GCS 010: "All That Jazz" by Bob Fosse

All that work. All that glitter. All that pain. All that love. All that crazy rhythm. All that jazz.

Last year, this movie was playing at the Cannes Film Festival on an huge screen on the beach: "the cinema de la plage".

Now normally I never stop to watch a movie in cannes, but when I passed by this screen, a certain scene of this great movie was starting!

Now the movie is

All That Jazz (1979) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078754/

Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid life of Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a womanizing, drug-using dancer.

Academy Awards, USA

1980

• 

Won, Oscar

Ralph Burns

• 

Won, Oscar

Alan Heim

• 

Won, Oscar

Philip Rosenberg, Tony Walton, Edward Stewart, Gary J. Brink

• 

Won, Oscar

Albert Wolsky

• 

Nominated, Oscar

Robert Alan Aurthur

• 

Nominated, Oscar

Robert Alan Aurthur, Bob Fosse

• 

Nominated, Oscar

Bob Fosse

• 

Nominated, Oscar

Giuseppe Rotunno

• 

Nominated, Oscar

Roy Scheider

Fun facts:

• The film takes its title from the song "All That Jazz" from Bob Fosse's 1975 Broadway musical "Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville."

• When first released on video, it was the first such videocassette to have a stereo soundtrack.

• According to Shirley MacLaine in her autobiography "My Lucky Stars," the idea for this film was hatched when Fosse was hospitalized for a heart attack. MacLaine claims she was the one who gave Fosse the idea to do "a musical about his death" though she said Fosse seemed to not remember this later. Fosse did, however, offer her the role of Audrey Paris, she wrote.

• Ann Reinking, who played a part based on herself, had to audition several times before she was cast.

• Many of the characters in the film are based on real-life characters from the New York theater world. Aside from Roy Scheider, Leland Palmer's character was based on his wife/frequent star Gwen Verdon. John Lithgow's character was also based somewhat on the New York theater director Michael Bennett, director of "Dreamgirls" with whom Bob Fosse had a longstanding rivalry. The character of producer Jonesy Hecht was based upon his fellow longtime rival Harold Prince. Ann Reinking was more or less playing herself. The character of songwriter "Paul Dann" is a swipe at Stephen Schwartz, with whom he had unhappily worked on "Pippin." Jules Fisher, the lighting designer on many of Fosse's shows, and later the producer of his show "Dancin'", makes an appearance as a lighting designer in the scene with John Lithgow.

And here is the scene! One of the greatest scenes ever, the final scene of "All that Jazz", the bye bye life song!

ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcl0L7eJUY