Roxie Hart
by William A. Wellman
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DVD details
Actor: Adolphe Menjou, George Montgomery, Ginger Rogers, Lynne Overman, Nigel BruceDirector: William A. Wellman
Brand: ROGERS,GINGER
Cinematographer: Leon Shamroy
Editor: James B. Clark
Producer: Nunnally Johnson
Writer: Nunnally Johnson
Writer: Ben Hecht
Writer: Maurine Dallas Watkins
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 75 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-04-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Roxie Hart
DVD Review: "Would you please tell the audience... err... the jury what happened?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Roxie Hart has enough action, comedy, suspense and acting that I thoroughly enjoyed it! The casting was wonderful; look for Ginger Rogers as Roxie Hart and Adolph Menjou gives a terrific performance as Billy Flynn's Roxie's not so honest lawyer who has quite a reputation for getting people, especially ladies, off the hook in the courtroom. The script was very well written and William Wellman's direction leaves nothing to be desired.
When the action begins, we quickly meet Amos Hart (George Chandler), who is signing a confession that he murdered a burglar in his home. However, when a newspaper reporter and the cops find out it was really Roxie (Ginger Rogers) who killed the man--and that Roxie and the burglar were actually having an affair, things go into full swing. The reporter, Jake Callahan (Lynne Overman) and the burglar's now former business partner convince Roxie that instead of paying for her crime, if she can get Billy Flynn (Adolph Menjou) to be her lawyer she'll turn the whole thing around to make a profitable career for herself in show business.
Of course, the entire trial and the preparations for it become a circus in and of itself anyway. Star reporters like Mary Sunshine (Spring Byington) are itching to get Roxie's story for their papers and magazines; murder sells big time in Chicago! At the same time, a young reporter, Homer Howard (George Montgomery) becomes infatuated with Roxie and he wants to make her his own--but will Roxie be acquitted or found guilty and forced to pay the death penalty? Moreover, how does Amos, Roxie's husband, take all this? No plot spoilers here--watch and find out! You won't be sorry--there are plenty of witty lines and more along the way.
Look also for fine performances by Phil Silvers as "Babe," a big shot photographer for the press; and Sarah Allgood plays the prison matron, Mrs. Morton, very well. Morris Ankrum is very convincing as district attorney Martin S. Harrison and William Frawley plays O'Malley, a rich guy on the jury who becomes a bartender years later who remembers all this while Homer tells the flashback story to his bar patrons.
The DVD comes with two theatrical trailers that could use a little restoration and that's about it for the bonus features. I would have liked something more but the film is so good that this becomes a minor quibble.
Roxie Hart is a well done film and there are even some wonderful scenes with Ginger Rogers dancing! The acting is uniformly superb, too. I recommend this film for fans of the actors in it; and people who enjoy classic movies will want this for their collections.
DVD Review: Cute, but Chicago is better.
Summary: 3 Stars
Its quite rare, but in this case the newer version is actually much better. If you have seen Chicago, you can see where they drew their inspiration, but this is not nearly as good as the newer film. This film is like a watered down, slapstick version. It is supposed to take place in 1927, but the clothing looks suspiciously 1940's. Even though I like Ginger Rodgers, I much prefer Renee Zelweger as Roxie, Rodger's character is almost annoying. Adoplh Menjou makes an interesting Billy Flynn, but can not beat Richard Gere by far. DVD Review: Great Performances, Awkward Script in this Production-Code Version of the Legendary CHICAGO
Summary: 3 Stars
Loosely based on the 1924 trials of Chicago murderesses Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner, as well as the exploits of notorious defense lawyers W.W. O'Brien and William Scott Steward, playwright Maurine Dallas Watkin's play CHICAGO was a popular stage success of 1926--a wickedly funny satire on fame and the American justice system. It was also a popular silent film of 1927. But when Hollywood returned to the story in 1942 the movies were under the infamous "production code," and there was simply no way the story could be filmed as originally written. The resulting film was a very loose adaptation in which the role of Velma Kelly was largely cut and Roxie Hart herself became less sinner than a fame-hungry dimwit who pleads guilty to a crime of which she is innocent in order to gain media fame.
ROXIE HART is one of those films that goes off with a bang when it works and dies with a fizzle when it doesn't. The great success is the cast: both Ginger Rogers and Adophe Menjou are knock-outs in the leading roles of Roxie and her slick-and-slimy defense attorney Billy Flynn, and the supporting cast (which includes a host of famous faces, including Nigel Bruce, Phil Silvers, Sara Allgood, Spring Byington, William Frawley and Iris Adrian) is hard to beat. The jail house scenes are a scream--yes, Ginger coaxes everybody into dancing "The Black Bottom"--and the court room scenes even more so--with Ginger showing as much false emotion as she does leg.
On the other hand, the film uses a framing device in which a reporter (George Montgomery) tells the story of Roxy to a bar-room audience some twenty years after the fact, and it creaks, plods, thuds, brings the movie to a slow crawl, and then gives us a surprise ending that's not only completely unsurprising but which has the effect of undercutting the entire premise of the film. When ROXIE HART flies, it really flies; when it falls, it does so with the thump of an over-cooked poundcake.
Even so, the film was still appealing enough to intrigue Broadway star Gwen Verdon, who was so fascinated by the general premise that she begged then-husband Bob Fosse to transform it into a stage showcase for her own talents. Fosse agreed it would make a great musical, but he ran afoul of original author Watkins, who had had a change of heart about her play over the years and didn't want to see it resurrected. When Watkins died in 1969 her estate felt differently, released the rights, and by 1975--with all its sin blackened humor restored--CHICAGO began to prove its worth on the musical stage. An Academy-award winning film version aside, it is currently one of the most widely admired and widely performed musicals on the world stage.
Getting back to ROXIE HART--well, no, it ain't no CHICAGO. But that awkward framing device aside, fans of the later musical will enjoy seeing this variation of their favorite musical, and certainly no one can argue with the calibre of the performances. The DVD is not mint, but it is close, and it comes with two film trailers. Recommended, as long as you don't expected too much.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
DVD Review: Ginger Rogers Sparkles!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes she does! This DVD released by 20th Century Fox is a crisp print, audio excellent. What a fun romp! Don't miss the jailhouse scene for a riotous rendition of "Black Bottom". And if you ever wondered what exactly was meant my a "circus" in reference to a court room, "Roxie Hart" will give you a visual definition that is utterly jaw-dropping!DVD Review: Roxy Heart - Great Entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
A very enjoyable film to watch. Every character was great but Ginger Rogers was fabulaous.
Description of Roxie Hart
After her husband shoots a burglar in their apartment, Roxie Hart (Ginger Rogers) is talked into pretending she did it by a newsman and a theatrical agent who promise to sign her for a vaudeville tour. Realizing she'll become a household name overnight, Roxie agrees and becomes the center of an outrageous trial.This 1942 satirical comedy stars Ginger Rogers as the title character, who agrees to be accused of murder so the publicity will advance her dancing career. Whether she actually committed the crime is irrelevant to the reporters, who fall all over themselves to give Roxie her 15 minutes of fame (well, this compact movie is actually 75 minutes long). Adolphe Menjou costars as the blustery defense lawyer who sees no possibility of losing, and George Chandler plays the meek husband left in Roxie's dust. Among the highlights are the judge, lawyers, and client primping for every photo opportunity, and Rogers's nostalgic tap dance on a metal prison staircase. Roxie Hart was based on the play Chicago, which later became the basis for the Bob Fosse musical with Gwen Verdon (and then Ann Reinking in the 1997 revival) in the Rogers role. --David Horiuchi
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