50th Anniversary of the Cinematic Masterpiece Cabaret

The title song, Cabaret sung by Sally Bowles is known around the world. Liza Minnelli and her pixie cut and the Kit Kat club in Berlin became iconic, thanks to the ongoing success of legendary film Cabaret.

Cabaret was released fifty years ago this week and changed the style of the musical genre. 

Gritty, modern, sexy and raw are just some of the words that have been used to describe this movie over the years.

The original idea of the movie Cabaret is based on the Christopher Isherwood story, Goodbye Berlin. 

Set in Berlin after WWI, Cabaret inadvertently demonstrates the rise of the Third Reich and how Nazism slowly came to power. 

The main protagonists are Brian Roberts (Michael York) and Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) who meet at a local Berlin boarding house. Sally Bowles is a performer at the Kit Kat Club and Brian Roberts teaches English while completing his studies.

Directed by the legendary Bob Fosse, Cabaret, is a really raw production. There is a level of tension that slowly builds up throughout the film but it is also broken up with the underlying brutality of the treatment of the Jewish population by the Nazi party. The propaganda of the Third Reich does have striking similarities with modern day politics. The film is still very relevant after fifty years.

You wouldn’t think a movie about the Bohemian lifestyle taking place in Berlin towards the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler would be suitable for a musical, but after watching Cabaret, I cannot think of a more suitable way to retell a very difficult time in world history.

Liza Minnelli is flawless in this film. She is the epitome of Sally Bowles. She encapsulates the iconic role and eventually won an Oscar for this outstanding performance. Liza Minnelli along with the supporting cast help make this film but this film elevated all the performers to legendary status.

Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies is the idea of perfection in this role. Many people have tried to replicate this character in the numerous Broadway revivals, but Joel Grey left his imprint and every other performer is a pale, if not weak in comparison. Joel Grey rightfully deserved his Oscar win for the performance as the Emcee.

The film Cabaret is a classic because it was so revolutionary at the time of its release. The film was a  devastatingly honest presentation of life under a decaying and falling German Empire and how through falsehoods and violence Hitler and his party were able to gain power, but all the while the Bohemian lifestyle was able to carry one with the Nazi party slowly closing in and destroying the world as they knew it.

The performances of Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey still stand up to many contemporaries but it is worthwhile to watch the film for the stellar supporting cast including Michael York, Marisa Berenson, Helmut Griem and Elizabeth Neimann-Viertel.

Do yourself a favor, pour yourself a glass of champagne and watch Cabaret to help celebrate with fiftieth year of its release. You will see why this film is a classic and deserves to be celebrated.