DIRECTION: Bob Fosse
Fuck Maximillian!
BRIAN to SALLY – CABARET
I do!
SALLY to BRIAN – CABARET
So do I!
BRIAN to SALLY – CABARET
For a gay man, these are some of the sweetest words ever spoken on film.
Set in Berlin in 1931, in the dying light of the Weimar Republic, the film unfolds less than two years before the Nazi Party seizes power. We move through this precarious world with Brian (Michael York), the delectable Miss Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), and the enigmatic Baron Maximilian (Helmut Griem).
Cabaret emerges from a remarkable artistic lineage: the 1966 Broadway musical by Kander and Ebb, itself drawn from Christopher Isherwood’s semi‑autobiographical Berlin Stories (1945) and John Van Druten’s 1951 play I Am a Camera. Under Bob Fosse’s revolutionary direction and choreography—and with Minnelli’s incandescent performance—the film stands as one of the defining achievements of the New Hollywood era.
And, presiding over it all, is Joel Grey’s irrepressible Master of Ceremonies. He guides us through the Kit Kat Club with those unforgettable Kander and Ebb numbers – performed by himself and Minnelli – each one a glittering, sinister pulse that mirrors the world outside:
• Maybe This Time
• Mein Herr
• Money Money Money
• Willkommen Two Ladies
• If You Could See Her
• Cabaret
• Tomorrow Belongs to Me
The screenplay, adapted by J. Presson Allen from all three sources, also bears the subtle imprint of gay writer Hugh Wheeler, credited as “Research Consultant,” whose sensibility helps anchor the film’s blend of decadence, danger, and queer subtext.
WINNER OF EIGHT OSCARS, THE MOST ACCUMULATED BY A FILM THAT DID NOT WIN BEST PICTURE – OSCAR 1972
• Best Film: Cy Feuer, producer (Nominated)
• Best Director: Bob Fosse (WIN)
• Best Actress: Liza Minnelli (WIN)
• Best Supporting Actor: Joel Grey (WIN)
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Jay Presson Allen (Nominated)
• Best Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth (WIN)
• Best Editing: David Bretherton (WIN)
• Best Production Design: Hans Jurgen Kiebach and Rolf Zehetbauer (Art Direction), Herbert Strabel (Set Direction) (WIN)
• Best Music Adaptation: Ralph Burns (WIN)
• Best Sound: Robert Knudson and David Hildyard (WIN)
Of its ten nominations, it won eight, losing to “The Godfather” in the Best Film and Adapted Screenplay categories. Astonishingly, costume designer Charlotte Fleming was not nominated for her incredible wardrobe. Some say it was because she was based in Berlin and not Hollywood. However, this also applied to the Production Design team, and it did not stop them from not just getting nominated but also winning. Michael York was also unlucky in not being nominated (he never has). Still, it was a particularly competitive year in the Best Actor category, with even Al Pacino being ridiculously moved into the Best Supporting category. The eventual lineup consisted of Marlon Brando (“The Godfather”), Laurence Olivier (“Sleuth”), Michael Caine (“Sleuth”), Peter O’Toole (“The Ruling Class”) and Pete Winfield (“Sounder”). Brando won the award, which he refused to accept, sending Native American actress Sacheen Littlefeather as his proxy.
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