This viscerally powerful, deliriously inspired musical stands the test of time, and then some.
Cabaret (1972)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:30
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8.2/10
Consensus: Great performances and evocative musical numbers help Cabaret secure its status as a stylish, socially conscious classic.
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: The final shot of the hit film CABARET is a Nazi meeting reflected in a mirror, providing the chilling historical subtext for this groundbreaking musical movie, set in prewar Berlin. Not since GONE... The final shot of the hit film CABARET is a Nazi meeting reflected in a mirror, providing the chilling historical subtext for this groundbreaking musical movie, set in prewar Berlin. Not since GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) had Hollywood produced a more successful film. CABARET was a convention-shattering story that dealt with themes like bisexuality that were still under the radar in the US. Additionally, CABARET made the enormously talented Liza Minnelli an American icon. Minnelli plays Sally Bowles, an aspiring singer and dancer. The main plot revolves around her relationship with two different men and her life as a singer at the Kit Kat Klub. The film utilizes the traditional conventions of American musical theater while adding in the fiendishly painted Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) who comments on the proceedings through song and dance. Director Bob Fosse showcases the range of his vision as a director of stage and screen, serving as both choreographer and musical director. Based on the Kander-Ebb musical from John van Druten's play I AM A CAMERA (which, in turn, was derived from Christopher Isherwood's novel GOODBYE TO BERLIN), CABARET was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won eight, making it one of the most acclaimed films in movie history. [More]
Starring: Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Michael York, Helmut Griem
Starring: Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Fritz Wepper, Marisa Berenson
Director: Bob Fosse
Director: Bob Fosse
Screenwriter: Jay Presson Allen
Producer: Cy Feuer
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Reviews for Cabaret
Bob Fosse's direction is as chaotic as it was in his previous Sweet Charity, a desperate scramble after a style.
...the context of Germany on the eve of the Nazi ascent to power makes the entire musical into an unforgettable cry of despair.
Everybody in Cabaret is very fine, and meticulously chosen for type, down to the last weary transvestite and to the least of the bland, blond open-faced Nazis in the background.
After a decade of stagnant musicals, Bob Fosse reenergizes the genre with a dazzling, intelligent, and socially conscious musical more reflective of the zeitgeist of the 1970s--Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey are brilliant.
Bob Fosse captures the atmosphere incredibly with a multi-layered musical that continues to hold up over the years
Much-lauded, Fosse's look at pre-Nazi Germany is pretty uneven and uninspired -- his work is far better when we're inside the Kit Kat Club where there's singing and dancing to be had.
Whatever this 1972 feature is, it's entertaining and stylish, though maybe not quite as serious as it wants to be.
All are guaranteed to leave Sally Bowles' words ringing in your ears as the credits roll: 'Divine decadence, darling!'
The screenplay, which never seems to talk down to an audience while at the same time making its candid points with tasteful emphasis, returns the story to a variety of settings.
Let's just say it: the best thing going in director Bob Fosse's tour de force is Joel Grey. As the Master of Ceremonies at the infamous Berlin Kit-Kat club, Grey steals every scene he's in and makes us hope for more.
Superbly choreographed by Fosse, the cabaret numbers evoke the Berlin of 1931 - city of gaiety and perversion, of champagne and Nazi propaganda - so vividly that only an idiot could fail to perceive that something is rotten in the state of Weimar.
Flashy musical numbers go a long way to disguise the bitterness of this pill.
Although its political pretensions are often forced, the film's energy, musical set-pieces and performances still enthral, especially Grey's depiction of a grotesque cabaret emcee. 'Money', his duet with Minnelli, is a show-stopper.
Chilling Fosse vision of Weimar Berlin, stylishly directed and choreographed, featuring a show-stopping musical performance by Minnelli, Grey's unforgettable emcee and thoughtful acting from Michael York.
Latest News for Cabaret
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
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