Cabaret (1972)

Director:

Bob Fosse

Writers:

Joe Masteroff (book)
John Van Druten (play)
(more)

Release Date:

13 February 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

The Award-Winning Smash Hit Musical [UK Video]

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

1930s | Dancer | Nazi | Cabaret | Political Unrest

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

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	...	Fräulein Schneider
Helen Vita	...	Fräulein Kost
Sigrid von Richthofen	...	Fräulein 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
Inge Jaeger	...	Kit-Kat Dancer
Angelika Koch	...	Kit-Kat Dancer
Helen Velkovorska	...	Kit-Kat Dancer
Gitta Schmidt	...	Kit-Kat Dancer
Louise Quick	...	Kit-Kat Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oliver Collignon	...	Hitler youth singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Bob Fosse

Writing credits
Joe Masteroff		(book of the musical play "Cabaret")
John Van Druten		(play "I Am a Camera")
Christopher Isherwood		(stories)
Jay Presson Allen		(screenplay) (as Jay Allen)

Produced by
Cy Feuer	....	producer
Harold Nebenzal	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Kander

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editing by
David Bretherton

Casting by
Renate Neuchl

Production Design by
Rolf Zehetbauer

Art Direction by
Hans Jürgen Kiebach		(as Jurgen Kiebach)

Costume Design by
Charlotte Flemming

Makeup Department
Susi Krause	....	hair stylist
Susi Krause	....	makeup artist
Gus Le Pre	....	hair stylist: Miss Minnelli
Raimund Stangl	....	hair stylist
Raimund Stangl	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Pia Arnold	....	production manager
Wolfram Kohtz	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wolfgang Glattes	....	assistant director
Douglas Green	....	assistant director

Art Department
Richard Eglseder	....	property master
Herbert Strabel	....	set dresser (as Herbert Strabl)

Sound Department
David Hildyard	....	sound
Robert Knudson	....	dubbing
Arthur Piantadosi	....	dubbing

Camera and Electrical Department
Herbert Fischer	....	gaffer
Lars Looschen	....	still photographer
Peter MacDonald	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ille Sievers	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
David Ramirez	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ralph Burns	....	conductor
Ralph Burns	....	music arranger
Ralph Burns	....	music supervisor
Fred Ebb	....	composer: additional songs
Illo Endrulat	....	music editor
Bob Fosse	....	stager: musical numbers
John Kander	....	composer: additional songs
Raoul Kraushaar	....	music coordinator
Karola Storr	....	music editor
Robert Tracy	....	music editor (as Robert N. Tracy)
Fred Werner	....	choreographic music associate

Other crew
Jutta Beil	....	dance coordinator
Bob Fosse	....	dance stager
Vic Heutschy	....	unit publicist
Jane Meagher	....	auditor
Harold Prince	....	stage producer: New York
Osman Ragheb	....	dialogue coach
John Sharpe	....	choreographic assistant
Trudy von Trotha	....	script supervisor (as Trudi Von Trotha)
Hugh Wheeler	....	research consultant

Production Companies

• ABC Pictures

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• F.J. Lucas (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Edit-Rite  sound effects
• Modern Film Effects  titles

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Hebrew

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo | Dolby Digital (DVD version)

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alter Bahnhof, Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Company:

ABC Pictures

Trivia:

Brian expresses surprise that Sally Bowles is an American, a sly reference to the fact that in the musical on which the movie is based, Sally is British.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The movie is set in 1931, but Bryan and Sally stroll down the street with defaced election posters in the background from the Presidential elections of 1932.

Quotes:

Natalia: I am sorry to bother you, but I could not tell no one else. I do not know no other woman who gives her body so frequently... Oh! I am sorry, my English. Have I offended you?
Sally: Oh, no, not at all.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in America's Sweethearts (2001)

Soundtrack:

Willkommen

That's what I call a masterpiece

It's a strongest film I know. Every time I watch it, it bewilders me so I can't turn my eyes away from the screen, even though I remember all what happens by heart. It fills me with a strange mixed feeling of interest-sympathy-admiration-disgust-and-horror. One of the reviewers here called this film depressing, and I inclined to agree. Any picture of Berlin in 1931 must be depressing and frightening. But, on the other hand, there is an atmosphere of desperate reckless joy in the movie. When the entire world goes mad and speeds to a catastrophe, life is a cabaret! Do what you can, come hear the music play, don't permit some prophet of doom wipe every smile away, and end as the happiest corpse! It's one idea. There is also another, more humanistic: live and let live. Brian fails to understand Sally, so they fall apart. Fritz for the sake of his love faces the danger of admitting that he is Jew in Germany. There is no hope for him and Natalia in this country in this time. But he couldn't do otherwise. There are plenty of other ideas too: about money, politics, corruption, perverseness, decadence, stupidity of middle classes, talent, success, etc. The story is very simple and incredibly complicated in the same time. No use retelling it. It must be seen. It's life as it was in 1931 and in many ways as it is nowadays. I suppose that Cabaret would be a great film even without any musical numbers, but with them it is a masterpiece. They say that history repeats itself, for the first time as a tragedy, for the second time as a farce. Well, I would say that in Cabaret every event repeats itself for the first time as a human drama in life and for the second time as a farce on the stage, but it would not be exactly true. Life and farce are shown synchronically or farce even go in advance. But every staged number in divinely decadency Kit Kat Klub ruthlessly shows the naked truth of life. (Only Mein Herr and Maybe This Time have more to do with the character of Sally Bowles.) And of course, Tomorrow Belongs To Me must be mentioned separately. The way of German people towards fascism is presented in one startling scene. And in finale too. That distorted reflection of the audience full of Nazi, accompanied by a tense silence after Master's of Ceremonies ‘Aufwiedershen' is horrible. The movie due half of its unforgettable effect to the masterful camera shots. Actors' works are absolutely fantastical. Surely, Master Of Ceremonies is Joel Grey star role. He is amazing as that demonic shameless figure that seems to know everything, understand everything and deride everything. Liza Minnelli shines in every scene, acting, speaking, singing and dancing. I know few performances equally true, strong, brilliant and stylish as hers as Sally Bowles. Michael York is excellent as well, though he is often underestimated. It's only his character who is reserved, intelligent and avoids show-off. And he is perfectly British. I really admire York's acting in the movie. There are also beautiful Marisa Berenson as noble Natalia, Fritz Wepper very believable as tormented Fritz, repulsively attractive Helmut Griem as the rich scoundrel Maximilian and picturesque supporting cast. John's Kander's music is wonderful and haunting.

Shortly, Cabaret is a work of a genius, or it would be better to say of geniuses: Bob Fosse and the crew and the cast. And it's flawless.