Chicago

Last night the Sam Goldwyn theatre at the Academy in Los Angeles was filled to capacity for the screening of this 1927 silent movie. The print was a restoration, by UCLA, of the original nitrate copy from the DeMille family's archives. It was a full length version, with a 10 min. intermission. Johnny Crawford's orchestra provided a live musical accompaniment, based on original scoring notes. A standing ovation at the end proves that a really well performed silent movie can stand the test of time. Phyllis Haver had a range of expressions from A to Z - fantastic - and the courtroom scene, played for comedy, was truly a highlight. If a DVD is made, as has been suggested, you're in for a treat.

Phyllis Haver stars here as Roxie Hart in a story based on a hit Broadway play from 1927. Just about everyone is familiar with the story. Roxie plugs her lover and tries to pin it on her sap of a husband Amos. But while in jail she becomes a tabloid queen, especially after lawyer Billy Flynn enters the picture. He's an expert on law and headlines, especially after he gets his $5,000.

Haver, who looks a lot like Laura La Plante here) is terrific as the hard-boiled Roxie as she learns the ropes in prison and in the court room. Haver never misses a comic or ironic beat. Victor Varconi plays the hapless Amos, but he has a whole subplot here that's not in the famous musical versions of this play. Billy is played by Robert Edeson, the matron is played by May Robson, and Casley is played by Eugene Palette. There is no Velma Kelly in this story but Roxie's rival in prison, who is unnamed, is played by Julia Faye.

The film was produced by Cecil B. DeMille and although Frank Urson gets credit for direction, many think the film was directed by DeMille.

This new DVD release by Flicker Alley is a gorgeous print with solid music by the Mont Alto Orchestra. The sound effects are amusing.

Phyllis Haver plays the sexy but fickle and material-minded wife of shopworker Victor Varconi, who seems a nice but dullish fellow. While at he's at work, Haver invites 'sugar-daddy' Eugene Pallette upstairs, not realizing that he is intending to dump her, owing to her extravagance. When Pallette refuses to cough up anymore cash, she shoots and kills him, leading to a spectacular and amusing trial.

Along the way, we have a wonderful prison scene with inmates being presided over by matron May Robson, a vindictive D. A. splendidly played by Warner Richmond, and a crooked lawyer in the form of Robert Edeson. Further amusement is provided when Varconi has scraped up $2,500 (rather a lot for a chap who works in a tobacco shop) for the defense and has to cough up the same again. He then decides to rob the fellow to get the remainder, finding it is in fact crooked money as well, having been delivered by thug Walter Long in an all-too-brief cameo, before the climactic trial. Oh, and the nice, pretty cleaning lady (Virginia Bradford) has a yen for Varconi...

The direction of CHICAGO is credited to Frank Urson, who was unknown to me, possibly due to his career being cut short by his death the following year. Other notable credits are Peverell Marley, Mitchell Leisen and Leonore Coffee, and the whole thing is very handsomely presented, with a nice score from Rodney Sauer.

CHICAGO (1927) is the story of Roxie Hart (Phyllis Haver), a bored young housewife who kills her lover during an argument. She convinces her doting husband Amos (Victor Varconi) that she killed the man in self- defense. Amos goes to great lengths to save her from the noose, hiring oily lawyer William Flynn (Robert Edeson). Meanwhile, a slick reporter (T Roy Barnes) plays up her beauty and "innocence", making her into a nationwide celebrity. Direction is credited to Frank Urson, but in actuality Cecil B DeMille directed the majority of the film.

CHICAGO is an adaptation of a play by author Maurine Watkins, which was inspired by Watkins' own articles about the trial of real-life murderess Beulah Annan. The film is tight and well crafted. In particular, it's a sharp and merciless satire on unearned celebrity, societal double standards, and the hedonistic 1920s lifestyle. There are many laugh-out- loud hilarious scenes, including a scene where Flynn coaches Roxie on how to appear during his closing statement to the jury, and a scene of the photographer posing Roxie shortly after the murder takes place. Many scenes use exaggeration to make points about media sensationalism and lawyers' appeals to emotion, rather than truth, in order to exonerate their guilty clients. The humor is balanced by the dramatic portrayal of Amos' efforts to save his undeserving wife from the noose. Amos is the moral center of the movie, a decent man who is so in love with his wife that he is willing to break the law to save her, yet struggles with her murderous deed and self-centered, callous attitude.

The acting in CHICAGO is nothing less than excellent. Phyllis Haver makes a great lead, portraying the many facets of Roxie Hart's character skillfully. She shows equal comedic and dramatic ability. One could argue that Roxie is a sociopath, able to turn on the charm and the waterworks at will in order to get her way, but fundamentally lacking a conscience. Haver's portrayal of Roxie is perfect. I had never heard of Victor Varconi before, but he played Amos with great skill, sensitivity and restraint, turning in a very believable performance. The rest of the cast does fine work as well.

Visually, CHICAGO is top-notch, with skillful editing, fluid camera work, and meaningful use of visual cues. One instance of this is a shot of a crowd walking heedlessly on a newspaper with Roxie on the front page once her 15 minutes of fame are up. The visual style of the film points the way forward to the classic Hollywood style of the 1930s and 40s. This film came out the same year as landmark movies like SUNRISE, WINGS, and METROPOLIS, and even though it is not as celebrated as those visual marvels, in its way it's just as accomplished.

SUMMARY: CHICAGO is a skillful blend of satire and drama that boasts a razor-sharp script, excellent performances, and highly accomplished direction. The message of the movie has just as much resonance now as it did in its time. A classic! SCORE: 10/10.

I suspect that Mr. Rob Marshall watched this 1927 silent before making his recent screen adaptation of the smash-hit Broadway musical. The non-musical scenes in his version look an awful lot like this exceptional film.

Phyllis Haver provides a marvelously witty and sexy characterization as Roxie Hart, that ultimate gold digger who shoots her lover for jilting her and then becomes a media sensation. Haver puts all sorts of unique touches on the role, and her scenes during the murder trial are small gems of comic acting. The handsome Victor Varconi, looking for all the world like Liam Neeson, has a much larger role as Amos, Roxie's long-suffering husband, than any subsequent version would give that character. He's still a bit of a sap, but he's a much sharper sap than later incarnations would allow. This original version focuses much more on the domestic relationship between these two -- the roles of Billy Flynn and Mama Morton, treated so colorfully in the musical, are much diminished here, and the character of Velma Kelly is absent altogether.

The recent stage revival and movie have blunted the impact of this story's critique on the modern media and the public's responsibility in enabling our media to peddle trash. It's surprising that a film that came out nearly 80 years ago makes the same point just as candidly; one can only imagine how forceful this message must have seemed at the time.

Grade: A