary Sunshine... and those are all women that are in powerful places. Mama probably has the most power and leverage over everyone in the movie, and she's very much in control and takes advantage of her position. Velma, is a huge star, famous for a double act and the movie opens with her singing solo on stage. Mary Sunshine is a very famous radio reporter... and at the time everyone in the movie is glued to the radio listening to every word she says... so women really have a lot of control of the town, which again, is awesome for a movie set in a time where women weren't necessarily the most powerful people.
Roxy is also very strong throughout the movie. At the beginning, she lets Fred know what she wants right away, and when he says, she's never going to be a star and he never talked to anyone, he's only interested in sleeping with her, not helping her career... she- well she gets rid of him. I'm not saying that was a good thing to do at all- if I were Roxy I probably would have just told his wife about everything and maybe broke some of his stuff and yelled at him a lot- but her reaction certainly wasn't a weak reaction. Roxy is also the one coming up with all the ideas. She's the one that faints and says "I just hope the fall didn't hurt the baby" when people begin to lose interest in her case... she's the one to... convince the doctor to lie and say that her pregnancy test is positive. She is even the one that writes the song at the end that *spoilers* saves her and Velma's career! Although- it is with the help of Velma's choreography and persuasion of starring in a double act. But still- women with the good ideas! See girl's are important!
The saddest story in the whole movie also shows a woman's struggle and that is of corse the Hunyak... who is innocent of killing her husband, but still is hanged for the murder. This story and scene didn't add a whole lot to the movie or play... it did get Roxy scared enough to reconsider Billy Flynn as a lawyer... but I don't really think The Hunyak's plot was the answer to that problem... I think the Roxy and Billy fight was a solution to show the Hunyak's tragic end. I think it was important to show that she did not have Billy Flynn as a lawyer and no one really believed her because she was foreign. Part of her solo in Cell Block Tango even (roughly) translates to "I don't understand why Uncle Sam thinks I did it." ( I looked it up on IMDB if you were curious, her lover cut off her husband's head and somehow she was accused and put to death because of the crime.) That one line about Uncle Sam shows a lot about how she was treated as a foreigner... and while the other women that did commit crimes did not hang- this innocent woman was put to death because she was not from the country.
Back to the sort of "happier" tone of the movie... the ending. As I mentioned before- it is pretty epic what happens when Velma's choreography comes together with the song that Roxy wrote. I think the movie really does show that Velma is more of the performer and Roxy is the writer- she keeps a diary. The musical numbers are all taking place in Roxy's head- it definitely highlights her creativity there... whereas Velma is more creative with physicality and choreographed moves. She even choreographs showing off her blue garter belt in court to get some sympathy from the jury and the press... and Roxy steals that because that's not her strong suit. It is epic to see two women- that don't get along putting their differences aside and using their strengths to get their names back out there and become famous again.
So- that is my take on the movie Chicago. I think a lot of people kind of judge things where women are scantily clad and think "Ohhh that's so inappropriate and sexist" but if you don't pay attention to that stuff and pay attention to the messages that they're sending... it makes it way more meaningful and awesome!
Also weird fact about this movie: This is when they started making stricter rules about showing cigarettes in movies... and I always thought it was kind of stupid to pick this movie. Like really? It's a movie about women killing men- what you're worried about is Velma smoking a bunch of cigarettes? Don't smoke- but really? That's what people got from this movie? So silly!
Byeee!
-Shannon
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