Cabaret (1972)

Don’t blame Bob Fosse for his direction. Don’t blame the song “Money Makes the World Go Round”. Don’t blame the incredibly spooky yet intensely real Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies. Whatever you do, don’t blame the choreography. So, why isn’t “Cabaret” a better film. Where should the blame fall? As a first time viewer of Liza Minnelli, an amateur young Michael York watcher, and my only experience with Bob Fosse was the dramatic experience of “Lenny”, “Cabaret” boasted big songs, big ideas, and big actors … yet it felt long, dull, and convoluted to say the least. Edging on the historical, but focusing mainly on a squabble of young love, the muddled themes of originality, independence, and sexual revolution seemed to take backstage for overacting, choppy editing, and a twisty story that begs for more but desires nothing. In the Oscar world of “The Godfather” vs. “Cabaret”, the obvious winner is Coppola’s film – but how did “Cabaret” even get in the running? As it took me nearly three viewings to conquer this behemoth, one has to question the 1972 value, and whether this musical stands up next to the others nearly 40 years later. In this reviewer’s opinion, it is an obvious “no”, but arguments will apparently follow.

Where did “Cabaret” work? If discussing this film around the cinematic water cooler, there would be no doubt Joel Grey would be discussed. His portrayal, as small as it was, as the infamous Master of Ceremonies has yet to be repeated in any film to date. In various moments “Cabaret” felt like it was directed by Terry Gilliam, complete with the flash and darkness subsequent in his features. Joel Grey brought it to the table, and will forever be a frightening, yet influential image in my mind. He made the nearly 2-hours redeemable. The excitement in his swagger coupled with his level of pizzazz completely overshadowed his co-star Minnelli whenever the two shared the screen. His performance alone, the transformation itself, is what made “Cabaret” worth a view. It was he and Minnelli’s duet of “Money Makes the World Go Round” that saved this film from utter obliteration. It was reminiscent of a modern day “Moulin Rouge”, but it was the surrounding story – without surrounding characters – that caused the pain known as “Cabaret”. One must also applaud Bob Fosse for his direction, for without him, these dark scene filmed with Grey would have just been as bland as the story. Fosse took this flimsy story of three characters that we are emotionally void for, and pulled in some great song and dance numbers to buffer the pain that was sure to follow. His work on “Lenny” was outstanding, and while this didn’t speak as greatly, you could see his influences on the script and final edit. Thank you to Fosse and Grey for transforming this drab film into cinematic mediocrity.

To bookend the positive, one must also ask “Where did ‘Cabaret’ fail?” Without wasting pages of words, “Cabaret” failed because of the sloppy editing, the poorly developed historical slant, and due to the massive disappointment from the actors. This could have been a memorable song-and-dance rooted with historical symbolism-esque film, but instead fell flat thanks mainly to the horrible nature of Liza Minnelli. Her flat voice matched well with her disassociated character, which carried no emotion, flaunted no values, yet tried to win our heart. She sang decently, but I just couldn’t stand behind her as a central focus. Her entire relationship with Michael York is flippant. Does she love him? Does she love money? What is her true background? What does she want from life? Mix these unanswered questions with the uncomfortable hint of sexuality between York and Minnelli, and you have nearly 90% of this movie. From Minnelli’s undefined character, to the passive aggressive York duel-jobbing as both language educator and African safari supporter, there just isn’t a character you can stand behind. As we get close to the middle of the film, our writer seems to realize this and the extremely vague Maximilian is introduced as a man who enjoys the company of both Minnelli and York. For “Cabaret” to work, there needed stronger characters for us to follow – ones that were defined, yet complex, not just jumping from emotion to emotion. How did Minnelli win an Oscar for this mess?

In addition to the horrid acting, the story felt rushed and unfocused as we try to keep up with the blend of music and drama. Outside the of intermittent use of Grey, our writer - Jay Presson Allen – tried to incorporate what was happening in Germany at the time with the Nazi movement, with the chaos of a cabaret show. In theory, this would be a great idea – but it failed because of again, the lack of focus with our characters. In one scene we are troubled by York’s disagreement with one of Minnelli’s haphazard choices (a big decision that was diminished by choice) and in the next, we are dissecting the idea of a German Jew. It just didn’t flow well together. In another scene, we are forced to listen to a young Nazi soldier sing a ballad that evokes singing from everyone – and our characters just drive away. For me, to best summarize this film would be one of the final scenes between York and Minnelli as she takes him to the train station. She leaves by merely waving her hand, demonstrating her care for the characters and ours as well. When this film was over, I took it out of my player, walked away waving unemotionally. “Cabaret” failed because there was nothing for the audience to hold onto. When the breakout actor was someone that didn’t speak but merely sang that should speak about how the film as a whole turned out.

VIDEO: This DVD is old. If you can say that a DVD has aged, then this would be the example. The transfer was poor, the special features were dated, and like the film itself – it left quite a bit to be desired. As an Oscar-winning film, I felt there should have been something more substantial.

VISUAL: Again, whoever put this DVD together should be fired. This was cropped on all the sides, providing a small box within your screen to watch the action unfold. There was quite a bit of graininess and lack of color that hurt the final production of this film. Beware for those who loved “Cabaret”, this is not the format in which this film, or any film, should be viewed.

SOUND: Obviously, a key element to the film – it actually sounds decent here. While the picture may be utterly distorted, the music felt vibrant and clear.

EXTRAS: What do I hate more than a poorly planned musical made in 1972, how about page flipping extras. While there is quite a bit packed into this single disc, most is page turning instead of actors talking us through the process. There are two instances where we have the opportunity to speak to York, Minnelli, and Grey (as well as a slew of producers) about their experiences, but they are double-dipped. We hear them talking in one special feature, then in the other – the reiterate the same experiences. Dud.

Overall, both with presentation and delivery, “Cabaret” failed. Minnelli’s acting and eyes told a different story, and portrayed a character that just didn’t fit for a feature film. What was attempted as original just felt stale after the first several scenes. Fosse’s direction and Grey’s performance are the only two saving qualities of this film, as the flakey York does his best as a love interest. The dual sexual roles are just too abashing for both the actors and the viewers. I was eager to witness this film, but nearly 40 years later, this film has not held up. Bravo to small part and big directors, “boo” to those that think Minnelli can carry her weight as an Oscar winning actress. (Does that hurt anyone else to say that?)

** Waves eagerly as you leave this review **

Found in my TIME OUT FILM GUIDE 2005, this was the beginning of the “C” section for me. Laugh as you must, but this was not as comfortable as it sounds. I have become an anti-Minnelli supporter, and feel that “Cabaret” was misjudged. I am eager to see what the rest of the book brings, but as a starter film – it failed. GRRR. Obviously a yellow highlight with black mark. This will not be a film watched again. Never.