Cabaret (1972)

Overview

Cabaret is a revelatory work that redefined the musical genre. Set against the crumbling backdrop of the Weimar Republic in early 1930s Berlin, it is as much a story of hedonism and personal identity as it is a foreboding look at the rise of fascism. While it retains the trappings of a traditional musical—dance numbers, songs, spectacle—Bob Fosse’s version is dark, fragmented, and deeply political.

Instead of offering escapist joy, Cabaret holds a mirror to a decadent society on the brink of destruction, and it uses the eponymous nightclub as a metaphor for cultural blindness and moral apathy.

Plot Summary

The story follows Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), an American nightclub singer and self-proclaimed star-in-waiting, who performs at the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy Berlin cabaret that functions as a carnival of grotesque freedom. She meets and befriends Brian Roberts (Michael York), a reserved British academic newly arrived in Berlin to teach English.

The two develop a close relationship—complicated by sexual ambiguity, their romantic differences, and the introduction of a wealthy baron, Maximilian von Heune, who seduces them both. Intertwined with their story is the rise of Nazism, which slowly and ominously encroaches on the hedonistic world of the cabaret and the lives of everyone in Berlin.

Serving as the film’s Greek chorus is the Emcee (Joel Grey), a creepy, androgynous performer who presides over the Kit Kat Klub’s increasingly disturbing musical numbers, mirroring the decaying values of the outside world.

Themes

Political Decay and Societal Apathy

The central metaphor of Cabaret is that of a society dancing and singing while the world burns. The cabaret, filled with sexual freedom and decadence, becomes a symbol of denial and distraction as Nazism gains ground. Early on, the politics seem peripheral, but by the time the song “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” emerges from a beer garden in haunting unison, the audience understands the real story unfolding behind the characters' personal dramas.

Sexual Identity and Fluidity

Brian is portrayed as bisexual (a significant deviation from the stage play and short stories by Christopher Isherwood), which was ground breaking for mainstream cinema at the time. Sally’s liberated sexuality and Brian’s inner conflict paint a portrait of a generation experimenting with freedom while unknowingly flirting with annihilation.

Artifice vs. Reality

The Emcee’s satirical performances serve as a commentary on the real events occurring outside the club. Each musical number is more than entertainment—it’s a cynical exaggeration of the social and political climate. Fosse carefully uses performance as a narrative device, revealing truths that the characters themselves refuse to face.

Direction and Style

Bob Fosse’s direction is nothing short of masterful. He makes bold choices that set Cabaret apart from traditional musicals:

Musical numbers are confined to the stage: Unlike most musicals, where characters spontaneously burst into song, Cabaret restricts all singing (except for one chilling exception) to the Kit Kat Klub performances. This lends the film a grounded realism and heightens the contrast between the gaudy artifice of the stage and the grim reality outside.

Montage and editing: Fosse uses cross-cutting to devastating effect, intercutting musical numbers with scenes of growing violence and tension, especially in sequences like “If You Could See Her” and “Tomorrow Belongs to Me.”

Choreography: With his signature tight, twitchy, sexually charged style, Fosse redefined how dance could be shot on screen. The dancers move with mechanical sensuality, conveying both allure and unease.

Performances

Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles

Minnelli’s performance is iconic. With her bobbed hair, exaggerated eye makeup, and raw energy, she redefined what a musical heroine could be. Sally is flamboyant, selfish, endearing, and tragic. Her rendition of “Maybe This Time” is heart breaking in its yearning for love and stability, while “Cabaret”, the finale, is both a personal and societal breakdown masked as defiance.

Minnelli earned an Academy Award for Best Actress, and deservedly so—she embodies Sally with a mesmerizing mix of vulnerability and bravado.

Joel Grey as the Emcee

Grey’s performance as the Emcee is a theatrical masterclass. He hovers between grotesque clown and sinister prophet, a symbol of societal rot dressed in vaudevillian makeup. His rendition of “Wilkommen,” “Money, Money,” and especially “If You Could See Her” are laced with irony and social commentary. He, too, won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Michael York as Brian Roberts

York’s understated performance serves as the film’s emotional anchor. As the only relatively “normal” character, his descent into sexual confusion, heartbreak, and disillusionment reflects the journey of a generation. His chemistry with Minnelli is poignant, and his quiet moral compass becomes more compelling as the film progresses.

Music and Lyrics

The Kander and Ebb score is extraordinary—witty, dark, provocative, and often discomforting. Standout songs include:

“Wilkommen” – A cheerful opening that welcomes you to the club—and the abyss.

“Money, Money” – A duet of greed and cynicism that grows darker with every beat.

“Two Ladies” – A bawdy, satirical take on polyamory and gender norms.

“Tomorrow Belongs to Me” – Perhaps the most chilling song, sung not in the club, but by a Nazi youth. Its pastoral sweetness turning into fascist anthem is a genius stroke of horror.

The songs never exist for fluff or filler—they are integral to the film’s narrative and thematic core.

Cinematography and Design

Geoffrey Unsworth’s cinematography is both gritty and glamorous, capturing the decay of Berlin with dim, sepia-toned palettes and moody lighting. The contrast between the smoky interiors of the Kit Kat Klub and the sharp daylight of Berlin’s streets further emphasizes the disconnect between fantasy and reality.

The production design by Rolf Zehetbauer is immersive, making the Kit Kat Klub feel like a real, lived-in place of cheap glamour and haunting echo.

Legacy and Influence

Cabaret won 8 Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematography. It lost Best Picture to The Godfather, but remains one of the most acclaimed musicals in film history.

Its influence is far-reaching:

It redefined how musicals could be structured on film—more realistic, more political, more psychologically complex.

It opened doors for sexually fluid characters and queer-coded performances in mainstream cinema.

Its themes of political ignorance and artistic detachment resonate profoundly in modern times, making Cabaret a cautionary tale that remains painfully relevant.

Conclusion

Cabaret is a haunting, seductive, and devastating film—a glittering showbiz spectacle laced with the poison of political complacency and societal collapse. It is both of its time and timeless, an artistic triumph that combines performance, storytelling, and ideology in perfect, disturbing harmony.

It’s not just one of the greatest musicals ever made—it’s one of the most important films of the 1970s.

A bold, brilliant, and chilling masterpiece.