Cabaret (1972)

     10 months 2 jobs later in a year besotten by a pandemic I return to the old film blog. It's nice to know that no matter how often I abandon it I can always come back to post more musings. I've gone back to the old scratch off poster again fulfilling a promise I made just over a year ago that I'd muse on Cabaret (1972). So I done did a watch of the movie so lets do a talk about it.

    As I mentioned over a year ago my first exposure to the musical Cabaret was a local stage production. I found it to be an incredible experiance with very powerful moments and imagery. I'm very pleased to say the film accomplishes very much of the same. For those not familier with Cabaret (the film, the musical, or the book upon which they were based), the film follows English writer Brian Roberts (Cliff Bradshaw in the musical, one of many changes I'll get into later), as he travels to Berlin in the 1930's to teach English to the German residence while he works on his doctorate. There he boards with a burlesque performer at the Kit Kat Klub, Sally Bowles. Naturally, as it goes with musicals, they fall in love; with the rise of the Nazi party serving not only as a tragically dramatic backdrop to the proceedings, but as the catalyst for drama that grows in presence as story progresses. As I alluded to there are many significant changes from the stage musical to the movie, and many aren't so arbitrary as changing the protagonist's name from Cliff to Brian. In terms of adaptation, Cabaret serves as a compelling case study into how changes for the sake of a different medium can both modify
and also reinforce the themes of a work.

    The first difference someone who's seen the musical is likely to notice is that a lot of the musical numbers are missing; notably, all the non-diagetic musical numbers, which is to say musical numbers that don't exist within the fiction of the story. All the musical numbers within the film version of Cabaret are diagetic and performed exclusively within the confines of the Kit Kat Klub. Undoubtedly this is a consession for the sake of audiences of the 1970's by this point musicals were on there way out as far as Hollywood was concerned. The nievete and optimism of the traditional "Hollywood musical" were scorned by the cynical audiences in the late 60's and 70s; who were jaded by civil rights tensions exploding into violence, and the Vietnam war. However, this move also very much served the transition to film. Due to cinema's ability to communicate so much more with subtleties (in performances, camera work, editing, etc...) musical numbers often come off as unsubtle overkill; like the movie is beating you over the head with it's ideas. Unfortunately, while this does serve to make a better film, it breaks down the core metaphor that the entire stage production is built upon. As Sally's final number proclaims "Life is a Cabaret old chum". The stage production is exceedingly effective in using the subtle changes in the Cabaret performances as a mirror to the social changes Germany undergoes as the Nazi's rise to power. In response the film builds itself around a slightly different idea: that the Kit Kat Klub represents a state of ignorance that is vulnterable to being corrupted by malicious influences. This is seen most clearly in two moments that bookend the film. The film opens with a distorted reflection of the Kit Kat Klub's audience and the film closes with this same distorted reflection, but with several horrifically iconic arm band, and uniform clad patrions mixed in. With the context of facistic imagery slowly being introduced into the burlesque musical numbers, this is an image so powerful, it speaks for itself.

    As the focus of the stage musical is creating a metaphor between the Kit Kat Klub and the "real world", it creates this surreal atomosphere where the music from the club is bleeding through to the real world. This surreal atmosphere allows for some absolutely astounding set piece moments that are burned into my memory. Notably the infamous musical number "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" and the final moments of the musical. In the film "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" is sung by a Hitler Youth member performing at a biergarten and the patrons join in one by one. This is effective but the stage production utilizes it's surreal tone by beginning a scene with the club's master of ceremonies playing a recording of a boy sopranno singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" as patrons of the club join in. This scene quite frankly doesn't make any sense within the fiction of the musical. Under no circumstances would Emcee simply stand there and start playing a recording of a Nazi propaganda anthem. The moment is, therefore, jarring and causes the audience to engage with the moment on less of an emotional level and more of an intellectual level. As we are being performed to by Emcee and the Cabaret performers we associate ourselves more deeply with the partrons of the Kit Kat Klub and are therefore confronted with the fact we and people we may know and associate with are vulnerable to fascist propaganda. The movie's final image also achieves this effect with its use of reflections. When a crowd of people are literally reflected on screen it sends a pretty clear message that the screen itself is the mirror and we are depicted on the screen, albiet distorted by fiction. When the Nazi figures are included within the reflected audience it communicates the same message, that we are vulnerable to fascism. As brilliant as this image is it does displace the other most memerable image of the stage production. During a reprise of the opening number, in the stage production, Emcee, removes an overcoat he is wearing to reveal a concentration camp uniform marked with a yellow star, and a pink triange, and the set falls away to reveal the ensemble. This powerfully highlights the result of willful ignorance in the face of the rise of facism. The movie is, unfortunatly left without a crystalizing moment of the same power, but, once again succeeds in utilizing the unique language of film to communicate the point just as effectively. Cabaret is a masterclass in how to crosscut. Most of the musical numbers in Cabaret are crosscut with images of violence purpetrated by the Nazi party or those sympathetic to the Nazi party. We are frequently told by the opening number that in the Cabaret: "We have no troubles here! Here life is beautiful/The girls are beautiful/Even the orchestra is beautiful!/You see? I told your the orchestra is beautiful!" but we are shown that outside the Cabaret is racism, ugliness and violence, and we are shown that even the Cabaret isn't a safe oasis, as the final shot ominously demonstrates it's corruption.

    Dispite all the changes between the stage production and the film, a large portion of which I didn't even mention, the two works are both very effective at communicating the story's broader themes. Both used the Kit Kat Klub for different purposes but in the end it all adds up to the same conclusion. In the face of the rise of facism to be a willfully ignorant bystander, unwilling to take a side or speak up for what is right, is to doom yourself, and others to facing its violence and hate. Not the most uplifting message for these dark times, and even more out of place so close to Christmas but certainly a necessary message. 

    

    Not sure when I'll next post my current work schedule is a little unpredictable, but next time I have a day off you can expect another musing on a movie.