Chicago (1927) [1080p]
Channel: The Cinema Cellar
Date: 2023-06-08

'Chicago is a 1927 American silent crime comedy-drama film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by Frank Urson. The first film adaptation of Maurine Dallas Watkins' play of the same name, the film stars Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart, a fame-obsessed housewife who kills her lover in cold blood and, after trying to coerce her husband into taking the blame, is put on trial for murder.

Cast
Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart
Victor Varconi as Amos Hart
Virginia Bradford as Katie
Robert Edeson as William Flynn
Eugene Pallette as Rodney Casley
Warner Richmond as Asst. District Attorney
T. Roy Barnes as Reporter
Clarence Burton as Police sergeant
Julia Faye as Velma
May Robson as Matron Mrs. Morton
Viola Louie as Two Gun Rosie

Preservation status
The film was long difficult to see, but a recent print was made available from the UCLA Film and Television Archive, enabling the film to play at festivals and historic theaters around the country. This has greatly improved the reputation of the film. Flicker Alley released the film on Blu-ray on October 6, 2020.

A print of Chicago also survives at the Gosfilmofond Russian State Archives.

Adaptations
The plot was adapted to stage in 1975 with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It was a critical and commercial success, and was made into a musical film in 2002, starring Renée Zellweger as Roxie, Catherine Zeta-Jones as fellow murderess Velma Kelly, Richard Gere as Billy Flynn, Queen Latifah as Mama Morton, and John C. Reilly as Amos. The film was also a hit and won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2003.'

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_(1927_film)