Liza with a Z (1972)

Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

With an Oscar about to be on her mantle, Liza Minnelli was everywhere in the early to mid 70's, and this triumphant TV special (edited from her Broadway musical revue) gives a glimpse into the life of a performer that is indeed magical. Nearly fifty years have gone by ever since Liza reminded us that she's not Lisa, and if she had quit show business after this and her Oscar winning performance in "Cabaret", her legacy would have been set in stone. Forget the gossip about her future problems. Here, as she tells is, she has a problem, but it isn't a major one, and with brilliantly clever lyrics by Fred Ebb, Liza explains as to the issues with her name.Paying tribute to her pals Fred Kander and John Ebb, Liza opens the show with the song "Say Yes" from their recent flop Broadway musical "70 Girl 70". She then gets nostalgic and shows some serious acting prowess in her next number, "It was a good time" (recently heard in the movie "Ryan's Daughter"), a show-stopper if there ever was one. In fact, there are several show stopping moments in this, so the short length of the special isn't one to disappoint because it is all so magical. Those who saw "The Boy From Oz" on Broadway will see instantly Stephanie J. Block's big Liza moment ("She Loves to Hear the Music") with both "Ring Them Bells" and "Bye Bye Blackbird". With "Cabaret" still a triumph in movie theaters when this came out, the hour long special ends with Liza doing a "Cabaret" medley, including one song ("Married") cut out of the film, and getting to do Joel Grey's big opening number ("Wilkomen") as well. What is truly magical about Liza's presence here is her uniqueness as a performer. Like mother Judy Garland, she had great respect for her audience, and never gives the impression that she was simply "phoning it in". Liza laughs, clowns, emotes dramatically, and even if she's avante garde in many ways, she draws you in with her passion and drive and energy and verve and compassion. There's a reason why some performers make you want to psychologically hug them, because all your problems seem silly and solvable when you hear that big voice making it seem as if she is singing just for you. Few performers have that ability, and I'm sure that of her many longtime family friends, there were few without at least a tear or two. This gets a huge standing ovation at the end, and I find it tempting even by watching this on video to stand at the end as well.

Although she received considerable attention for stage and film work, throughout the 1960s Liza Minnelli was best known as the daughter of legendary Judy Garland. In the early 1970s, however, Minnelli began to emerge as a distinct talent in her own right, and her Best Actress Oscar win for CABARET put her over the top. In the wake of the film's success, she re-teamed with director Bob Fosse for an hour-long television concert. Titled LIZA WITH A Z, the program was a critical and ratings smash--but television programing is a transient sort of thing, and soon the show was relegated to the vaults. It was not seen again for more than thirty years.Seen today in the remastered Showtime DVD release, LIZA WITH A Z gives you a very clear idea of what all the fuss was about. It is impossible to watch Minnelli without comparing her to Garland, and it is true there is some actual basis for comparison: the sense of humor, the energy, the intensity are very similar, and from time to time Minnelli's vocal phrasing echos Garland. All the same, the comparison will only take you so far; even when performing such Garland-esquire material as Jolson's "My Mammy," Minnelli is distinctly herself.Her glitchy body language becomes an asset for director and choreographer Fosse, who used it to such great effect in CABARET and repeats the effect here--and who backs Minnelli with a solid chorus of dancers performing his own demanding, highly eccentric work. When Minnelli blasts out "Ring Them Bells" or down-shifts to a tightly controlled "Bye, Bye Blackbird," Fosse's dancers are memorable indeed.Whether it's a new take on Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" or a piece specifically written for her such as "Say Liza," Minnelli never gives less than one hundred percent. Even so, there are one or two lapses in the material. In hindsight, such selections as "I Gotcha" and "Son of a Preacher Man" are not really the best possible choices--but even so she works hard to sell them, and while you may question the choice of song you never question her talents.Of particular interest is the "time capsule" quality of the show. Although she had many later successes, Minnelli was somehow never able to keep her career on a consistent track; LIZA WITH A Z catches her at the crest, before one bad decision too many took its toll. The same "time capsule" quality applies to Fosse's staging; it is also distinctly early 1970s--and when Minnelli steps out in an aggressively pink Halston dress it couldn't be any other period.The remaster is quite good, and the DVD comes with a number of interesting extras, including Minnelli's audio track and bios of both Minnelli and Fosse; the deluxe DVD edition also includes the audio CD. Recommended for Minnelli and Fosse fans.GFT, Amazon Reviewer

I saw this for the first time on TV when I was a child. I remembered liking it a great deal-I think it was the first time I'd seen Liza Minelli. Watched it again today on Showtime and was amazed! Liza was fabulous-and the whole thing seemed so undated-that was a real surprise. Bob Fosse's choreography is still so modern looking and sexy. Halston's costumes were gorgeous and even when he put her in knickers (which believe it or not were IN for about 5 minutes during this time) she still doesn't look dated-you just think "Wow, I didn't remember KNICKERS looking that amazing"! The only thing that looks time-warpish is the hair and facial hair of her backup dancers. The guys have big, fluffy mustaches and it looks like she is being backed-up by 1970s porn stars. Other than that this special could have been done yesterday. The decision to do it live was perfect-Liza starts off quiet, and she just does a slow burn. By the end of the show her hair is plastered to her head with sweat and she is just burning and glowing and brilliant. An artist at the peak of her powers. Liza is just as talented as her famous mother, I think. She has all of Judy's raw talent & her incredible vulnerability, but with Liza you also get sex-I had forgotten how very sexy she was. By all means watch this special on Showtime or rent the DVD-you will not be bored.

The show was broadcast on T.V. once or twice in the early '70s. Recently I had the rare pleasure of viewing a bootleg video of the show as it was broadcast. If you think you know how well Liza could dance, and how captivating she was on stage, and if you think you know how extraordinary Bob Fosse's choreography & direction could be, and you haven't seen this performance, then you still don't know.The marriage of Liza, Kander & Ebb, Fosse & the glitz of early 1970s musical theater come together here in perfect harmony. The lighting, the dancing, the songs, the costumes, the star. This was the year that Liza won an Oscar (for Cabaret), and an Emmy & a Tony for this production, "Liza with a Z". She may have also gotten a Grammy that year, but even if she didn't, it's a hat trick that stands alone in the annals of American entertainment. For her and for us, it's been all down hill from here.To see her do "Ring Them Bells", "Mammy", "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Bye, Bye, Blackbird", just four numbers on this hour-long video, is worth the trouble of finding a bootleg copy.