Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1136 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-06-01
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, German, Hebrew
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 119 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cabaret is 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. Cabaret still 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

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

1997 Documentary Cabaret: A Legend in the Making
1972 Documentary : The Re-creation of an Era
1997 Kit Kat Klub Memory Gallery - remimiscences from the films stars and creators
1972 Original US Theatrical Trailer
Songs Menu
Photo Gallery
40 Pages of Production Notes and Trivia
Dolby Digital 2.0
Aspect Ratio 16:9 Letterbox

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." 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.

Customer Reviews

An artistic masterpiece of the 20th century
Cabaret is up there with the all time great movies. It is a sumptuous, elegantly shot cinematic classic which has stood the test of time and is as fresh to watch today as it was 30 years ago. Set in the seedy Kit-kat Club in pre-war Berlin, the story follows the entangled lives of Michael Yorke and the iconic images of Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. With the ever present dangers of a world war breaking, the story follows Yorke/Minnelli's off-beat relationship and is accompanied by sleek choreography, an
amazing collection of songs and outstanding performances by the cast (especially Joel Grey's eerie performance as Master of Ceremonies).
This film is definitely a must-see movie,if not only for the Oscar winning performances then, watch it for the outstanding singing and dancing. This film should be in any serious film lovers collection.

A memorable work of art
At the time it was released, Cabaret drew some serious critical support - Liza Minelli appeared on the cover of Time magazine in full Cabaret costume. Her career never really got any more high profile than that.

Has the film aged well? The first thing you notice when you look at again is the almost loving way the film has been shot, especially the cabaret scenes themselves. Most of the production numbers are utterly compelling - such as the famous finale of an exuberant Sally Bowles singing "Cabaret" itself. Also watch out for another show stopper - the newly-in-love Sally singing the haunting "Maybe This Time", giving it her all before just a few tired remaining members of the audience.

The device of contrasting a pervasive sense of decadence against the rise of Nazi Germany has, however, dated badly...apart from the neat, disturbing conclusion.

The film's saving grace is that it does not stand or fall on Minnelli's performance. Joel Grey's sinister, waif-like MC is one of those happy, inspired bits of casting that transforms a good film to a great one. Michael York's stiff, well-intentioned Englishman may be far from the actual personality Isherwood, but he works well as a counterpoint to Minnelli. The sub plot of jewish gigolo marrying jewish heiress is also touching, and well handled. There are cameo performances that are equally compelling, including another famous scene of a Hitler Youth leader rousing the crowd with an Aryan folk song.

Ultimately, though, the film's reputation rests on Minnelli's performance. Sexy, she ain't, but her extraordinary voice still raises the hairs on the back of your neck if you let it. And, under firm but creative directing, she is no slouch at acting. She is by turns touching, childlike, insufferable and vulnerable. A hard act to follow.

This is a film that deserves to live on.

an existential threesome in an eloquent masterpiece
MUSICAL becomes an almost socio-political satire with burlesque comedy with the kit kat dance numbers set in 1931 berlin and the anti- semitic sentiment running high along with the almost exaggerated cabaret acts with various performers varying from camp to classic while the silent political and fascist forces are playing a vital role in central europe in a cat and mouse game .
the metaphorical killing of a domestic dog is almost equivalent to the horrors that will follow but the cabaret must proceed as it is metaphorical of life itself and life never stops other then transform from one angle to another perspective .
the movie with its rich music thus becomes more then a musical and the light play in the musical numbers is almost an indication of the perverse decadence about to erupt from light into abject darkness.



BOB FOSSE has designed the three characters in the play almost like a game of musical chairs where they exchange sexual favours between each other with full awareness ,
the decadence of the thirties europe and the sequence showing the three dance together is almost a sensuous threesome with echoes of a secret but existential world rarely discussed in mainstream cinema .
fosse has given the three enough space and character to carry this sequence with utter conviction and absolute maturity which the 3 multi nationals as a german baron ,an american singer and an english teacher carry off with absolute taste . cabaret is a revolutionary and a evolutionary movie in many aspects and one of them is the trio as played by these three diversely intelligent yet eccentric characters who do not let you peep in their minds but still make it a very intersting behaviour pattern in itself both sexually and intellectually.

the fact bob fosse himself was a kit kat performer is the most inherent factor in the tremendous sucess of this great movie .

EXTRAS
making
COMMENTARY
DISCUSSION
pic gallery
and more
its a must