After watching this movie, the crowd was silent for a minute. Anyone who expected to watch a chic & cheerful dancing movie would be disappointed and disgruntled.
“What the F is this?”
All that Jazz, a semi-autobiographical movie directed by Bob Fosse, not so much a musical film but an unprecedented character study on depression and a hallucinating depiction of how a cabaret genius burns out all his passion and, at the same time, bids farewell to the world in an unrestrained and lonely way of narcissism.
Not knowing much about the life of Bob Fosse before watching this movie, but after watching it, I want to know every single detail of the life of the man behind it.
So, what does this movie exactly say? From the story-telling perspective, it tells how a workaholic, smoking-addicted, dissolute and talented cabaret director and choreographer, Joe Gideon, fights with his mental illness caused by a humiliating experience on a stage performance during youthhood, and eventually, get crushed by a heart attack. But the whole movie is way more than that.
First, by adding a flirting and poetic conversation with the death goddess played by Jessica Lange, not only the protagonist’s arc is enriched to a great extent, but also blurred the line of realism and surrealism by cross-cutting his hallucination and the reality which gives the whole movie a jazzy, ambient vibe. Back to reality, the relationships with his girlfriend and ex-wife as well as the negative review from a film critic finally overwhelmed and crushed him. The final scene shows his corpse being zipped in a body bag.
What’s more about this film is, of course, the amazing stage performances. Besides the movies’ glittery finale, there's also one erotic and sexual inclusive stage show which seems to be bold at that time.
After watching this movie, there’re people saying it feels like Fellini's 8 ½. It’s true. The dream-like experience, the surrealistic dancing scenes, all feel familiar. However, from my personal perspective, it also feels like Requiem for a Dream to me (Or the opposite?). The anger, helplessness, and loneliness in his soul undoubtedly added a lot of weight of realism to this film. The final tragic scene also undoubtedly enhances the contrast of reality, which leaves the whole story resonates with you.
Does being great also means to be lonely and paranoid and self-centered? Bob Fosse presented his own answer to the world.
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