Criterion Challenge week 17: All That Jazz (1979)
Photo courtesy of AlexanderUtz / Wikimedia Commons
All That Jazz (1979) is a film with outstanding choreography, unique storytelling, and heart-wrenching themes of fame and ambition.
*Spoilers ahead*
The Criterion Challenge is an annual film challenge hosted in online communities. The goal is to watch 52 movies from the Criterion Collection in a calendar year, one per week, with 52 prompts in total. Last week’s (week 16) challenge was to watch a film currently out of print or not being distributed by the company. During that week, I watched The Fallen Idol (1948). This week’s (week 17) challenge is to watch a film made in the 1970s.
For the 1970s, I chose All That Jazz (1979), directed by Bob Fosse. This movie is partially autobiographical, based on the life of filmmaker, dancer, and choreographer Fosse himself. The film stars Roy Scheider as Joe Gideon, an incredibly successful director and choreographer. He is a workaholic, alcoholic, heavy drug user, and sexual deviant.
The film follows Gideon as he stages a production of a Broadway musical called “NY/LA” and edits his film, The Stand-Up. This movie follows a linear/nonlinear progression of events, cutting between Gideon’s current work and his conversations with a woman, Angelique (Jessica Lange), who seems to be some sort of angel. He and Angelique talk about the present day, as well as reflect on his life, the start of his career, and his family.
Gideon is not happy with how editing his film is going, continuously taking out his frustrations on the cast of the stage show, his girlfriend, and his daughter. After he continues to work himself to death, he is admitted to the hospital with severe chest pain. The doctors all recommend weeks of rest, as he is suffering from exhaustion, but he does not change his behavior. He continues to work from the hospital, as well as smoke and drink. He eventually suffers from a heart attack after his film is not well-received by critics.
As Gideon undergoes open heart surgery— which, quite frankly, was disgusting to watch —the film cuts between his surgery and the extravagant musical numbers he is directing in his imagination. The fantastical numbers carry him through the five stages of grief as he seemingly prepares for his own death, where, right at the end of his dream, he performs the most extravagant number of all: thanking and saying his goodbyes to his friends and family. He then exits his performance and meets Angelique, the angel, in a long hallway. In an incredibly jarring switch, the film then cuts to Joe’s body being silently zipped up into a body bag in the hospital morgue.
This film is incredibly well-known and ranks among the favorites of directors and writers in the film industry. It is also one of the films on the Official Barbie Watchlist, Greta Gerwig’s list of films she drew inspiration from for Barbie (2023).
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The most unsavory part, in my opinion, was watching the open-heart surgery. Nevertheless, it was incredibly well-choreographed, with perfectly paired cinematography to emphasize every feeling Fosse wanted to pass along to the audience. My favorite parts are the opening dancer montage (also a favorite of Greta Gerwig’s) and the fantasy musical numbers towards the end, both of which are visually stunning and engaging. The nonlinear path the story takes you is also interesting and comprehensible.
The last thing I will note is the repetition of Joe’s morning routine and editing process; I found this particularly impactful. Overall, I gave this film four and a half stars on Letterboxd, and I highly recommend you watch this— especially if you are a fan of musicals or Bob Fosse’s work in general. If you are not a fan of musicals, watch it anyway!