Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Chicago (redux) – in Blu-ray (or is it 4k?) (1 Viewer)

[Mark-P]

I already own two issues of the Blu-Ray. Each one added to the Special Features. I'm plain nuts about the movie, and want to know all the nuts-and-bolts about it. Which is why I'm buying the Steelbook. Same old Blu-ray, but lots of new Special Features. Here are the Features of the Steelbook. Compare them to the Features of your previous edition(s). I know most of the member of HTF are more into tech than, than background material. For anybody else to whom it matters, the Steelbook seems to be offering more than just another Blu-ray re-issue.

• Feature Commentary with director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon
• Chicago in the Spotlight – A Retrospective with Cast and Crew
  • Bringing Chicago to Life: Adapting the Broadway Musical to Film
  • Developing the Screenplay: Collaborating with Bill Condon
  • Casting the Movie: Finding Actors Who Can Sing and Dance
  • The Extended Cast: The Great Dancers of Chicago
  • Rehearsals: The Best of Times
  • Rob Marshall: Born to Direct
  • Marty Richards: In Remembrance
  • Neil Meron and Craig Zadan: Renowned Musical Producers
  • The Magicians Behind the Camera: Colleen Atwood - Dion Beebe - John Myhre
  • The Best of Broadway: The Choreographers
  • The Director's Cut: Musical History is Made
  • The 75th Academy Awards: And the Oscar goes to…
  • The 85th Academy Awards: A Walk Down Memory Lane
  • The Relevance and Impact: The Aftermath of the Modern Day Musical
• Extended Musical Performances
  • “And All That Jazz”
  • “When You’re Good to Mama”
  • “Cell Block Tango”
  • “We Both Reached For The Gun”
  • “Mister Cellophane”
  • “All I Care About”
  • “All I Care About” with Richard Gere
  • “Nowadays” with Renée Zellweger
  • “And All That Jazz” with Catherine Zeta-Jones
  • “I Can’t Do It Alone” rehearsal
  • “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag” rehearsal
  • “We Both Reached For The Gun” rehearsal
  • “Cell Block Tango” rehearsals

Matt’s review from 2014 confirms that all that bonus material was on the last release, Commentary, “Chicago in the Spotlight“ retrospective and all the extended musical numbers.

 

[Robert Harris]

Matt’s review from 2014 confirms that all that bonus material was on the last release, Commentary, “Chicago in the Spotlight“ retrospective and all the extended musical numbers.

These are all hidden somewhere on the Blu-ray with no mention on packaging?

 

[Robert Crawford]

These are all hidden somewhere on the Blu-ray with no mention on packaging?

Not really, does mention over two hours of new content.

 

[Mark-P]

Not really, does mention over two hours of new content.

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I think Mr. Harris is referring to the new Steelbook packaging, which would be on a slip of paper attached to the steelbook with gummy-glue. I can’t find that anyone has yet scanned and posted an image of that sheet.

 

[Robert Harris]

I think Mr. Harris is referring to the new Steelbook packaging, which would be on a slip of paper attached to the steelbook with gummy-glue. I can’t find that anyone has yet scanned and posted an image of that sheet.

It appears that the extras are on the Blu-ray. Don't know, as I no longer have the old 2-disc set, what (if anything) may be missing.

This still does appear to be the last Blu-ray. Great deal of material compressed here, with minimal loss of resolution. I stand corrected. I was led to believe there were additional extras on the DVD.

 

[Robert Harris]

From David Krauss' review over at Highdefdigest.com of the 2014 Blu-ray/DVD combo.

Special Features​

2.5 Stars out of 5

Here's where things fall off the rails just a bit. Instead of porting over all the extras from the previous Blu-ray edition of 'Chicago,' Lionsgate has only copied a couple of choice offerings. Thankfully, the studio chose to keep the best supplements on that 2007 disc, but fans of the film should be aware that such featurettes as 'An Intimate Look at Director Rob Marshall' and 'When Liza Minnelli Became Roxie Hart,' profiles of both production designer John Myhre and costume designer Colleen Atwood, and most disappointing of all, a 28-minute behind-the-scenes television special are not included on this Diamond Edition. Maybe Lionsgate felt the all-new and exhaustively comprehensive documentary (reviewed in the Blu-ray exclusives section below) sufficiently covers all those bases, or maybe there simply wasn't enough disc space to include all that material. Whatever the reasoning behind the decision, it's a shame to lose those supplements, and diehard fans may want to hold onto their old disc for future access.
Most of the supplements on this Diamond Edition reside on the Blu-ray disc, but a couple only can be accessed on the accompanying DVD.

