The legendary Bob Fosse's Cabaret is an extraordinarily colorful and fun musical that is full of life; at least when the dance numbers are happening. This film practically has two different narratives going on at the same time and while they paired together decently well, I don't think that one was given enough screentime to make the other very worthy. And while I can not speak about this film's faithfulness towards the original theatrical production, I can say that I tried my hardest to enjoy this. Even though this movie is full of devoted performances and catchy musical numbers, the lackluster love story and one-dimensional characters made this film incredibly forgettable.
Brian Roberts (Michael York) is a British scribe who has just arrived in Berlin post-WWI, as the Nazis have slowly begun making their way into everyday life. Roberts then meets Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), an American singer and performer at an underground nightclub that entertains the likes of everyone as they pass through the city. Striking up a complicated romance, the two attempt to navigate their relationship while the tense, warlike state on the outside rages on. From the very first scene of this film, Bob Fosse's style can be seen quite evidently. The twisted cinematography, the perfect editing, and the suggestiveness of the performances all lend their hand to creating the spunky atmosphere of this Berlin nightclub. As the audience is simultaneously introduced to the film's two lead protagonists, it is clear to see that the two have almost nothing in common, except for their desire to avoid the current social circumstances. Once Roberts and Bowles meet, however, it is basically love at first sight when they decide to share an apartment together. Their unlikely romance, unbeknownst to me, is the main aspect of this film's plot, as it flashes between their relationship and musical sequences at night. One of the most potentially interesting things about this film is the distinct contrast between the carelessness of the dancing and the attempted drama of their relationship, but I could not tell which one was supposed to be my main focus. Despite the dance numbers' fantastic choreography, they just did not fit in well with the tone of the story that was simultaneously being told. Throughout this film, there were also flashes of the violence and gore that the Nazi party was causing on the streets of Berlin in order to remind the audience of the dire state the city was in. However, I wish the film would have either leaned more heavily into the Nazi aspect to give the story more tension or left it out entirely and focused on the romance. This uncertainty made the experience very dull for me.
While the love story between Roberts and Bowles is not given nearly enough substance to be interesting, it is made even more confusing by the addition of Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem). This man is introduced into their relationship in order to add more drama in-between Brian and Sally, but he only ends up ever becoming a part of them both. As all three of them end up sleeping with each other and Maximilian ends up leaving anyway, it does absolutely nothing for the leads' romance. Max was a sizable element of the plot in the second and third act but I honestly feel that without his subplot involved, there would have been more time to develop the actual plot and make the audience feel for these two characters. I was also a bit disappointed with the lack of LGBTQ+ themes throughout the film. One would think that a film with the inclusion of drag performers and bisexual men would touch on those themes a bit more, but that was abandoned for the more cookie-cutter story. Ignoring the script penned by contributions from four different men, I did very much adore the editing, musical numbers, and their performances. David Bretherton's editing came off as very modern and fast-paced, despite the low number of various shot types throughout this film. I truly felt like I was watching a modern-day comedy with how well-paced this film was and along with Fosse's solid direction, made this whole experience technically incredible. But when someone thinks of Cabaret, they frankly do not think of the editing or the love story or even the wild colors: they remember the music. The numbers throughout this film were dazzling and the performances from the whole cast were so lively and ruthlessly energetic. Especially from Minnelli, as she gives one of her greatest and most dedicated performances on all fronts; her acting, singing, and dancing along to the intricate choreography made for one of the best on-screen charismas ever.
Bob Fosse's Cabaret is a critical film in musical adaptation history, but the script was too bland and mismatched for me to become invested. Although this movie was done incredibly well with its direction and fast-paced, creative editing, there is nothing else about this story that ever really stuck with me (less the hilarious "screw Maximilian" exchange).
My Rating: ★★★
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