Stars: Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Marisa Berenson, Fritz Wepper

Director: Bob Fosse

Summary: Award-winning musical set in pre-war Berlin, based on the book 'Goodbye To Berlin' by Christopher Isherwood. Sally Bowles is an American singer who falls in love with Brian who is bi-sexual...

Hit musical film of decadent, pre-war Berlin, based on the Kander-Ebb musical from John van Druten's play "I Am a Camera," which, in turn, was based on Christopher Isherwood's novel "Goodbye to Berlin." Academy Award Nominations: 10, including Best Picture, Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Academy Awards: 8, including Best Director, Best Actress--Liza Minnelli, Best Supporting Actor--Joel Grey, Best (Adapted) Song Score.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on March 15, 2006 8:54 PM

Well what can you say ! . Three decades after Caberet collected 8 Academy Awards and captivated cinema audiences around the world , this is about time. Caberet brings 1931 Berlin to life inside and outside the Kit Kat Club. There, starry eyed American Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) and an impish emeee (Joel Grey) sound the call for decadent fun , while in the street the Nazi party is beginning to grow into a brutal political force. Into this heady world arrives British language teacher Brian (Michael York) who falls for Sally's charms and soon, the two of them find themselves in turmoil.

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Cabaretis one of those film musicals whose cultural and stylistic influence extend well beyond the cinema. It confirmed Bob Fosse's status as one of the boldest choreographers of the 20th century and gave Liza Minnelli an early peak in a film career which would never scale such heights again. Minnelli is both the film's strength--on its own merits her performance is an Oscar-winning tour de force--and weakness. The real Sally Bowles was a third-rate performer and just one of a rich gallery of characters; here, the constant allowances for Minnelli's star turns and mannerisms ultimately throw the story off balance. But the source material is impeccable: Kander and Ebb's stage show, based on the autobiographical stories of Christopher Isherwood, has long since been acknowledged a classic. The songs, augmented by some new numbers in the film, are ageless.

Joel Grey from the original Broadway production is the Emcee, the master of ceremonies who, with his Kit Kat Klub girls, provides a depraved Greek chorus satirising the rise of the Nazi regime and the lazy complacency of the 1930s Berlin cabaret-goers. The "divine decadence" tag is only part of the story, though. Cabaretstill works a sinister, uncomfortable magic which sets it apart as a uniquely powerful film musical.

On the DVD:Cabaret's 30th Anniversary Special Edition is packed with extras which include a scratchy "making of" documentary from 1972 and a retrospective from 1997, the latter featuring reminiscences from the cast. There's also the original theatrical trailer, though in the absence of the late director Fosse the lack of some kind of commentary is a disappointment. The picture itself, presented in widescreen 16:9 letterbox format with a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack, gleams as sharply, visually and aurally, as it did on its first release. --Piers Ford

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	1997 Documentary Cabaret A Legend In The Making, 1972 Documentary The Recreation Of An Era, 1997 Kit Kat Klub Memory Gallery, Reminiscences From The Stars And The Creators, 1972 Original US Theatrical Trailer, Songs Menu, Photo Gallery, 50 Pages Of Production No
Year:	1972
Release Date:	June 1, 2009
Runtime:	119 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	F H E D 1444
Keywords:	Special, Music, Films, Cabaret, Edition, Wide, Screen, Shows, Anniversary, Performing, Musicals, 30th, Arts
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts