Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

All That Jazz Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 3, 2014

Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Bob Fosse's "All That Jazz" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new conversation with Ann Reinking and Erzsebet Foldi; new video interview with author Sam Wasson; selected-scene commentary by Roy Scheider; audio commentary with editor Alan Heim; archival interview with Bob Fosse; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring Hilton Als' essay "Stardust". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"It's showtime, folks!"

His name is Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider, The French Connection, Blue Thunder) and he is a movie director and Broadway choreographer. He is successful, wealthy, admired and feared. He is also a father and an unapologetic cheater addicted to amphetamines.

Like the famous director in Federico Fellini’s classic 8½, Joe Gideon is struggling with a creative block. No one else around him can tell -- he is that good -- but he can’t stand his own work. Its mediocrity is eating him alive.

After a series of exhausting and frustrating rehearsals, Joe Gideon finally introduces to his producers a bold new concept for an upcoming show. Shortly after, he collapses. At a local hospital an honest doctor informs him that his heart will permanently stop unless he dramatically changes his lifestyle.

There is a simple reason why Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz works so well: It is brutally honest. It shows how spectacular and how utterly ridiculous life on Broadway can be, how dreams can come true and how they can be destroyed in an instant, leaving permanent scars on the lives of those who have been naive enough to imagine that the impossible is possible.

Joe Gideon’s story, which is essentially Bob Fosse’s life story, is told via a series of magnificently choreographed pieces that rightfully place All That Jazz amongst the greatest musicals ever filmed. There are spectacular performances by Leland Palmer (whose character was inspired by Bob Fosse’s wife and collaborator Gwen Verdon), Ann Reinking (who plays Gideon’s girlfriend), Ben Vereen, and Deborah Geffne. The beautiful Jessica Lange is fantastic as Angelique, the Angel of Death, which frequently appears in Joe Gideon’s fantasies where the two discuss his work. John Lithgow also leaves a memorable impression as the ambitious choreographer Lucas Sergeant.

Fosse shot All That Jazz with Italian cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, who collaborated with Federico Fellini on many of his greatest films (Satyricon, Roma, City of Women). Unsurprisingly, the visual style of All That Jazz has a distinctive Fellini-esque aura which is especially prominent during the final third of the film. (See the fantastic decors and use of light and color).

The soundtrack features an outstanding selection of original tracks and rearrangements by pianist, composer and conductor Ralph Burns. Amongst them are the Everly Brothers classic "Bye Bye Love", George Benson’s superb rendition of “On Broadway”, Sandahl Bergman & Chorus’ “Take Off With Us”, Peter Allen’s “Everything Old Is New Again”, and Harry Nilsson's "Perfect Day”.

In 1980, All That Jazz won four Academy Awards, including Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score (Ralph Burns), Best Costume Design (Albert Wolsky), and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Philip Rosenberg, Tony Walton, Edward Stewart, and Gary J. Brink).

In 2001, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

All That Jazz Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bob Fosse's All That Jazz arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Undertaken by Twentieth Century Fox and the Academy Film Archive in collaboration with The Film Foundation, this new 4K digital restoration was produced from the original camera negative at Sony Colorworks in Culver City, California. The original 3.0 surround soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a magnetic track at Chace Audio by Deluxe in Burbank, California.

Picture restoration supervisor: Schawn Belston/Twentieth Century Fox, Culver City, CA.
Audio restoration supervisor: Michael Pogorzelski/Academy Film Archive, Hollywood."

I have nothing but great things to say about the new 4K restoration of All That Jazz. Indeed, everything, from definition and clarity to image depth and contrast stability, is vastly superior when one compares the Blu-ray with previous home video releases of this legendary film. I was particularly impressed with the improvements during the dream sequences -- now the visuals have the intended by Giuseppe Rotunno special lightness that was impossible to recreate on DVD (see screencapture #2). Colors are stable and natural throughout the entire film (though I must say that I would have preferred a slightly stronger range of nuanced reds and slightly toned down range of greens, as they appear in the original trailer included on this release). There are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining corrections or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are no cuts, debris, damage marks, dirt, or stains to report in this review. All in all, this is a fantastic presentation of All That Jazz which will surely remain the definitive presentation of the film on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

