Summary
- Kubrick’s admiration for All That Jazz as the best film is unusual, but actually makes perfect sense.
- The legacy of All That Jazz rests on its chaotic yet emotionally compelling narrative that reflects the turbulent life of Bob Fosse.
- Although All That Jazz deviates from Kubrick’s usual style, the film’s dark and introspective nature appealed to the filmmaker.
During his career Stanley Kubrick was known for his intense and often dark films, so the film he considered to be the best may be surprising at first glance. He is considered one of the greatest film directors of all time. Kubrick made films from 1952 until his death in 1999. Stanley Kubrick’s best films are all hailed as classics, from 2001: A Space Odyssey To Shining. The director’s unique style and innovative cinematography had a lasting impact on Hollywood. Stanley Kubrick not only made outstanding films, but his influences were also quite clear.
The director was interested in Soviet filmmakers such as Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pudovkin (via Stanley Kubrick, (LoGross.) Kubrick also admired the works of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini (above KubrickCiment.) These directors’ films were mostly thoughtful, whimsical and epic, making dramas that forced audiences to think and feel in ways they had never done before. So it’s all the more surprising that Kubrick called this 1979 musical drama the best film he’d ever seen.
“All That Jazz” from 1979 was apparently Stanley Kubrick’s favorite film
The history and background of All That Jazz explained
According to John Baxter’s biography of Stanley Kubrick, the famous director was referring to the 1979 film. All this jazz as “the best film I’ve ever seen, I think.” All That Jazz is a musical drama directed by Bob Fosse. For context: Fosse is known for both his feature films and his contributions to the stage. The young Fosse developed from a dancer on the screen and on the stage to a choreographer of entire musicals with his unmistakable style to this day. Although Fosse is best known for films such as cabaret And Sweet charity, One of his greatest undertakings was All this jazz.
All this jazz was so important to Fosse because it was a fictionalized account of his own life. The semi-autobiographical film follows Joe Gideon, a film director and choreographer who is editing a movie while also choreographing a new show. In his free time, he chain smokes, does drugs, and sleeps with countless women. Eventually, this lifestyle begins to take its toll on Gideon, forcing him to choose between his vices and his art. This story is a direct parallel to Fosse’s struggles when he edited his film Lenny and stages at the same time Chicago.
Kubrick’s love for all that jazz also makes sense
It is surprising that Stanley Kubrick acknowledged All this jazz as the best film he had ever seen. At first glance, the film is very different from the films he has made. It is dramatic, but it is also a musical with a strong focus on dance, which was not quite Kubrick’s area. In addition, with such big name influences, It is surprising that Kubrick had so much admiration for Bob Fosse. Fosse was certainly an icon, but he was not considered the greatest filmmaker of his time. Much of his success revolved around dance. In this way All this jazz may seem like an unexpected surprise.
Given Kubrick’s overwhelming success, he perhaps saw parts of himself in
All this jazz,
why it had such an effect on him.
In other respects, however, All this jazz is very similar to Stanley Kubrick. All this jazz is anything but a light-hearted experience. The film is dark, difficult and sometimes hard to bear. After the downfall of Joe Gideon, Bob Fosse is incredibly vulnerable. In addition, All this jazz shows Fosse’s ego. Although the director struggled, he also found solace in his success and his art. Given Kubrick’s overwhelming success, he perhaps saw parts of himself in All this jazz, why it had such an effect on him.
Why All That Jazz has such a lasting legacy
All That Jazz is powerful and vulnerable at the same time
Ultimately, All this jazz deserves Stanley Kubrick’s praise and its long-lasting legacy. The film is well-made, sharp, and emotionally engaging. It can be criticized for trying to do too much, but that’s what makes the film fun. It’s messy, overwhelming, and sometimes hard to take. In that respect, it’s a lot like life, and especially the life of Bob Fosse.
Stanley Kubrick is mentioned in
All this jazz.
While editing his film, Gideon asks if Kubrick ever gets depressed.
In total, For Fosse, making such a film about himself was both a rush of power and an act of vulnerability and for that reason, it deserves the attention it gets. If anything, Kubrick’s praise is just another reason for audiences to see the film. All this jazz. Even if it seems like it came out of the blue, Stanley KubrickLove to All this jazz makes a lot of sense.
Source: Stanley Kubrick, LoGross; KubrickCement; Stanley Kubrick: A BiographyBaxter.
