“Cabaret” – a Carefree Revue before the Storm of War [Review]

Title: “Cabaret”

Release Date: 1972

Director: Bob Fosse

Cast: Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Michael York, Fritz Wepper, Marisa Berenson, Helmut Griem, and others

The legendary musical “Cabaret”, directed by Bob Fosse and set in pre-war Berlin, offers viewers not only a unique artistic spectacle with Liza Minnelli’s acting and vocal performance, but above all a poignant and brilliantly symbolic story that foreshadows totalitarianism.

The film “Cabaret” is a screen adaptation of the musical of the same name by John Kander and Fred Ebb, which premiered on Broadway in 1966. The musical was based on Christopher Isherwood’s book The Berlin Stories and John Van Druten’s play I am Camera.

After the famous Billy Wilder and Gene Kelly refused to direct the movie, the camera was taken over by Bob Fosse, a theater director and choreographer little known to the general public. This choice proved to be an excellent one, and soon, at the 45th Academy Awards in 1973, Fosse won the award for Best Director, beating Francis Ford Coppola, who was nominated for The Godfather, and his work Cabaret received a total of eight Academy Awards.

“Cabaret” – Berlin, an open city

The movie “Cabaret” begins in the early 1930s, when a young Englishman, Brian Roberts (Michael York), arrives in Berlin to finish his doctoral thesis and polish his German. There, he meets the feisty singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), who works evenings entertaining audiences at one of the local cabarets. In keeping with the nihilistic and decadent atmosphere of the decade, the girl leads an uninhibited lifestyle and, on her initiative, she, Brian, and Count Maximilian von Heun (Helmut Griem), whom they meet by chance, embark on a series of romantic adventures.

Meanwhile, Brian, who earns extra money by tutoring English, begins to be visited by Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson), who comes from a wealthy Jewish family, and Fritz Wendel (Fritz Wepper), a poor man who is in love with her and faces the difficult choice of whether to reveal his Semitic roots. All this takes place against the backdrop of historically momentous events, as the Weimar Republic is on the brink of collapse and the Nazis are preparing to seize power…

Film “Cabaret” – clash of civilizations

To show the clash of two different worlds and the danger associated with the advent of the Third Reich, the creator of “Cabaret” uses contrasts, intertwining lively and colorful shots from the Kit Kat cabaret performances with dark images of the first bloody clashes with SS officers on the streets of Berlin.

Contrasts are also evident in the characters, whose diverse attitudes, such as the carefree egocentrism of the American Sally and the caution combined with helplessness felt by the Jewish Natalie, serve to outline the structure and mood of the society at the time.

The main character seems to be the greatest opponent of Nazism and, as a foreigner, he makes the most objective assessment of the reality he finds himself in, but he is only temporarily in the place of action. The director criticizes the political indifference of the inhabitants of Germany at the time and their passivity. To this end, however, he does not put unnecessary words into the mouths of his characters, but instead allows the audience to observe how, in proportion to the growing number of swastikas appearing on the streets of Berlin, Nazi ideology gradually poisons the hearts and minds of ordinary citizens.

“Cabaret” – the sounds of music

The entire drama unfolds to the sounds of music. As noted by the famous film critic Roger Ebert, this is no ordinary musical, and part of its success lies precisely in the fact that it deviates from the prevailing notion that works of this genre must make the audience happy. The musical “Cabaret” features such classic songs as “Mein Herr,” “Maybe This Time,” and “Money Money.” Complemented by excellent choreography, the musical numbers captivate the audience, but also give them an opportunity for bitter reflection, as in the only song performed outside the Kit Kat club, sung by a young Nazi, “Tomorrow Belongs to Me.”

Movie “Cabaret” – the birth of a star

The film’s success would not have been possible without its excellent cast. Liza Minnelli, who played Sally, became a star of the first magnitude after the premiere of “Cabaret” and received an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance. Minnelli also proved that she was a worthy successor to her mother, the legendary singer and actress Judy Garland.

An Academy Award was also given to Joel Grey, who played the charismatic master of ceremonies. The actor also played the same role in the original Broadway production. Thanks to his makeup, his master of ceremonies is slightly demonic and has been given the ability by the screenwriter to predict future events.

“Ladies and gentlemen, where are your troubles? Forgotten?” he asks at the end of the show, addressing the audience with a broad smile. Perhaps we ourselves, thrown into the whirlwind of fun along with the main characters, overlooked the moment when the Nazis came to power?

“Cabaret” – a film starring Liza Minelli, which is considered a classic of world cinema. It was this film that made hits such as “Money Money,” “Mein Herr,” and “Maybe This Time” famous.