Among my other travels . . .

We went to Chicago – not the city, the movie. I had mixed feelings about seeing the movie as I was so taken by the play. The movie’s as good, perhaps better in a few ways.

Casting was great. Richard Gere danced very well and brought the character to life in a way few others could. Glad he didn’t try to sing more than he did, though. The man who played Amos Hart was outstanding. The two female leads were both better than I had thought they’d be.

What made the movie so good in a technical sense is the creativity to move beyond the limitations of the stage – particularly in the puppetry scene and the number “Tap Dance”. The puppet scene in particular did a terrific job of portraying how the media is manipulated.

What really made the film great was the clear depiction of both the depravity of our society and of the banality of evil. The recent version of the baptismal vows includes renouncing the glamour of evil, and rightfully so. Too often I find myself taken in by the glamour of one form or another of evil (for myself, pride and anger and frequent, though not exclusive, manifestations). A reminder of how evil’s glamour is utterly empty and unsatisfying can be helpful.