By Martie Zad
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 17, 2003; Page Y05
The mesmerizing singing and dancing in the film “Chicago” come to video and DVD Tuesday and the Oscar winner as 2002’s “best picture” is not alone. Fox Home Entertainment shimmies into the picture with the DVD debuts of Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” plus “Hello, Dolly!” “The Rose” and “Simon & Garfunkel: Concert in Central Park.
The sum total is an awfully large group of the most talented folks, singing batches of memorable songs and performing many of the best dances ever presented on the stage or screen.
“Chicago,” with Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah won a total of six Academy Awards including a Best Supporting Actress statue for Zeta-Jones. The film was based on the Broadway hit by John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The spectacle of love, betrayal, intrigue, friendship and rivalry garnered an additional seven Oscar nominations including a best actress for Zellweger and one for director Rob Marshall.
The Miramax DVD, listing for $29.99, includes a slate full of behind-the-scenes material. The VHS lists for $24.99.
Roy Scheider stars as the enigmatic Bob Fosse driven over the edge in “All That Jazz” caught between a fantasy about his death and an actual near-death experience. Jessica Lange co-stars.
The one and only Bette Midler plays the title character in “The Rose,” an artist strikingly similar to Janis Joplin.
Barbra Streisand puts forth one of her most beloved performances in “Hello, Dolly!” The film, directed by Gene Kelly and co-starring Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford, won an Oscar nomination for best picture of 1969.
On “Simon &Garfunkel: Concert in Central Park,” many all-time favorites were recorded in a long-awaited reunion performance by one of the world’s most loved music duos. The concert was performed more than 10 years after they broke up.
All four Fox DVDs are listed at $14.98. Three other musical discs are being offered at reduced prices for this season, “The Commitments” and “The Five Heartbeats” at $14.98 and “Moulin Rouge” at $19.98.