All That Jazz ***** (1979, Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer, Ben Vereen, Cliff Gorman) – Classic Movie Review 4076

Co-writer/ director Bob Fosse’s stylish, partly autobiographical 1979 movie musical All That Jazz about a Broadway workaholic dance director called Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) driving himself to death through overwork, as well as meanwhile overdosing on booze, drugs and sex, is a powerhouse of razzle-dazzle energy. There were nine Oscar nominations and four wins.

Scheider’s character Joe’s catchphrase is ‘It’s showtime, folks!’ and what a show it is: frantic dancing, Federico Fellini-like sessions with an angel of death named Angelique (Jessica Lange), stomach-churning shots of open-heart surgery (you have been warned) and wild displays of New York theatre egotism. It is just great!

Scheider is brilliant in an Oscar-nominated star turn. The man from Jaws proves he has real teeth as an actor. He was unlucky not to be among the winners when the film won four Oscars, including Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Philip Rosenberg, Tony Walton, Edward Stewart, Gary J Brink), Best Costume Design (Albert Wolsky), Best Film Editing (Alan Heim), and Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score (Ralph Burns).

However, it noticeably missed out on all the big ones – Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Director and Best Cinematography (Giuseppe Rotunno), all nominated.

There were no Golden Globe wins, just a nomination for Scheider as Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, but there were two BAFTA Film Awards: Best Cinematography (Giuseppe Rotunno) and Best Editing (Alan Heim).

As you can tell, the film is very super-slick visually and technically, thanks mainly to Giuseppe Rotunno and Alan Heim.

Also in the cast are Ann Reinking as Kate Jagger, Leland Palmer, Ben Vereen, Cliff Gorman, Erzsebet Foldi, Michael Tolan, Max Wright, William LeMassena, Irene Kane [Chris Chase], Deborah Geffner, Kathryn Doby, Anthony Holland, and Robert Hitt.

Although Ann Reinking plays a part based on herself, Fosse still made her audition several times before she was cast. She was closely associated with Fosse as his protégé and partner during the 1970s. She first worked with him as a chorus member in Pippin on Broadway in 1972.

All That Jazz runs 123 minutes, is made by Columbia Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, is released by Twentieth Century Fox (1979) (US) and Columbia-EMI-Warner (1980) (UK), is written by Bob Fosse with producer Robert Alan Aurthur, is photographed in Technicolor by Giuseppe Rotunno, and is scored by Ralph Burns, and is designed by Philip Rosenberg and Tony Walton.

RIP Ann Reinking, who died on 12 December 2020, aged 71.

Tony Walton died from complications of a stroke on 2 March 2022, aged 87. He was for three decades one of Hollywood’s most successful production and costume designers. Walton earned Oscar nominations for his work on Mary Poppins (1964), Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and The Wiz (1978) and won the Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for All That Jazz in 1980. He was honored in 2012 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Art Directors Guild. He also notably worked on FAHRENHEIT 451, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM and THE BOY FRIEND.

He won three Tony Awards for his theatre work on Pippin (1973), House of Blue Leaves (1986), and Guys and Dolls (1992).

He won an Emmy for the acclaimed 1985 TV version of Death of a Salesman.

He was married to his childhood sweetheart Julie Andrews from 1959 to 1968. Andrews recalled that Walton entered films via Walt Disney, who met her back stage after a performance of Camelot and offered to look at Walton’s portfolio, and later hired him for Mary Poppins.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4076

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