Genius series no.4 : All That Jazz (1979)

Directed by Bob Fosse ; written by Fosse and Robert Alan Aurthur.

"All that work. All that glitter. All that pain. All that love. All that crazy rhythm. All that jazz. "

Broadway and Hollywood choreographer Fosse directed five feature films before his untimely death in 1987 - of these only Star 80 (1983) could be considered a disappointment. The other entries on his CV - Sweet Charity (1969), Cabaret (1972) Lenny (1974) and this film - constitute a fairly substantial body of work, some of the best and most interesting films made during the hectic period where mainstream American cinema was attempting to redefine itself in the wake of "Easy Rider"and it's boundary shifting contemporaries.

When watched today All That Jazz has an added level of poignancy - always a clear semi-autobiographical work it now feels as though Fosse was attempting both to atone for past transgressions and, to a degree, justify himself both to those who knew him and to the wider public.

The story, told in flashback, concerns a choreographer turned film maker who is struggling with the pressures of preparing a new Broadway show and working on the final cut of a feature film about a night club comedian (clear echoes of Fosse's own problems with Lenny).

On top of this he's juggling the demands of his ex-wife and young daughter, his current girlfriend, his attraction to a new young dancer in his troupe and the demons caused by his abuse of pills, booze, fags and any other stimulant that might happen to have been left lying in his path.

The structure is flighty, nervous and insecure, just like it's subject : jumping from straight reportage, through fantasy sequences, surreal inserts and dazzling dance numbers.

Each scene is perfectly staged and photographed : there's moments of touching whimsy (Kate and Michelle's dance for Joe/Fosse), of Berkley style grand Hollywood precision formation choreography, of laugh out loud humour and of precise neatness in both the detailing of a daily routine and the ways in which it comes to fall apart.

At the film's heart there's a terrific performance by Roy Scheider as the Fosse manque Joe Gideon - cigarette seemingly permanently attached to his lower lip as he dances, drinks, bawls, weeps, laughs and misbehaves his way through the running time.

There's also the luminous presence of the wonderful Jessica Lange as the etheral Angelique; the final object of Joe's magnificent obsessions.

It's a spinning, whirling malestrom of a film rushing headlong in a dozen different directions at once - all anchored by the sure footedness of the director and his leading man.

A genuine one off talent in late twentieth century Hollywood delivering his masterpiece. It's a delight from beginning to end.