Kansas City

This film appears to pay tribute to jazz legends of the 1930s (and 1990s since 90s jazz artists play the parts of the 30s ones) as well as to offer a period-specific plot. I was surprised and pleased by the interesting twists of the plot offered in conjunction with extensive jazz numbers. The set up of this film, however, seems to equate jazz with the troubled underworld experience. Although the most negative characters are white in these films, the jazz almost seems to provide a backdrop for such occurrences. The music seems to not only be a topic within the film but also to move the film along in certain places. More later....