Cabaret (1972)

A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.

Director:

Bob Fosse

Writers:

Joe Masteroff (based on the musical play "Cabaret" book by), John Van Druten (based on the play by)

Stars:

Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem

Won 8 Oscars. Another 27 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liza Minnelli	...	Sally Bowles
Michael York	...	Brian Roberts
Helmut Griem	...	Maximilian von Heune
Joel Grey	...	Master of Ceremonies
Fritz Wepper	...	Fritz Wendel
Marisa Berenson	...	Natalia Landauer
Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel	...	Fraulein Schneider
Helen Vita	...	Fraulein Kost
Sigrid von Richthofen	...	Fraulein Mayr (as Sigrid Von Richthofen)
Gerd Vespermann	...	Bobby
Ralf Wolter	...	Herr Ludwig
Georg Hartmann	...	Willi
Ricky Renée	...	Elke (as Ricky Renee)
Estrongo Nachama	...	Cantor
Kathryn Doby	...	Kit-Kat Dancer

Storyline

Cambridge University student Brian Roberts arrives in Berlin in 1931 to complete his German studies. Without much money, he plans on making a living teaching English while living in an inexpensive rooming house, where he befriends another of the tenants, American Sally Bowles. She is outwardly a flamboyant, perpetually happy person who works as a singer at the decadent Kit Kat Klub, a cabaret styled venue. Sally's outward façade is matched by that of the Klub, overseen by the omnipresent Master of Ceremonies. Sally draws Brian into her world, and initially wants him to be one of her many lovers, until she learns that he is a homosexual, albeit a celibate one. Among their other friends are his students, the poor Fritz Wendel, who wants to be a gigolo to live a comfortable life, and the straight-laced and beautiful Natalia Landauer, a Jewish heiress. Fritz initially sees Natalia as his money ticket, but eventually falls for her. However Natalia is suspect of his motives and cannot ...

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Plot Keywords:

cabaret | jewish | nazism | closeted homosexual | bisexual man | 

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Taglines:

Life is a Cabaret

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Genres:

Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Hebrew French

Release Date:

13 February 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Кабаре

Filming Locations:

Biergarten, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$42,765,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures,ABC Pictures,A Feuer and Martin Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey would have major roles in adaptations of Wizard of Oz. Liza Minnelli (whose mother played Dorothy in the 1939 Wizard of Oz film) played Dorothy in the 1972 animated film Journey Back to Oz. While Joel Grey played the Wizard in the 1995 adaptation Wizard of Oz In Concert: Dreams Come True as well as the Broadway musical adaptation, Wicked.

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Goofs

As Max drops off Brian and Sally packs for the African trip, Brian's shirt changes style and colour. In Max's car his shirt is blue with a rounded collar but, by the time he enters the apartment, it is white with a pointed collar.

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Quotes

Sally: My God! It's enough to drive a girl into a convent! Do they have Jewish nuns?

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: Berlin 1931

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Alternate Versions

In the film's first telecast, on ABC-TV, all reference to Max's bisexuality was edited out, changing the motivation one of the other characters completely.

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Connections

Featured in The Alan Titchmarsh Show: Episode dated 14 February 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Mein Herr
Written by John Kander and Fred Ebb
Sung by Liza Minnelli

User Reviews

Definitely in the Top 10

I have a very hard time picking a favorite, favorite film, but if forced to create a Top 10 List, this film would be there. Yes, Liza Minnelli CAN act , and brilliantly. The songs are wonderful and funny, the narrative is brilliant and dark. Those who typically don't like musicals might enjoy this, as there are none of those cheesy "I feel a song coming on" moments - - all of the music is confined to the stage of the Kit Kat Klub. Michael York's role is often overshadowed by Minnelli's brassy Sally Bowles, but his work is equally strong. A+.