And the Academy Award Goes To...

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Paul Gambaccini traces the history of the Oscars and tells the story behind winning films

Paul Gambaccini traces the history of the Oscars and tells the story behind award-winning films

And the Academy Award Goes To...: Series 9: Chicago

Chicago

Series 9

BBC Radio 4 - And the Academy Award Goes To..., Series 9, Chicago

Murder, celebrity and All That Jazz - Paul Gambaccini tells the story of the  Oscar success of the 2002 musical film Chicago.

It was a heady combination of the seedy side of a city, jazz and murder,  and memorable performances from Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere that scooped the musical film "Chicago" 6 Academy Awards., including one for Best Picture. The 2002 movie was based on the 1975 stage musical created by Bob Fosse, but the story of murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart had been told in several forms before that. The first was in 1926 by Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, based on two actual 1924 murder cases.
  
Paul Gambaccini traces the origin of the film and  hears why it  triumphed so spectacularly at the Oscars.  There are contributions from the film's Musical Supervisor Maureen Crowe who recalls the way the music was recorded and put together in London, Toronto and Los Angeles and how difficult it was to get the opening horn lick in the first few bars just right. 
We also hear from film critics Toby Miller and Larushka Ivan-Zadeh and there are interviews recorded at the time of the film's release with starring actor Richard Gere and director Rob Marshall. 

Producer: Emma Kingsley

And the Academy Award Goes To...: Series 9

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Paul Gambaccini traces the history of the Oscars and tells the story behind winning films.

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