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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Never has a girl with so
little class done so much damage. When a 1920s
has-been showgirl's husband shoots a "burglar" in
her apartment, "Roxie Hart" (Ginger Rogers)
decides to take the wrap. Why? Good business...
and because, outside of 15 minutes in the pen, she
becomes the biggest little murderess in old
Chicago. Newspapermen court her, the tabloids
report her every move and become her best friend
and greatest sympathizers. What's a girl to do but
lap it all up in stride and bask in the glory of
infamous notoriety?
Based on a true story played strictly for laughs,
the bawdy, gaudy and luscious Roxy kicks up her
high-stepping heels in one of the most publicized
trials of the last century. There's much to admire
here, not the least of which is Rogers outstanding
performance that proves her talents were far more
extensive than performing as one half of the most
successful dance team in film history, Astaire &
Rogers. Adolph Menjou costars as Roxy's ubiquitous
attorney.
Kiss! Kiss! Bang! Bang! This one's a winner.
Despite a few scenes that lay claim to
considerable film grain and mis-registration
(resulting in some minor pesky halos) this DVD is
minted from a remarkably clean camera negative.
The grayscale is wonderfully realized, with rich,
deep, solid blacks. Occasionally the contrast
level appears a tad on the low side but only
occasionally. For the most part, what you get is a
genuinely impressive looking transfer that clearly
has been the benefactor of some major digital
restoration. The audio has been re-channeled to
stereo with predictable dated characteristics.
A couple of trailers that illustrate just how
awful this DVD might have looked if the good
people at Fox hadn't worked some digital magic on
this restored print, sum up the extra features on
this disc. So, get ready to shoot it out with
"Roxie Hart" on DVD! Highly recommended. |
