Rating: 
Summary: FINALLY!!!!
Review: Lock up those little guys and gals that wanna be a star, Momma...this one is back! One of the most dark, wonderful films I had ever seen is finally back in print (leave it to the teeming hordes of "Chicago" fans who are snatching up anything Fosse to bring some distributor to his senses!) and just as thought-provoking as when I first saw it (about 20 times!) in 1979.Roy Schneider is terrific as Fosse (whoops, make that Joe Gideon) who destroys every personal relationship in his life for his art...it's all about the play, the musical, the number, never about his wise ex-wife (guess who-should we say Gwen??), his knockout girlfriend (played with ultimate knowledge by the Master's actual girlie at the time), nor his daughter (sassy and cute - the Peter Allen number with her and Katie is one of the highlights of the film). That this is autobiographical goes without saying, when Bob died of a heart attack in the 1980s, he was walking back to his apartment with Gwen. The biggest kick for me was to see characterizations of folks I knew in the business and how it is truly a business - the meeting with the insurance guys while Gideon undergoes (graphic) open-heart surgery should knock any romantic ideas of "The Great White Way" right outta your head. And "Take Off With Us"...is there a more seductive, erotic piece of film ever shot??? Simply superb, simply tremendous, simply...Fosse!
Rating: 
Summary: Too bad they didn't fix the video...
Review: A great movie like this deserved better video treatment than this received. It may be anamorphic, but it pulsates in many scenes. Also just Dolby Surround, not digital in any way. Maybe if this DVD version sells, they'll fix the video and re-sell it to the fans again. That seems to be a common practice for DVDs. Five stars for the movie and minus one star for the video.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: A seemingly honest autobiographical film of Fosse on Fosse during his period in preparation for "Chicago!" Extremely personal. Dark but brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: A dark, cynical, often surreal film with captivating dance sequences and a creativity all its own. It improves over time, too. Another example of a film made in past years that would never make it past committee now. The excellent dancing isn't everthing that's interesting about this film. It's a Broadway corrective, laced with insight, black humor, heart, and depth. One of a kind.
Rating:
Summary: A treat
Review: What a treat it was to watch this masterpiece in widescreen format on DVD. If you're a fan of the film, consider listening to Roy Scheider's commentary. It's surprisingly moving. There aren't many extras, but that's not unusual considering this was filmed 25 years ago. The original theatrical preview is included. It reminded me how excited I felt in December of 1979 when I saw the preview for the first time.
Rating: 
Summary: FLAWED, WEAK TRANSFER of a THOROUGHLY ENGROSSING FILM
Review: "All That Jazz" is a semi-autobiographical recounting of Bob Fosse's life. Directed by the master himself, the film follows Broadway producer, Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider)as he spirals into an oblivion of drug addiction, alcoholism and womanizing while preparing to launch his greatest show yet. Joe is ably pushed to the edge of the great beyond by the lovely Angel of Death (Jessica Lange)who eventually gets her wish. This is perhaps the only time in my viewing experience that a musical film has given me chills. The entire plot functions on the mental anguish of its protagonist and his inevitable demise and the final few moments are truly unsettling.
So is FOX's DVD transfer quality; the image suffers from dated - often muddy - colors, washed out and pasty flesh tones, weak blacks, an excessive amount of film grain and various age related artifacts that generally detract from the visual experience. Edge enhancement and pixelization are big problems in certain scenes but others appear to be free of their frustrating inclusion. The soundtrack is Stereo Surround, well balanced though, on occasion, strident.
EXTRAS: An interview with Scheider while he was making the film that is needlessly divided into chapter stops that don't matter. Ditto for several snippets of Fosse at work on the set. The theatrical trailer is also included.
BOTTOM LINE: If you simply can't live without this film - as I could not (for its brilliant story telling vision and disconcerted charm)then I recommend it highly. The transfer, however, will disappoint - especially for a film of seventies vintage!
Rating:
Summary: ALL THAT JAZZ - the reality of show business!
