An incredibly done film, think of a smoky jazz singer's voice interjected with short bursts of tickled ivories and that is essentially what this film offers. The actual dance numbers really blew me away, yet unlike most every other musical i have seen (perhaps aside from fiddler on the roof) the characters and story line went deeper than i can say i was comfortable with. This is an incredibly good thing. Somewhat like the difference between commercial and non commercial literature, this musical is not just for entertainment. Indeed, the striking progression of plot is woven with reoccurring musings on death, life, love, and self worth.... all of which are thick with irony. Not only the story line, but the dances even, seem to address this full range of human emotion; from cutting humor, to joy, to bleak cynicism. My public declaration of thanks for Bob Fosse for a truly genius direction.
With a little background checking i read that this is actually a semiautobiographical production, and the premise of the film came as a near death experience to Fosse.
I am moving on to watch all of his other films, this is just too bloody brilliant to be ignored. Movies which engage you on a deeper level than mere diversion i believe are somewhat formative. Just as the unexamined life is not worth living, so are movies, which do not cause you to examine, worth watching.
“Thank God I’m perfect.” – 1979, Bob Fosse
This song is certainly not the most visually stunning, or the most provocative (trust me, they go to the extremes), or by a stretch the best. I simply found it to be the happiest number of the entire film. Why? Because it is the only number which this character is not putting on for the sake of others, the only gift which is given him; a song by his daughter (likely the only female he holds a wholesome opinion of) and the woman who holds an unfailing devotion to him, despite everything.
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