CHICAGO (1927)

Amos Hart (Victor Varconi) wakes up one morning to go to work and lovingly looks at his sleeping wife Roxie (Phyllis Haver, pictured below); he doesn't even mind the slovenly appearance of her half of the room, picking up her scattered underthings with an almost paternal smile on his face. But we soon find out that Roxie is not as satisfied with married life as he is; she wants money, easy and lots of it. Katie, the young cleaning woman in their apartment building, is clearly sweet on Amos, and he takes notice of her, giving her coupons to use at the drugstore he owns. While Amos is at work, a man named Casley (Eugene Pallette) stops by, chattering about wanting to cut his sweetie loose—Amos will have cause to remember this exchange. It turns out that the sweetie Casley's talking about is Roxie; he drops by to see her and, exasperated by the lingerie bills she's running up and giving to him, he tells her he's through. They argue and, as he steps out of the apartment, she pulls out a gun and shoots him dead. She calls Amos and tries to say that the man was a burglar, but Amos recognizes him from the store and puts two and two together.

When the cops come, Amos tries to say he shot Casley, but they figure it out and arrest Roxie for murder—though she claims self-defense. The notorious lawyer Billy Flynn is called in, but his fee is $5,000—he tells Amos, you can pay the money or Roxie will hang. Amos can only raise half, so in desperation, he breaks into Flynn's house and steals the money that he will use the next day to pay Flynn. Meanwhile down at the jailhouse, Roxie is the latest sensation in a small group of "beautiful murderesses" making front page news. The headlines brand Roxie "The Jazz Slayer: because her player piano was going full blast during the shooting. She seems to enjoy the attention and wants to look sexy on the stand, but Flynn warns her, "You can't tell a jury you shot a man for your honor—in a skirt up to your hips!" In the courtroom, she plays her part to the hilt, looking both sexy (the men of the jury are noticeably hot and bothered by her) and noble, but can she win acquittal? And whether she does or not, will Amos stand by her?

This is the silent version of the stage play that went on to spawn a 40s talkie (ROXIE HART), a blockbuster stage musical by Bob Fosse, and an Oscar-winning film. The plot points and the satire concerning sensational journalism are present in all versions, though the 40s film makes Roxie innocent which dulls the sharpness of the story's outcome. This version, directed mostly by an uncredited Cecil B. DeMille, may be one of the best silent films to show someone who thinks he or she doesn't like silents—it's fast paced, well acted, has a very modern feel in terms of ironic humor, and has some great stylistic touches. Charleston Lou, who knifed her sweetie in a dance hall, is seen reading an etiquette book chapter called, "When is it correct to use a knife?" Roxie’s claim that "we both grabbed for the gun" is echoed in a song in the Fosse show. When Amos has finally had enough of Roxie's two-facedness, he says, "I'd see my soul burn in hellfire before I'd touch you again!" The shooting is staged quite well, as are the courtroom scenes. This movie was thought lost for many years, but an intact copy was found recently in DeMille's archives. A hugely enjoyable experience. [DVD]