A Few Words About A few words about...™ All That Jazz -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Bob Fosse's All That Jazz (1979) is one of those productions for which the "name above the title" makes perfect sense.

This is no bit of hubristic nonsense.

When you see something -- anything -- touched by Mr. Fosse, you know it.

From first frame to last, this semi-autobiographic film, is pure art, pure excitement, and pure cinema.

It's not just by chance that All That Jazz was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning four.

Until now, I've never found a home video incarnation of the film that worked. Not until Fox via Criterion released its new Blu-ray.

Image quality is perfect. From high to low-lights, shadow details, black levels, grain structure. Everything is where it should be.

Audio, which is from the original 3-track recordings, but mainly centered at the front, is crisp, clear and full.

Simply put, an extraordinary Blu-ray of one of the great films of the 1970s, and one of the best Blu-rays of 2014.


Image - 5

Audio - 5

Very Highly Recommended.

RAH

 

[Vegas 1]

This is great news, another Criterion to add to my collection.
Thanks for the few words Robert.

 

[Charles Smith]

Our cup runneth over tonight!

 

[GlennF]

Most everything Criterion does seems to be first rate, but thanks for the confirmation. Another $30 gone. If I could just give up eating.....a bad habit I picked up from my parents.

 

[FoxyMulder]

If I could just give up eating.....a bad habit I picked up from my parents.

Me and the cat share the food, it's not easy living on birds and mice but if it means another quality blu ray to watch then i'll do it.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Me and the cat share the food, it's not easy living on birds and mice but if it means another quality blu ray to watch then i'll do it.

My lovely wife (Kyrsten) is out to lose 35 lbs. So far she's lost 20 with 15 to go. Will try to convince her to speed things up by not eating and lose that last 15 real quick. The food savings would pay for a couple Blus (Tootsie from Criterion for one).

Course I have to abide by the same dietary plan as well.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Course I have to abide by the same dietary plan as well.

Diets don't work, hunger and starvation due to monetary issues, in other words lack of cash works, so i think i have a plan and you will like it, i guarantee this will work, if anyone else wants to go ahead with this plan of mine it's easy, send all your cash to me and lose the pounds real quick. I accept PayPal and i also accept all blu ray donations, give to a good home, give to me.

P.S. Just kidding, i don't accept blu ray donations at this point in time.

 

[Malcolm Bmoor]

If my three cats shared my enthusiasm for Bob Fosse & ALL THAT JAZZ they could volunteer for a diet.

I have a new resolution: Never more to loan out discs as so many, including ALL THAT JAZZ, have vanished, enabling me to justify replacing it with this Blu-ray.

The DVD of the Broadway production of FOSSE is terrific but I'd be very happy to increase the pleasure even more with a Blu-ray.

 

[Felix Martinez]

One of a few films I saw between the ages of 11 and 13 that changed the way I looked at movies. I adore this film. Bring it on.

 

[MatthewA]

At least one of my new-to-Blu-ray holy grails got done right this month.

This was the first time I was ever allowed to watch an R-rated film, so I made sure it was a good one. I had seen it advertised on a VHS tape of My Fair Lady as one of many Fox musicals available, unaware that this particular one had such a restriction the others did not (the film on the tape uses the word "damn" 13 times, but still got a "G" when reissued). I'm glad to see Fox and Criterion have done such a fine job with it, the latter proving why they set the standard for the presentation of films in any format, and the former proving they can provide great transfers when they want to.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Can't wait to see it in its new pristine glory.
Now, if only someone would give us a new transfer of damn damn damn damn MFL! I had grown accustomed to the quality of Mr Harris's restoration until the new Blu ray let us all down so badly....

 

[gruagach]

The top of my next-Criterion-sale list.

 

[ahollis]

Can't wait to see it in its new pristine glory.Now, if only someone would give us a new transfer of damn damn damn damn MFL! I had grown accustomed to the quality of Mr Harris's restoration until the new Blu ray let us all down so badly....

Evidently MFL is coming.

