Product Description

Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem Cabaret brings 1931 Berlin to life. Outside on the street, the Nazi party is beginning to grow into a brutal political force, whilst inside at the Kit Kat Klub starry-eyed American, Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) and an impish Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) sound the call for decadent fun. Into this heady world arrives British language teacher Brian Roberts (Michael York), who falls for Sally's charm, and soon the two of them find themselves embroiled in the turmoil and decadence of the era.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10147 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-04
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 119 minutes

Synopsis
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. Sally Bowles is an American singer who falls in love with Brian who is bisexual.

Customer Reviews

Divine decadence
Cabaret is an unusual sort of musical because nobody bursts into song in unlikely settings. The singing and dancing all takes place where you would naturally expect it to: mainly on the stage in a proper music hall-type venue, and once in a beer garden. The story is also darker and more realistic than most musicals. In 1930s Berlin, as the Nazis are rising to power, an ambitious young American woman, willing to do almost anything to become a famous actress, is working in the Kit Kat club as a cabaret artist. She forms a relationship with a liberal-minded but unworldly English teacher and later involves him in a trio-relationship with a rich German baron. It's a case of what she calls "divine decadence". And divine decadence sounds just lovely, but in light of what's happening all around them, with the Nazis attacking people in the streets and generating an atmosphere of fear among scape-goated minorities, the decadence doesn't seem quite so divine. It's just plain old "decadence" - the word refers to "a state of decay" and that's appropriate. The performers at the Kit Kat club certainly look worn out. They may look pleasant enough under their makeup but all, apart from Sally, the American actress (wannabe) are made up to look hideous and debauched. Even ordinary people, who seem wholesome on the surface, are showing signs of moral decay. This becomes frighteningly clear on a couple of occasions: 1) when the nice, friendly residents in the lodging house are discussing the problem of a Jewish/communist conspiracy against the German people and 2) when a handsome young man stands up in the beer garden and sings a deeply stirring and moving song about the Fatherland and most of the crowd of people enjoying their family day out, stand up and join in. The young man is wearing a Nazi uniform. Sinister forces are at work and Sally is trying to encourage everyone to think that life is a cabaret.

It's a fine film, a great musical and a story with depth and meaning.

Great film, but flawed DVD
This DVD release is quite poor. Don't get me wrong - I'm not the "DVD extras guy" - but this DVD lacks even English subtitles! And considering that film features many German phrases (that many people will not understand) - the subtitles would be a must!
Also - why did they make a main menu, when it contains only a single item: "Play Movie"? Where's the logic?

After all - the "Cabaret" is a great film, that entirely deserves its fame and this DVD is not so bad: at least the transfer is good. So until there will be a better edition - get this one, and get some German dictionary from Amazon too!

A film with real hidden depth
The songs are legendary - especially the routine with the chair!
It is a very clever film with so much hidden depth.
It is amazing what they couldny say in the mid 70s but its all under the surface.
Its a great film to watch in small snipets and to enjoy like a soap opera!
& the ending - truely amazing and leaving you to imagine .....