Review: Most people think of choreographers, and they think of mincing gay men who stage bright lavish numbers with Easter bonnets and bouncing ballerinas. ALL THAT JAZZ gives you a sleazey, chain-smoking, woman-chasing alcoholic who choreographs dark and dirty numbers where people strip and writhe on the floor! AH! The genius of Fossee - expect the unexpected. This movie is the disturbing allegorical and autobiographical take of Fossee on the subject he knows best - HIMSELF! It typifies the best of 70s cinema with its take no prisoners honesty. Forget FAME or CENTERSTAGE, this is the real deal of what it's like in showbiz. AMERICAN IDOL be damned, here is a gritty and real backstage story that shows you the good and the bad of a life lived onstage. Glad to see some extras here! Roy Scheider gives scene-specific commentary, and you get some FOSSEE numbers to boot. But the nicest thing will be seeing this in widescreen - something I have not been able to do since it came out in theatres! If you like CHICAGO or MOULIN ROUGE, this one's just as good. Perfect match for it would be CABARET. The brilliance of Fossee here is on display full force - humans with flaws who move with such grace and style you forgive them! And that's the real jazz here.
Rating:
Summary: Genius Choreographer Flirts With Angel of Death...
Review: ...Or, "Of Derbies and Capezios and Prescription Drugs and Cigarettes". You really get the feel that there's no salvation for Joe Gideon when you see the shots of him in the shower with a lit Camel, then you see him pop a few pills, then "It's Showtime". You know he's doomed when he's getting his chest checked on by a physician with an ashy butt in his mouth and they are dueling each other making smoke signals...what really shows the end is nigh is when, in the final showtime, Ben Vereen shows up and does a dead-on "Sammy D. at the Telethon" introduction of a celebrity 'friend'...or is Ben just being himself? The question becomes, well, how can a guy with a notorious eye for The Babe resist Death disguised as Jessica Lange...even if and especially since he's always around an array of beautiful women? Subtexted to the story, is how--what compelled Gideon and Fosse to his creative obssessiveness, and thusly, his addictions. He never felt as if any thing he created is good enough. A critic with an Ivy League pedigree can point out his products many technical flaws making him think he was still a boy dancer in a burlesque hall...so, if he could just get unquestionably the best piece of direction, the best editing, the best choreography...? Make a deal to be the best? Not out of the question. Drive himself to a heart attack? Most definitely. Anything may be better than being the boy dancer in a Strip Joint...yet, his start there influenced his creative out put later in his life. His choreography becomes sensual to borderline sleazy, he does movies about Call Girls falling in love with clients, and Stand Up Comics charged with obscenity...the audience eats it up. The Critics? That's a different story. All of Fosse's movies has that Dark Side twist to it, even and especially his magnum opus, "Caberet" and this one is no exception...at least one could enjoy some fabulous dance routines, great and shocking edits and a look at a semi-autobigraphical piece of Faustian cinema. The "Bye Bye Love (Life)" routine may give you the idea that Ol' Joe Gideon may just beat the odds on This One. Maybe, when you consider his creative output, he has...
Rating:
Summary: It's about time!
Review: I have been searching the web for a copy of this AMAZING movie for years, and could not find a copy (okay, that wasn't on Beta, ridiculously over-priced, or required a translator to purchase)and FINALLY the distributor came to their senses and re-released this gem! This movie is, simply put, one of the finest examples of modern dance, with a quirky but telling story line, and a great cast. Say what you will about "Chicago", which is a fine movie in it's own right, but "All That Jazz" is sublime, and Ann Reinking proves once again why she was Bob Fosse's muse. No one has ever been able to interpret Fosse the way she can, and Roy Scheider is wonderful in his lusty performance of Fosse's alter ego. Let's hope that more of these forgotten greats start getting resurrected!
Rating:
Summary: One of my 'guilty pleasure' movies
Review: I think superior to Cabaret (closest similarity) because of its fatalistic storyline. It is really about a man's journey through death, starting as he flirts with death and eventually embraces it; death being portrayed by a beautiful woman who in intermittant scenes discusses Joey's life with him. In life, he is a philanderer who drinks and smokes and takes drugs to maintain his busy lifestyle as a top director on Broadway. Trying to satisfy his insatiable appetite to be the best, to create the best; he must balance his relationships with his girlfriend, ex-wife, and daughter. As the show he is producing begins to go over-budget, the stress is on and he finally reaches a saturation point of drugs, bad living and stress, and has a massive heart attack. He then goes through the seven stages of death in his own theatrical way, dreaming of scenes that would portray his death on stage. Brilliant dance sequences, excellent choreography,(and don't forget the actual footage of real open heart surgery) a flashy production of the life and death of a talented A-type personality, giving glimpses into just how little he leaves behind him in the end. The final death production is absolutely great. Enjoy!
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