Fantasia Obscura: ‘All That Jazz’

There are some fantasy, science fiction, and horror films that not every fan has caught. Not every film ever made has been seen by the audience that lives for such fare. Some of these deserve another look, because sometimes not every film should remain obscure.

Sometimes, you have to remember as you look back, that there really is no business like show business…

All That Jazz (1979)
Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox (US and Canada), Columbia Pictures (worldwide)
Directed by: Bob Fosse

Fosse in rehearsals for his 1978 review Dancin’

“Daring” is a word that has been used to describe Bob Fosse throughout his career. Most recognizable for his work as a Broadway choreographer and director, he also has an outstanding film legacy. His early resume as a director includes such standouts as Sweet Charity and Cabaret, two musicals that were followed up by Lenny, a biographic pic on Lenny Bruce.

None of that prepared anyone, however, for the autobiographic fantasy to come…

Please note that there will be some somewhat unavoidable spoilers herein.

From the beginning, once the title of the film is briskly presented, Fosse masterfully gives us an introduction to his main character, Joseph Gideon (Roy Scheider), his strengths and weaknesses in full view with George Benson’s “On Broadway” as the soundtrack:

The details come through as the scene continues: He’s putting together a Broadway musical, NY/LA, as the backers of the show (among them Anthony Holland and Alan Helm) sit in the audience, not entirely understanding or appreciating what they watch him do as he winnows out the hopefuls for the show answering a cattle call. Joe’s high standards don’t keep him from being friendly with all applicants, probably a little too friendly with one of them, Victoria (Deborah Geffner, in her first theatrical role), as he makes a pass at her that she accepts.

Also in the back of the house are Audrey Paris (Leland Palmer, in her last theatrical role), Joe’s ex-wife, and their daughter Michelle (Erzsebet Foldi, in her only listed credit). Audrey has a role in the show as a lead, and Michelle’s waiting for her dad to start the weekend with him, but Joe cancels at the last moment, as he’s off to do another gig.

His next gig he runs off to, leaving behind a disappointed Michelle, is the editing room where his film, The Stand-Up, is being cut. The pic about the stand-up comedian Davis Newman (Cliff Gorman) is exceeding the number of days given for shooting and editing, and the constant edits Joe insists on are driving not only the film editors to the edge, but the distributor rep Josh Penn (Max Wright) to the point of neurosis.

As if Joe’s day wasn’t busy enough, he makes plans for seeing his girlfriend, Kate Jagger (Ann Reinking). That gets screwed up when Kate comes into Joe’s apartment and finds him in bed with Victoria…

At this point, the narrative changes, as we go back and forth between Joe living his life (miserably) and his conversations on a stage cluttered with props with Angelique (Jessica Lang). Angelique discusses with Joe his bad habits and dubious life choices, including taking an overnight gig as a dancer at a burlesque house while in high school. Every step of the way, she challenges him, putting him in a contemplative mood.

When he’s not having Angelique point out his faults to him, Joe is muddling through the crises he causes. Josh is getting closer to a breakdown with every day of delay on The Stand-Up, and having problems putting together the opening number for NY/LA. After a few moments of loud self-criticism in front of Audrey, he finally comes up with an number:

From there, it gets a bit more intense and steamy and- Well, let’s just say Joe’s lucky that Disney wasn’t producing on Broadway back then…

Joe goes on, trying to say, “It’s showtime, folks!” to himself in the mirror every morning, even though his Dexedrine and eyedrops are having a harder time making up for all the drinking and sleeping around he does. With The Stand-Up finally ready to deliver to the studio and the backers now on board with the racy number, Joe goes into a table read for NY/LA to see if the revised jokes work.

We never hear the jokes, as during the read the only sound we get are the ones Joe is concentrating on, like taps on the table and his slowing heart rate. This prompts Joe to go to the hospital, where his cardiologist, Dr. Ballenger (Michael Tolan), determines that Joe’s suffering angina attacks that could lead to a coronary.

Joe’s prescribed a few months’ rest, and Joe follows the doctor’s orders has near constant parties in his private room at the hospital, including booze and sleep overs with women willing to hook up with him. His condition deteriorates, such that the producers look for a director to replace Joe, Lucas Sergeant (John Lithgow), in order to recoup their investment and keep the musical from folding.

Meanwhile, Angelique watches Joe as he appears in two places at once, in his hospital bed on the stage and directing musical numbers for her featuring his family and friends telling him what he’s done with his life. The numbers become more dramatic as Joe gets weaker in bed; it’s not hard to figure out before the end which kind of angel Angelique is, as she smiles as Joe closes the show of his life with a major musical number…

The story of the film is autobiographical, save for one big difference, Fosse paying attention to his doctors. In 1974, Fosse was bringing Chicago to the stage while overseeing the final cut of Lenny. Like Joe, Fosse had his ex-wife set for the lead of the show, Gwen Verdon, with whom he had a daughter, Nicole (who is one of the dancers appearing in the film). At the time, Fosse was in a relationship with another dancer… Ann Reinking, who apparently had to audition for the role in the film to play a version of herself…

It’s also during this time that longtime collaborator Robert Alan Arthur introduced Fosse to Ending, a novel by Hilma Wolitzer. The book went through the death of the narrator’s husband with nuance and heart, a touching moving tale of one woman trying to make sense of how to handle her spouse’s terminal cancer.

Fosse was moved by the story, but at the same time unsure how to approach the material. With Arthur as his cowriter and ultimately producer for the film, Fosse found that the only way he could capture the spirit and tone of the book was to change the narrative from a suburban housewife living a quiet life to a big musical production based on what he’d lived through as he read the novel.

Fosse on the set with Scheider

By distilling the theme of the source material and presenting it through the lens of his own life, Fosse gave us a meditation on death and regret as life comes to an end with flash and excitement that only a big musical can convey. His direction was flawless, and the script brilliant in how it portrays a loveable talented f-up that we can feel sorry for. Part of the scriptwriting process included interviews with everyone associated with Fosse, who were encouraged to be completely honest with their answers and not hold back; when you realize that Joe is a stand-in for Fosse, the character traits and self-reflection by Joe in the work become even more dazzling.

The film benefitted by including an amazing cast. Even the smaller roles, including an insurance executive played by Wallace Shaw, brings life and depth to everyone how comes on screen for even a few seconds. Scheider’s performance gives a great case for his deserving the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (losing that year to Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer), giving us a charming pain in the ass you can’t help but like no matter how he frustrates you.

The end result (which might not have ever been released had Fox not stepped in at the last minute to cover the production’s cost overruns for Columbia) is a film about how we look at the end of life, stuffed with as much joy as possible. It reminds us how precious our existence is no matter how badly we blow it before the end. And like any musical Bob Fosse is associated with, it’s a show that’ll stay with you long after you finish watching.

Only Fosse could have made this film, as he was the only talent out there daring enough to try…