All That Jazz: The Boardroom Scene
Joe Gideon is an obsessive and brilliant choreographer who takes life huge gulps and cares only about art and women and living life to the fullest no matter what the consequences. Is creative energy is intoxicating. We still love him, just like his women do, even as he heads for self-destruction. The film is All That Jazz, starring Roy Scheider. A quasi-auto-biographical masterpiece by director Bob Fosse.
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Two thirds of the way through the film. is wheeled into the operating room for open heart surgery, temporarily suspending work on his upcoming broadway musical. Meanwhile, investors and their insurance advisors calculate the investment so far in the show. They have already lost confidence in Gideon, believing that the musical has evolved into a sexually-charged piece that will alienate audiences. Larry Goldie, played by actor David Marguiles delivers a cold accounting of detailed figures invested so far, right down to the payroll taxes. As he reads, Fosse intercuts footage of actual open heart surgery, creating a jarring transition between the operating room and the boardroom.
At the end, it becomes obvious that Gideon’s death would likely yield more profit from the insurance payout than they expect the play to achieve.
The performances are unremarkable. Five people meeting in a boardroom discussing facts and figures. There are production flaws and imperfections. But in that 3 minutes of film, Fosse shows us the extremes of creativity and greed portrayed as polar and extreme opposites hitting one another head-on. It is a singular moment in film.
Tags: movies
