Review of Cabaret (1972) by Bao N — 09 Feb 2009

You can't do better than Cabaret. This is maybe the best musical ever. Well, ok, maybe not, but it's at the top at least. Cabaret is about decadence and people going out of their minds during the 30's in Berlin.

There are no values, no virtue, no nothing, except having fun and escaping the problems of that period. The whole movie is like an orgy. It's raw and rough and vulgar at times, and it's absurd and desperate.

I love it. Because they have no taboos, which is very refreshing in a musical. The songs and choreography are all great, of course. The directing shows exactly the circus that life is and the loss of control.

The real asset of the movie though is that it might seem superficial at first, but you quickly realize the importance of the historical background (the Nazis gaining power) and I think it's rather subtle the way they incorporated it.

Cabaret is a great musical, but it's also a great movie because it's deeper and smarter than just singing and dancing.