Roxie Hart
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Roxie Hart |
| Original title | Roxie Hart |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1942 |
| length | 75 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | William A. Wellman |
| script | Nunnally Johnson |
| production | Nunnally Johnson |
| music | Alfred Newman |
| camera | Leon Shamroy |
| cut | James B. Clark |
| occupation | |
| |
Roxie Hart is an American comedy film starring Ginger Rogers from 1942. It is a remake of the silent film Chicago (1927) produced by Cecil B. DeMille , which is based on the play of the same name by Maurine Dallas Watkins . In 1975, Bob Fosse also adapted the material as a musical , which was again brought to the screen in 2002 under the title Chicago .
action
Chicago 1942: The reporter Homer Howard and his new colleague Stuart Chapman are supposed to cover a murder. Together they go to a bar and have a drink. The experienced Homer tells of a case from 1927:
The theater agent Fred Casely is found dead by the police in the apartment of the married couple Amos and Roxie Hart. While the police question Amos, reporter Jake Callahan arrives in Roxie's bedroom. When Roxie, a previously unsuccessful showgirl, enters the room via the fire escape, she starts beating Callahan, angry about the intrusion into her privacy. In search of a big story, he and the murder victim's partner, E. Clay Benham, propose to Roxy. Roxie is supposed to pose as a murderer and make it big with the appropriate headlines. He assures her that a beautiful woman like her will never be judged in Chicago. Hoping for a great career, Roxie accepts the proposal and poses for the photographers when she is arrested. However, she secretly knows that her husband has Amos Casely on his conscience. Amos hadn't known Casely was Roxie's agent and thought he was a burglar.
Roxie settles in comfortably in prison and receives reporters on a regular basis, including young Homer. As planned, the newspapers are full of articles on Roxie's case. Roxie's shrewd lawyer, Billy Flynn, advises her to plead for self-defense and to pretend to be innocent from the country. For her testimony on the witness stand, he has her rehearse a prepared text. In court, Roxie should also use her show talent again and again to offer the reporters something. Homer is immediately fascinated by Roxie and finally learns that it was Amos, not Roxie, who committed the murder.
A few weeks later, Roxie was pushed off the front pages by trigger-happy thief "Two-Gun" Gertie Baxter. Worried that she will not be acquitted, Roxie pretends to be pregnant. The press reacted immediately and reported in detail about her alleged pregnancy. In order to arouse even more sympathy for Roxie in the population, Flynn gets Amos to divorce Roxie. However, Roxie comes under increasing pressure as the process progresses. Flynn's theatrical defense and, last but not least, Roxie's shapely legs can finally convince the jury to acquit them. Shortly after the verdict was announced, Amos tries to avoid arrest, but is stopped by police officers in the courthouse. The press immediately pounced on him while Roxie stayed in the courtroom. Homer hopes for a future together with Roxie, but the well-off jury spokesman O'Malley has his eye on Roxie too.
Homer finally finishes his story and reveals to Stuart that it is O'Malley who is serving her as a bartender. He lost all of his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929 . Homer then lets his wife Roxie and their six children pick him up. According to Roxie, a seventh child is already on the way.
background
In early 1941, Columbia Pictures was initially interested in remaking Maurine Dallas Watkins ' Broadway hit Chicago after a 1927 silent film version. However, the Hays Office responsible for the American film censorship, the Production Code , advised the studio's producers that the characters, above all Roxie Hart, and the representation of the US judiciary did not conform to the censorship requirements. 20th Century Fox then acquired the film rights to Watkins' play. However, the first version of the script that emerged afterwards was also rejected by the censors. The role of Roxie Hart as an actual murderer has been glorified too much and murder has been played down too much as a serious crime. 20th Century Fox had the script rewritten so that Roxie doesn't actually commit the murder and makes a false confession because of the publicity. Ginger Rogers was then loaned out for the title role by RKO Pictures .
The shooting extended from the end of October to the beginning of December 1941. Richard Day and Wiard were in charge of building the films . Thomas Little took care of the equipment , Gwen Wakeling designed the costumes. In early January 1942, additional scenes were re-shot after screenwriter and producer Nunnally Johnson saw a rough cut of the material that had already been shot and was dissatisfied with the end. It is not known how the film was originally supposed to end.
The premiere of Roxie Hart took place on February 20, 1942 in New York . Originally, the film, like the template and other adaptations , should be published under the title Chicago , and the title Chicago Gal was ultimately discarded in favor of Roxie Hart . In Germany, the film was shown for the first time on February 8, 1976 by ARD on television.
Reviews
"Pointed comedy [...] [v] oll satirical swipes at the judiciary and sensational press in Chicago in 1927," said the lexicon of international film . Variety concluded that while Ginger Rogers was doing well as a "tough girl" "blinded by sudden attention," she sometimes exaggerated in her portrayal. Menjou, on the other hand, is "excellent as a theatrical and cunning defense lawyer".
German version
The German dubbed version was created in 1976.
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Roxie Hart | Ginger Rogers | Maddalena Kerrh |
| Billy Flynn | Adolphe Menjou | Klaus Miedel |
| Homer Howard | George Montgomery | Christian Wolff |
| Jake Callahan | Lynne Overman | Harald Leipnitz |
| Amos Hart | George Chandler | Erich Ebert |
Web links
- Roxie Hart in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Roxie Hart at Turner Classic Movies (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c cf. Notes on tcm.com
- ↑ Roxie Hart. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 26, 2019 .
- ↑ “Ginger Rogers does well as the tough girl who is dazzled by the sudden attention, but seems to overdo her characterization at several points. Menjou is excellent as the theatric and wily criminal mouthpiece. " See Roxie Hart . In: Variety , 1942.
- ↑ Roxie Hart. In: synchronkartei.de. German synchronous file , accessed on October 26, 2019 .