All That Jazz Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I am every bit as impressed with the audio restoration as I am with the image restoration. Depth and especially clarity are vastly superior, making it the viewing experience so much more satisfying. I could mention a number of examples where fidelity is notably improved, but the truth is that the benefits of the lossless treatment can be easily felt throughout the entire film. Even seemingly ordinary sequences, such as the one where the sick Joe Gideon chats with the janitor in the hospital sounds better. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

All That Jazz Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for All That Jazz. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Selected-Scene Commentary - the late Roy Scheider, who plays Joe Gideon, recalls his initial encounter with the professional dancers, and discusses the edgy qualities of his character (which Richard Dreyfuss was initially approached to play), Bob Fosse's style and personality, the film's production history and editing, etc. The audio commentary was recorded in 2001. (35 min).
  
  1. The cattle call
  2. Fosse's condition
  3. The discipline of dancing
  4. Autobiographical?
  5. "Zero hour"

• Reinking and Foldi - in this new video conversation, Ann Reinking and Erzsebet Foldi discuss their work with Bob Fosse during the shooting of All That Jazz, the execution of the famous scene where the two dance together to the tune of "Everything Old Is New Again", the dancing styles and techniques Bob Fosse appreciate, etc. The conversation was recorded exclusively for Criterion in June 2014. In English, not subtitled. (34 min, 1080p).

• Alan Heim - in this new video interview, editor Alan Heim, who won an Academy Award for his work on All That Jazz, discusses the film's editing, unique visual style, and the film's long production history. Alan Helm also recalls his work with Bob Fosse on Lenny, and specifically the unique challenges Dustin Hoffman's performance presented. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in April 2014. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Tomorrow - in this wonderful archival interview, Bob Fosse and legendary American dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille discuss life on Broadway, the difficult decisions they have made during the years, the unique qualities that make a dancer attractive to them, the erotic overtones in All That Jazz, etc. The interview comes from an episode of Tom Snyder's late-night New York talk show Tomorrow, which original aired at 1.00 a.m. on January 31, 1980. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080i).

• Sam Wasson - in this new video interview, Sam Wasson, author of the biography Fosse, discusses the life and legacy of Bob Fosse. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• The South Bank Show - presented here is an episode of The South Bank Show, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, which features an interview with Bob Fosse. The American director talks about his experience as a dancer and choreographer. The episode originally aired on March 8, 1981. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080i).

• Gene Shalit Interview with Bob Fosse - this archival interview was conducted by television critic Gene Shalit for NBC in 1986, a year before Bob Fosse died. The American director discuses some of the differences between doing movies and Broadway shows, the difficult Broadway auditions he has done, the power of published criticism, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min, 1080i).

• On the Set - presented here is archival footage from the shooting of All That Jazz in which Bob Fosse is seen directing the cattle call. Also included is a short interview with actor Roy Scheider. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Fosse Directing (8 min, 1080p).
  2. Scheider Interview (4 min, 1080p).

• Portrait of a Choreographer - this documentary film focuses on the choreography style of Bob Fosse. It features clips from different archival interviews with Liza Minnelli, editor Alan Heim, choreographer Anne Fletcher, choreographer and dancer John Deluca, choreographer and filmmaker Rob Marshall, and dancer Sandahl Bergman, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080i).

• The Making of the Song "On Broadway" - in this archival interview, the great George Benson discusses the creation of his hit 1963 song "On Broadway", which is used in All That Jazz. The interview was conducted in 2007. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

• Commentary - this audio commentary with editor Alan Heim was initially included on Twentieth Century Fox's Special Music Edition DVD release of All That Jazz. The commentary was recorded in 2007.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring Hilton Als' essay "Stardust". (The author is a staff writer for The New Yorker. His books include The Women and White Girls).

All That Jazz Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is nothing that I can say about Bob Fosse's All That Jazz that has not already been said by someone else. It is a timeless masterpiece whose originality is just as impressive today as it was thirty-five years ago. The film has been restored in 4K by Twentieth Century Fox and the Academy Film Archive in collaboration with The Film Foundation and I think that it looks the best it ever has. Criterion's Blu-ray release also comes with a truly impressive selection of archival and exclusive new supplemental features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.