 

[haineshisway]

Let me chime in on this transfer. The original DVD release was fair. The second DVD release was a green travesty and horrible. This new Fox transfer released by Criterion is perfection. Color is absolutely great and the movie looks better than it did in the theaters (not a great time for lab work on release prints). The photography shines through brilliantly. The film, which I liked and admired when I saw it on opening day, but which I found, for me, had certain flaws especially in its final ten or fifteen minutes, has aged wonderfully in that it doesn't seem dated at all - it looks like it could have been made yesterday were it not for the fact that Times Square no longer resembles what it was at the time of this film's shoot. Seeing it all these years later, especially because so many have tried to imitate it and failed so miserably (Nine being a big example), the film is now, for me, the masterpiece it was for many back in the day. Incredibly edited by Alan Heim and there are wonderful extras included, the best of which is the Gene Shalit interview with Mr. Fosse. Anyone who has any interest in great movies should have already made this purchase - not to mention have viewed it, so one is looking forward to a few comments.

 

[ahollis]

Let me chime in on this transfer. The original DVD release was fair. The second DVD release was a green travesty and horrible. This new Fox transfer released by Criterion is perfection. Color is absolutely great and the movie looks better than it did in the theaters (not a great time for lab work on release prints). The photography shines through brilliantly. The film, which I liked and admired when I saw it on opening day, but which I found, for me, had certain flaws especially in its final ten or fifteen minutes, has aged wonderfully in that it doesn't seem dated at all - it looks like it could have been made yesterday were it not for the fact that Times Square no longer resembles what it was at the time of this film's shoot. Seeing it all these years later, especially because so many have tried to imitate it and failed so miserably (Nine being a big example), the film is now, for me, the masterpiece it was for many back in the day. Incredibly edited by Alan Heim and there are wonderful extras included, the best of which is the Gene Shalit interview with Mr. Fosse. Anyone who has any interest in great movies should have already made this purchase - not to mention have viewed it, so one is looking forward to a few comments.

Watched this last night and was enchanted with it all over again. The transfer is almost impeccable. I agree completely on your thoughts for this Blu-ray release.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I posted some of this elsewhere....

Saw this film theatrically in 1979 at the age of 16. One of my first R-rated films
(after Saturday Night Fever). Thought it was the greatest thing I had ever seen.

Such an incredibly deep film.

This transfer is just incredible. Schawn Belston over at Fox should be congratulated
for the outstanding job he did on it. I was worried about the changes the film's
Cinematographer wanted, but in all, the film has never looked as perfect as it does here.

The biggest regret is the audio. This film's soundtrack really deserves to be bigger than
it actually is. I would have preferred a 5.1 remix, though I realize for some, this would have
been a travesty.

I have only started to start watching the wealth of extras included here. It's funny, as I
was watching the film I had my iPad on my lap and I was Googling the young actress who
plays Scheider's daughter, trying to find out what happened to her and if she appeared in
anything else. There was absolutely nothing to be found of her post 1979. Well, oddly, the
very first supplement on the disc is a conversation with Ann Reinking and Erzsebet Foldi from
this year. Very cool to watch and to see how both actresses have aged.

Anyone who has never seen All That Jazz should take the opportunity to grab this Blu-ray
when it drops in price. This really is one of the best films of the 70s. It is perhaps my all-time
favorite film (or in the top 5 of my favorites).

 

[davidmatychuk]

Not many movies have the organic fusion of artistic elements that "All That Jazz" does. Time has only enhanced its reputation, and will continue to do so. Bob Fosse and his talented associates accomplished here the thing that film can do but rarely does, which is to combine disparate arts (in this case at an incredibly high level) into a creative synthesis that couldn't have been achieved any other way. I watched the Criterion Blu-Ray last night; it is beautiful, and much, much better than the DVD's were.

 

[haineshisway]

Miss Foldi is not in show business anymore - she is a born-again Christian and a marriage counselor.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

This has been a good year for Criterion discs. First IAMMMMW, now this.

 

[Felix Martinez]

$19.99 at Costcohttps://twitter.com/felixemartinez/status/504666417082671105