Cabaret(1972)- User Reviews

"Cabaret" sets the tone as one of the best musicals ever adapted to the screen back in the 1970's and is still one of the most exciting heart-pulsing films of all time. To put it blunt, it has everything to please those who are fans of musicals. It provides plenty of wit and charm which is what most would expect in a musical of this calibre. The music is very exciting and enthralling much like the reboot of "Chicago". The acting is pitch perfect and also quite phenomenal (Liza Minnelli just totally makes Sally Bowles a character her own). But what makes "Cabaret" so extraordinary is that in spite of the light-hearted music and the scintillating singing and dance numbers is that the story itself sparks a lot of deep, dark and at times disturbing undertones to it as well. Such brooding topics lay in the facets of racism, alienation, abortion and other assorted taboos. But the dark tones are brilliantly concealed through the delicate dancing and wonderful singing you wouldn't think that this was a dark story.

The musical is adapted from "The Berlin Stories" by Christopher Isherwood and centers around a young British tutor named Brian Roberts (Michael York) who has made residence in Berlin in 1930. He lives across the hall from the perky, but eccentric lounge singer and fellow Englander Sally Bowles (Minnelli). She's a singer at the Kit Kat Klub a local Cabaret centre. Once Brian falls in love with her, Sally becomes aggressive and dersiring. But their realtionship is constantly put to the test as a Baron steps into the fray who also has his eyes on both Sally and even may have lust for Brian as well. As the Nazi party starts to come into full effect, trouble obviously comes with the package not only to the two lovebirds, but for those who are close to them as well.

The free-spirited attitude lingers throughout the course of the film and is wisely used as a decoy to symbloize the feelings the film is trying to get across. The humour of the movie stems from making fun Nazism as they demonstrate the modus operandi of what the Nazi party truly represented, whether is was through domination, greed and the bizarre love triangle Sally and Brian are up against.Progressively, the events outside the Klub materialize splendidly equal to the events within the vicinity.

What can be said about the acting except that it was absolutely beautiful. Liza Minnelli was an absolute delight. She played her rather complex characters with absolute perfection. Joel Grey was equally electrifying as the Emcee. The exchange in words were spot-on and it also looks and feels very natural to the point that they didn't sound like they were acting. The audience must've felt silent when they were singing songs together like "Money" as they played off their every move and even apart they were sublime. In stage number like "Two Ladies", Grey uses lots of comedic energy that pays homage to the silent film era performers like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Minnelli is just special and musically enhanced when she rips out the final song you just wish the song never had an ending. Michael York pulls off a great performance as Brian Roberts, but he sadly very upstaged by the domineering performance of Minnelli, she's just has that integrity that she carries with her.

Overall, it is safe to say that "Cabaret" is an delightful movie that comes across being the musical of all musicals.. Bob Fosse created a brilliant masterpiece, but it was released in bad timing because when it came out, another heavy came into full effect, "The Godfather." If you never seen it yet, you don'y know what you're missing. For those who love high energy films like "Moulin Rouge" or "Chicago", then this type of movie might be your cup of tea. It will surely leave you awestruck for a very long time.