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All That Jazz (1979)
Director: Bob Fosse
Writers: Robert Alan Aurthur, Bob Fosse
Stars: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Leland Palmer
Genre: Surreal Drama, Musical
Length: 123 minutes


Legendary director & choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story in the entertainment business. We're treated to the details of his rathersordid life, as played by fictional character Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider). Joe Gideon is Bob Fosse and he's a lout...a womanizing, boozing-pill popping, egotistical talent and one helluva of a dancer & choreographer. Through surreal images and imaginative dance scenes we learn of the toll that Bob Fosse's life style takes on his health.

All That Jazz is quite different in it's style and the dance numbers were amazing. The story premise of a hard drinking-pill popping-womanizing producer who sees his life (or what it could have been) flash before his eyes is an intriguing concept.



BUT the editing of the scenes, which literally cut the action into the middle of the scene before the scene is played out, was annoying. The inter-cutting of the 'woman in white' scenes (played by Jessica Lange) without any explanation at first as to what was going on made for an ecliptic montage of disembodied scenes.

Latter in the film, Joe Gideon is watching a review of his latest movie and the movie reviewer, Leslie Perry says:

"The razzle-dazzle sometimes obliterates...
chopping off the ends of scenes before the drama is played out,
left this reviewer with bewilderment and a four-aspirin headache."

EXACTLY what I was thinking about All That Jazz. I swear that 20 minutes before that quote was said in the movie, I had said out loud 'that the editing was giving me a headache.'

All That Jazz
could have been a great film if the film had been cut more conventionally....This movie gets an 'easy pass' from the public, do to the semi autobiographical story of its director, the legendary Bob Fosse.

How do I rate this? On the first viewing it's confusing but with a second viewing one knows what to expect and then can set back, relax and enjoy the surreal images and amazing Bob Fosse dance numbers.




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