La folle histoire de Roxie Hart

This very entertaining movie goes a long way to show that Ginger Rogers was much more than a dancing partner for Fred Astaire. She displays wonderful comedic timing and delivery and shines in every scene. And, yes, she does do a little dancing. Adolph Menjou again displays his considerable talent and range as her attorney, though at times he is a bit over the top. George Montgomery was quite a pleasant surprise. The supporting cast is superb. Any viewer who has seen 'Chicago' must see this version of the Roxie Hart story. Granted it is shorter, but this film seems to move at a smarter pace. The dialogue was funnier and, to me, there were fewer slow spots than this century's version. Enjoy!

Here is a fast paced and sassy treatment of the same true story that inspired the recent movie musical "Chicago" with Zeta-Jones and Zellweger. I have great admiration for Ginger Rogers, so when I saw Chicago I went straight to the library and borrowed this one.

The remarkable thing is that the makers of Chicago clearly studied this film in great detail. Both movies come from the same book and stage play, so the commonality in dialogue is easily explained, but the sets and costumes and camera angles are virtually identical.

With the exception of one song and dance number in Roxie Hart (which incidentally is NOT in Chicago), and a quick tap dance later on, this is NOT a musical. It stays in the real world and does not constantly segue to fantasy musical versions of the events in Roxie's mind, as Chicago does. Accordingly, it has more straight dialogue, and what witty dialogue it is! Had me laughing start to finish.

This is also a good chance to see some old character actors in their prime, doing what they do best.

I bought this film because I am a huge fan of the musical "Chicago." Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed! Although the parts of Velma & Matron Mama Morton were built up a lot for the musical, and there are some slight differences (e.g. in Chicago Roxie really DID shoot Fred Casely... here she doesn't... Roxie and Amos never divorced... here they do... Roxie wasn't really pregnant... here she is), the basic plot is still the same, and what a wonderful story this is! Although I must say that I prefer Jerry Orbach (of Law & Order fame) as Billy Flynn, Adolphe Menjou was great in the role! Stunning performance! But the real spark here lies within Ginger Rogers... whose portrayal of Roxie is absolutely rivetting! (However, to me, the definitive Roxie Hart was and always will be the very wonderful Ms. Gwen Verdon.) She brings such sass to the role... you gotta applaud her! A great movie!

I just purchased the DVD of "Roxie Hart"- In my opinion it is not a classic film. The direction seems a bit clunky, and it takes a bit to get a feel for the movie.

Once that has been conquered, it is really a great ride, particularly for Ginger Rogers fans. It really is a tour-Der-force for her, and she's able to demonstrate her comic ability. She also has a couple of dance numbers, one of which is a tap piece that would make anyone appreciate her talent. It may be short, but it's great to watch.

Time and countless remakes have taken the bite out of the satire part of the film. The best way to approach it is as a straight comedy.

As such, it works very well. In fact, I was reminded of the "To War" segment of the Marx Brother's Duck Soup when the press corp broke into dancing the Black Bottom (don't get me wrong -- no comedy can cast a shadow on that classic) If you don't like Ginger Rogers, this won't change your mind. But even a casual fan should enjoy this.

The DVD picture and sound are really pristine, with rich black and white and clear audio.

This is surely among Ginger Rogers' more popular vehicles but, ironically, one she almost did not appear in – since, being a Fox production, it was originally intended for their resident star Alice Faye (but the latter became pregnant and had to bail out: she would, in any case, have been wrong for the part). The film, of course, is based on the play "Chicago" – already filmed as a Silent in 1927 and later musicalized, resulting in the surprise Best Picture Oscar winner of 2002. Anyway, Rogers (with rather unbecoming dark hair) is the titular character who confesses to a murder on realizing this will give her the exposure she so desires!; our heroine then secures the services of a notorious shyster lawyer (energetically played by Adolphe Menjou) – since she clearly does not plan to hang for the crime – not to mention constant press coverage of the whole cause celebre (young George Montgomery actually recounts the tale, complete with a nice final twist, in flashback). The latter stages of the film's succinct and briskly-paced 75 minutes (the pared-down script is by Nunnally Johnson) are taken up by the trial – which versatile director Wellman milks for all its comic absurdity (especially given the image-conscious judge and a gullible jury swayed as much by Menjou's various ruses as Rogers' unabashed exploitation of her own sexuality). ROXIE HART has an agreeably polished look to it besides, making for an altogether sparkling entertainment package...which, according to an Italian film magazine of some years ago, was also numbered among Stanley Kubrick's 10 all-time favorite movies!!