What is Angelique's role as the character Joe Gideon often talks to in the film "All That Jazz"?

In the 1979 American musical drama film "All That Jazz", Jessica Lange as Angelique plays the angel of death. She is dressed in a white gown and has a wide brimmed hat with a white gauze-like veil. She appears to Roy Scheider as Joseph "Joe" Gideon, a theater director and choreographer, all throughout the film. There is a key moment when she materializes before him, the white veil glowing from the brim of her hat, looking like an oxygen tent.

Angelique is a recurring motif and is a romantic interest for Joe. Her presence allows Joe to become entangled in deceptive practices as he becomes exposed and vulnerable to beautiful and young women in both his personal and professional life. Can she act as a counterbalance to his bad persona?

"All That Jazz" is a semi-autobiographical tale. The film's protagonist (Gideon) abuses drugs, is a workaholic, and dies from a heart attack at an age when he should have many more years to live. Themes of the film include: living on the edge, the narcissistic pursuit of one's goal, sexual promiscuity, substance abuse, risk taking, and premature death by self-induced heart disease. Angelique as the angel in this instance could greatly help Joe. As a supernatural being, she could bring him understanding, powerful reasons to change, and gentle compassion. These items would allow him to better deal with other human beings, especially the women in his life.