All That Jazz

Good and watchable musicals are hard to find and when one comes along that completely captures the subject that it's describing it becomes a classic before you know it. One of the greatest talents to ever to attach itself to the Broadway stage is Bob Fosse, and with his flair and showmanship he gives the world a look into his life, and afterlife. This semi-autobiographical story shows the raunchy side of show business and how it slowly becomes acceptable. Leading the cast in this completely enjoyable, and sometimes shocking, story is the late Roy Scheider, with all the energy and stamina that he had in the prime of his career.
Driving himself over the edge in his career and life Joe Gideon starts a downhill slide in his personal life and health, which culminates with a visit from the Angel of Death. From beginning to end this film has the feel of a life spiraling down to a crash that is unavoidable, and with the musical numbers spread throughout the tale you'll wonder if there'll be a musical number for the end of your life. With all the dancing and music it's hard to believe that you completely forget that this is a musical. One of the best roles of this film is the portrayal of Death in the guise of a woman named Angelique who is played by Jessica Lange. With some stylish costumes Lange plays a very sympathetic and at times loving Death, but the air that is around her does have a sense of finality.
This film has one of the best finales for a musical; to have the death of the main character set to a jazzy number that leaves your toes tapping is great. After watching this film your left with feelings that start you wondering just how your life is going to end. If we're given the opportunity of reliving our lives at the end then we could only hope that it's all set to a choreographed montage by Fosse himself. We all hope that we'll be remembered for the things we've done for others and not how we've screwed up along the way, but since none of us will ever know for sure we should all work for the best results.