By Tomomi Abe

The 75th Academic Award Ceremony was held in March, 2003. In this ceremony, CHICAGO won the award for best film, and won in five other categories. This film, released in Japan in April, became an instant hit throughout the world, and has won numerous awards, including the Golden Glove.

Originally, CHICAGO was a serial novel carried in a newspaper. It was adapted to the screen twice, once in 1927 and again 1942, and the musical version was performed on stage in 1975. How did it reach the big screen again as a musical? Why is such an old story still popular today? Probably because people like to seek amusement in good or hard times.

The backdrop for this movie is 1920ﾕs Chicago. In those days the U.S. was in the middle of prosperity and the era of Mafia bosses like Al Capone flourished. In such a climate, CHICAGO describes the dancers who are singing with transparent dresses and people holding glasses as if they are enjoying the change of times.

First, one characteristic of CHICAGO is to show many musical scenes. In this movie, real occurrences are represented as ordinary scenes. In addition, the heroine Roxie, who has a dream of becoming a dancer, imagines reality as musical, so an abundance of musical scenes are incorporated. Therefore, we feel as if we are watching a stage musical from the opening scene. This film can be termed a great masterpiece of entertainment because it is beyond classification as either a film or a musical. Rob Marshall, the director and choreographer of this film, didnﾕt use the traditional musical-style choreography, which, in my understanding, led to it becoming a big hit.

No less important is the evolution of the plot among the three main characters. Roxie strives desperately to be seen as innocent. Meanwhile, the lawyer Billy always takes the cases of female prisoners who are in the news. He also tries to win and to be famous as a competent lawyer. In the course of this situation, Roxie succeeds in drawing the sympathy of the public and in making a name for herself by appearing in the newspaper. So, after her acquittal, a bright future as a dancer is waiting for her. By contrast, there is another female prisoner who was a dancer. Her name is Velma. She used to be defended by Billy, and she took up a lot of space like Roxie. However, Roxieﾕs appearance made Billy decline Velmaﾕs defense, which resulted in the difficulty of Velmaﾕs comeback as a dancer. To imagine who of the three will succeed is impossible. We must pay attention to their games.

In the musical scenes of Roxieﾕs imagination, the costumes of the two women on stage are remarkable. Gradually, as Roxieﾕs innocent verdict comes, her costume becomes gorgeous. By contrast, Velmaﾕs costume is becoming colorless or conservative. Remember that it was also awarded the Oscar for Best Costume Design.

Regrettably, this movie is no longer in theaters, so no one can appreciate it on the big screen. People who want to see and hear this masterpiece can enjoy this movie and soundtrack on DVD or on CD. What I am suggesting is that CHICAGO is one of the most excellent films that over deserved an Academy Award, and that you should enjoy it in the theater, but not at home on the small screen of your TV.