Reality In Chicago

Overall, the basic structure of the film seems to be a constant switch between reality and illusion for the characters. These illusions, or dreams, seem to also be based on what is happening in the real world. Sometimes the dreams involve a character’s emotions at the time or it can appear to be a hidden message for the audience. Some of these dreams can be explained using Andrew Plaks’ various definitions as to what a dream really is or what it can consist of. One of the most vivid dreams within the film, Chicago, involves the character’s dream world becoming a reality. This can be seen through various characters, such as Roxie Hart, Amos Hart, and even the Hungarian murderess. For example, in the beginning of the film Roxie gets Amos to …show more content…
The film is also able to depict the cruel reality of how not only is the judicial system is corrupt but also how the real world can be. The judicial corruption throughout the film can be clearly seen through the character of Matron Mama Morton. When her character is first introduced, she appears through a fantasy where she shows that she is willing to do anything for the inmates, as long as she gets something in return. When she first introduced Billy Flynn to Roxie, she would only make the phone call to him if she received a hundred dollars. However, Billy Flynn’s character is no different from Mama. When he is first introduced, he is shown as this great man who is humble, kind, and a great lawyer. In a way, this illusion is what brings Roxie to him. He is known for never losing a female client, which draws her in even more. Contrary to the illusion, Billy Flynn is a very selfish man and does not care for his client at all. His true self can be seen sparingly throughout the film but even more so at the end of the film. Whenever a new murderess appeared, he completely forgot about his current client. It happened when he was representing Velma and then found Roxie, and it happened again when a new murderess appeared. At the end of Roxie’s trial, he admits that he had tampered with the evidence that was brought up against her in other to incriminate the other lawyer. These kinds of illusions allow …show more content…
They all have a goal to reach. Not only do they further the plot and help develop the characters, but it goes beyond the story line. It makes us think about our own lives. Similar to what Plaks says in his article, the dreams in the film gives a clearer vision as to what the characters are thinking. Some of the dreams can be seen as how a character may view themselves, and other dreams can be seen how the character wants others to perceive them. A good example off this would be when Roxie spends her first night in jail and through a “dream” she meets the other murderess. They tell their version of what happened; they justify their reasons for killing their husbands. In a way, Roxie uses this dream to justify her murdering Fred Casely, because she later says, “I killed him, I did, but I’m no criminal”. She justifies her own crime by manipulating the jury and the public into thinking that it was self-defense against Fred Casely. This could once again provoke the audience to think about their own lives and the judicial system of today. It is difficult to accept when you have done something wrong, so a lot of the time, we justify it by twisting the story around, which is exactly what both Roxie and Billy Flynn did here. However, even though she was found not guilty of killing Fred, Roxie didn’t get anything she wanted. Which can be furthered portrayed to the audience that even though you can get