Cabaret (1972) (BD) [Blu-ray]

The history of Hollywood is closely aligned with the history of the musical. For a couple of decades, studios like MGM and others relied on a steady output of musicals for guaranteed profit. Many of these flicks have not held up well over time, though a few remain astonishingly fresh today. The average musical of 70 - 80 years ago featured a weak romantic plot inter-spliced with song and dance numbers. The songs and dances had little to do with the rest of the movie. Ten minutes of dialogue, then a song or dance number. Repeat this sequence six or seven times and viola, a feature film!Cabaret is fundamentally different, in that the song / dance numbers are integral to the movie. Virtually everything evolves around the cabaret, and the songs on stage feel like they're part of the storyline, rather than some interludes dropped in for entertainment or comic relief.The backdrop of the rise of Nazism reminds me a bit of the setting for the TV series MASH. Without the Korean war, Mash would have been another mediocre sitcom; without the rise of the Nazis, Cabaret would have been a sitcom of Sally and her various lovers.Overall, an excellent movie without significant shortcomings. If you ever get the opportunity, see this story done live on stage; it's mesmerizing.

Classic movie with the legendary Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey. Sadly the subject matter remains relevant.

Great quality, as advertised.

Cabaret is my favorite musical of all time. I like it because it makes sense. It deals realistically with a difficult time. It has characters that you love or hate, but they are dealing with issues that are presented more honestly than any musical up to that time. It's not perfect and it certainly isn't cheerful, but it has a kind of reality that is uncommon in musicals. It doesn't have a happy ending.The other reason it is my favorite musical is because the music makes sense. It's not nuns singing "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" in a cloister -- which would never happen except in a musical. Rather, it is singers in a cabaret where you would expect music. Though I like musicals generally, a part of me is always turned off when someone suddenly starts singing in a wildly inappropriate setting and no one seems to notice e.g. the Ascot scene in My Fair Lady.

This is one of the best films of the 70's . Half of the songs that were in the original Broadway musical were taken out so it was more of a drama with music than a musical , but that's okay . Liza singing Cabaret is a show stopper . Michael York was also very good . Joel Grey as the evil faced emcee was terrific . At the time in the 70.s when Joel Grey won an Oscar for the role I couldn't understand why he won over Al Pacino because Joel Grey didn't do any real acting in the film. Only musical numbers , but after viewing the again after all of these years I understand . It's the WAY he pit the songs over . Especially "If You Could see her Through My Eyes" WOW , what a number . In 1972 when this movie came out Liza Minnelli was quoted in Newsweek magazine that she was going to be a bigger star than mama . Sorry Liza but it didn't happen . Judy Garland had a list of dozens of beautiful MGM musicals . Cabaret was 9 in my humble opinion Liza's only big musical . But Liza was a terrific performer in live shows and concerts and what a joyful personality . She was and is a great trouper .This new Blu-ray version is beautiful but the only reason I gave it 4 stars was the audio was troublesome .In quiet conversation you could hardly hear what they were saying . Even when I turned the volume up you could hardly make it out . I would have sent the DVD back , but they'de probably send me a copy with the same problem . That's probably manufactured all of the DVD's like that .Anyway I highly recommend this new Blu-ray version of the one and only "Cabaret"

Good Deal All Around

The pursuit of happiness, enshrined as a right in the US Constitution, is one of the greatest motivating factors in all of human history. It can also be one of the biggest distractions. CABARET, from the musical by Kander and Ebb and directed by Bob Fosse, is sort of an examination of this through the historical lens of late Weimar Germany as it succumbed to Nazism. Liza Minnelli is Sally Bowles, a dancer/singer at the Kit Kat Club who has dreams of becoming a famous actress; and Michael York is Brian Jordan, an English philosophy student who is in Germany for cultural enrichment and to make some money. Both of these tragic figures are the conduit for the audience, with Sally being the fantasy side of things and Brian being the reality. As with CHICAGO, although a little less so here, the musical numbers don't just move the story along (all while being organic) but also comment upon it as well. This, for me, is what sets Kander/Ebb musicals apart from the rest. Nazism begins as a mere nuisance but, as the film progresses, becomes more of a presence (and present threat). This is mirrored in the pacing of musical sequences which are initially spaced out a little sparsely but become more frequent as the film goes on. From an interpretive standpoint (and this is just my opinion), this implies (through the nature of what a cabaret is and entails) that our willingness to be entertained and distracted, even if only temporarily, is what allows political extremism/tragedy/etc. to insidiously take hold. No scene in CABARET is more chilling than when the young Nazi starts singing (what I think is) a folk song, and his audience gradually joins in with him. In fact, this entire musical is filled with pathos of varying types, which is why I think it's so effective. The cabaret is a metaphor for the ways we try to mask our pain, to find happiness, but it often comes at the expense of our dignity. From a technical perspective, all of the performances were solid with special marks being given to the leads. However, Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies was just as entertaining, perhaps the most so as his role provided dramatic and musical unity to the film. He was also simply hilarious to watch. There was also dynamite editing, choreography, lighting, etc., making it a sort-of ancestor to the music video. If there's one complaint I can levy, it's that the film takes a little too much time to get going, although once it gets into gear it doesn't let up. All things considered, CABARET is a stunning accomplishment that still holds relevance in this day and age of disillusionment with the political establishment. I'm a little hesitant to draw parallels between the America of today and the Germany of then, but it's a little disconcerting to feel like the only thing keeping us from making the same mistakes is that we've never suffered the abject humiliation that Germany suffered at the end of WWI. On a more positive note, CABARET exists as a testament to the power of entertainment, and definitely deserves its status as one of the best musicals ever put to film.