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Collection ID
1559
Director:
Bob Fosse
Starring:
Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey, Fritz Wepper
Genre:
Drama, Musical
Studio:
Allied Artists Pictures
Release date:
1972
Rated:
PG
Language (Country):
English, German, Hebrew, French
(USA)
Summary:
Cambridge University student Brian Roberts arrives in Berlin in 1931 to complete his German studies. Without much money, he plans on making a living teaching English while living in an inexpensive rooming house, where he befriends another of the tenants, American Sally Bowles. She is outwardly a flamboyant, perpetually happy person who works as a singer at the decadent Kit Kat Klub, a cabaret styled venue. Sally's outward façade is matched by that of the Klub, overseen by the omnipresent Master of Ceremonies. Sally draws Brian into her world, and initially wants him to be one of her many lovers, until she learns that he is a homosexual, albeit a celibate one. Among their other friends are his students, the poor Fritz Wendel, who wants to be a gigolo to live a comfortable life, and the straight-laced and beautiful Natalia Landauer, a Jewish heiress. Fritz initially sees Natalia as his money ticket, but eventually falls for her. However Natalia is suspect of his motives and cannot ...
My Rating:
My Review: One of the 13 titles by this name. This movie is directed by Bob Fosse (All That Jazz, Damn Yankees), starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, and others. Here's the a fantastic play brought to the big screen. The story is set in Berlin during the 30's. Here is decadent Berlin just before the rise of the Nazis. It's a raucous city, brimming with unbridled ambition, a morally ambiguous deception grips the party goers. It drives them - the characters, the city, the country, from a care-free ethic of me first to a selfish ethic of me only. Liza Minelli is a sexy, steamy, powerhouse, full of vivacious energy. She plays Sally Bowles, an expatriate American dancer at the Kit-Kat club. She falls in love with the bi-sexual Brian (Michael York), but she's unfaithful - and so is he. They both fall for the rich playboy Maximilian. Max loves them both, then leaves them both. The movie is full of historical allegory, fantastic music, dancing and acting. The characters can see what's coming. They know that what they're doing is wrong. Unfortunately, they're incapable of stopping. Great editing, pacing and directing. Won 8 Oscars!
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