Roxie Hartby Anonymous

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July 24, 2004: Never has a girl with so little class done so much damage. When a 1920s has-been showgirl's husband shoots a `burglar? in her apartment, 'Roxie Hart' (Ginger Rogers) decides to take the wrap. Why? Good business...and because, outside of 15 minutes in the pen, she becomes the biggest little murderess in old Chicago. Newspaper men court her, the tabloids report her every move, journalists become her best friend and greatest sympathizers. What?s a girl to do but lap it all up in stride and bask in the glory of infamous notoriety? Based on a true story played strictly for laughs - the bawdy, gaudy and luscious Roxy kicks up her high-stepping heels in one of the most publicized trials of the last century. There's much to admire here, not the least of which is Rogers outstanding performance that proves her talents were far more extensive than performing as one half of the most successful dance team in film history; Astaire & Rogers. Adolph Menjou costars as Roxy's ubiquitous attorney. Kiss! Kiss! Bang! Bang! This one's a winner. Despite a few scenes that lay claim to considerable film grain and mis-registration (resulting in some minor pesky halos) this DVD is minted from a remarkably clean camera negative. The gray scale is wonderfully realized, with rich, deep, solid blacks. Occasionally the contrast level appears a tad on the low side but only occasionally. For the most part what you get is a genuinely impressive looking transfer that clearly has been the benefactor of some major digital restoration. The audio has been re-channeled to stereo with predictable dated characteristics. A couple of trailers that illustrate just how awful this DVD might have looked if the good people at Fox hadn't worked some digital magic on this restored print, sum up the extra features on this disc. So get ready to shoot it out with 'Roxie Hart' on DVD! Highly recommended.