Chicago (1927 film)

Chicago
Directed by	Frank Urson
Produced by	Cecil B. DeMille
Written by	Maurine Dallas Watkins (play) Lenore J. Coffee
Starring	Phyllis Haver Julia Faye Victor Varconi May Robson
Cinematography	J. Peverell Marley
Editing by	Anne Bauchens
Distributed by	Pathé Exchange
Release date(s)	December 27, 1927 (1927-12-27)
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent film English titles
Budget	$1,500

Chicago is a 1927 comedy-drama silent film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by Frank Urson.

Plot

Drawn from the play of the same name by Maurine Dallas Watkins which was in turn based on the true story of Beulah Annan, fictionalized as Roxie Hart (Phyllis Haver), and her spectacular murder of her boyfriend. The silent film adds considerably to the material in Watkins' play, some additions based on the original murder, and some to Hollywood considerations. The murder, which occurs in a very brief vignette before the play begins, is fleshed out considerably. Also, Roxie's husband Amos Hart (played by Victor Varconi) has a much more sympathetic and active role in the film than he does either in the play or in the subsequent musical. The ending is more cruel to Roxie, in keeping with Hollywood values of not allowing criminals to profit too much from their crimes (although she DOES get away with murder). 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.^[1]

Cast

• Phyllis Haver as Roxie Hart
• Julia Faye as Velma Kelly
• Victor Varconi as Amos Hart
• May Robson as Matron
• Eugene Pallette as Rodney Casely
• Robert Edeson as William Flynn

See also

• Roxie Hart (film)
• Chicago (musical)
• Chicago (2002 film)

References

1. ^ Chicago at silentera.com database

External links

• Chicago at the Internet Movie Database
• Chicago at AllRovi