Chicago- Female Empowerment

Chicago is a 2002 musical comedy crime film based on the musical of the same name. It explores themes of fame, scandal, and corruption in Chicago during the Jazz Age. The film stars Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere as the three leading roles and features appearances by Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Christine Baranski and Lucy Liu.

This to me is one of the best musicals due to the strong female empowerment that is highlighted throughout the film. The empowerment of the lead female protagonists is an unique element in this film, especially during the time period. It was a time of change and women were slowly rising up, no longer damsels in distress even though they were still damsels.

I found the focus on the themes crime and fame to be very relatable to that era as well. In the 1920’s organized crime and prohibition laws in America were at an all time high and citizens at this time turned to crime due to the economic depression. Jobs were in short supply and people had to provide for their families, crime seemed to be the next best option.

Chicago, however, doesn’t focus on the organized crime or prohibition laws that were a main focal point of that era. Instead, the film focuses on the crimes committed by the female protagonists portrayed by Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it focuses on the murders committed by women.

In the film, one of the female inmates was the first woman to be hanged for her crime. This scene in the film changes Roxy’s perspective viewing her case, and brings to her attention that she might in fact die for her crime as well.

Previously in the film Roxy didn’t want to be her lawyer’s puppet but once she realized that she was signing her death warrant by pushing him away and not following his instructions, she listened.

There is a lot of symbolism in the fact that the case was set up like a show and her press conference was set up where she was his puppet. Her lawyer had to have full control on all matters in order to sway the possible outcome of the jury’s decision.

Overall, I found this film to be empowering and entertaining and full of symbolism surrounding fame, scandal, corruption, and the system during the 1920’s Jazz Age in Chicago.