• Audio Commentary - Director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon impart a wealth of interesting information in this terrific commentary. Marshall believes the movie is "all about transitions," and spends a great deal of time discussing the editing decisions that shaped the film version of 'Chicago.' Many of the cuts, he says, were actually scripted, not assembled in the editing room — especially those during the opening 'And All That Jazz' number. He and Condon, both of whom proudly brandish their enthusiasm and reverence for the project, also analyze the characters, talk about the concept of seeing the musical numbers through Roxie's eyes, address the risky nature of producing a film musical in this day and age, and explain how they wanted the songs to drive the narrative and not be simple diversions — a choice that forced them to reluctantly cut several tunes from the original Broadway show. Marshall's affection and respect for that show remains high, however, and he makes a point of noting how he strived to devise new choreography and musical concepts, so he wouldn't be copying the play's original director, Bob Fosse. This is an intelligent and involving track from which the listener gains an even greater appreciation for all the hard work, creativity, and thought that went into the film's production.
  
• Extended Musical Performances (SD, 56 minutes) – A slew of extended musical sequences are presented in an innovative and fascinating fashion. To begin with, the numbers — which include 'And All That Jazz,' 'When You're Good to Mama,' 'Cell Block Tango,' 'We Both Reached for the Gun,' 'Mister Cellophane,' and 'All I Care About' — run without any narrative cutaways, allowing us to view the performances in their entirety and better appreciate the effort that went into them. As an added bonus, the screen often splits or divides into thirds, offering multiple synchronized camera angles, corresponding rehearsal footage, or commentary by creative personnel, so we can examine the numbers from various perspectives. Three songs — 'All I Care About,' 'Nowadays,' and 'And All That Jazz' — also receive "start-to-finish" treatment, which focuses on pre-recording sessions intermingled with dance rehearsals and interviews. Rounding out this section is extended rehearsal footage from 'I Can't Do It Alone,' 'Hot Honey Rag,' 'We Both Reached for the Gun,' and 'Cell Block Tango.'
  
• Deleted Scene (SD, 4 minutes) – It's a shame the bitingly cynical song, 'Class,' performed by Zeta-Jones and Latifah, which bemoans the decline of decorum in contemporary society, didn't make it into the final cut. Marshall and Condon provide an optional commentary in which they justify the number's excision, but admit the decision was "painful." They discuss how Class was "dishonest to our concept," as it doesn't come from Roxie's imagination, and note test audiences indicated the number slowed down the film. This version of the song, however, resuscitates its original lyrics, which Fred Ebb was forced to revise in 1975 after they were deemed too raunchy...even for Broadway.
  
• Featurette: "From Stage to Screen: The History of 'Chicago'" (SD, 27 minutes) – This absorbing piece examines the evolution of both the original Broadway musical and its film adaptation. Cast members Jerry Orbach (who played Billy Flynn on stage) and Chita Rivera, along with composers Kander and Ebb, producer Martin Richards, Bob Fosse biographer Martin Gottfried, and Fosse protégé Ann Reinking elaborate on the musical's vaudeville connection, the supreme talent of Fosse and Gwen Verdon (the original Roxie), and the "very mixed reviews" the production received. Screenwriter Bill Condon opines that, for Fosse, 'Chicago' was "a poison dart aimed at the heart of show business," while the movie is "more like a love letter." We also learn about 'Chicago's long and arduous journey to the screen, the concept that sealed the deal, and how Orbach and Rivera feel about the finished film. The featurette runs a little long, but contains some marvelous anecdotes and insights, as well as a rare clip of Orbach performing a dazzling rendition of 'Razzle Dazzle.'

 

[Mark-P]

It appears that the extras are on the Blu-ray. Don't know, as I no longer have the old 2-disc set, what (if anything) may be missing.

This still does appear to be the last Blu-ray. Great deal of material compressed here, with minimal loss of resolution. I stand corrected. I was led to believe there were additional extras on the DVD.



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LOL. “For the complete 4K ultra HD experience with HDR, you need:…” Looks like that left off “will need an actual 4K disc”

 

[Robert Harris]

LOL. “For the complete 4K ultra HD experience with HDR, you need:…” Looks like that left off “will need an actual 4K disc”

Now I’m even more confused. I’m quite certain that what I reviewed was a Blu-ray, which sync’d with the “resume” function on the earlier Blu-ray.

I played it back via a 4k player, and it didn’t appear to be 4k.

Perhaps that new 4k disc was considered, but not brought to completion, which in an odd way parallels the new 4k OCN scan of that other title - which isn’t. OCN.

 

[Robert Harris]

I may need to re-review. With 4k turned on.

Is there a 4k button?