Night

'How do the cabaret songs and routines comment on the social issues which are the background for the story of Cabaret?'

Satirical on every level, Bob Fosse's 1972 film Cabaret redefines the previously accepted genre of the musical. Using the songs and routines as cunning tools of social commentary the musical numbers both predict and interpret the world of Berlin in 1931.

The opening routine, 'Wilkommen', is a powerful introduction to the opposing worlds of the protagonists Brian and Sally and also indicates the significance all songs in the Cabaret will be instilled with. As the camera moves from the distorted mirror to the grotesquely masked face of the Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey) who claims, 'I am your host, wilkommen', the need to look below the 'beautiful' surface of both the cabaret and Berlin is established. As the opening progresses the MC welcomes in three languages, English, French and German, communicating from the outset that the satirical and political messages of the film are universal, but often in need of personal interpretation. It is obvious the the MC as a good host will meet all our needs and it is vital to note that it is with him that we establish our initial identification; the relationship with Bria

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Yet, the restrained vision of an elderly man who will not stand poignantly reveals, as do Natalia and Fritz, the dangers for many individuals which lie ahead under a facist regime - sadly - tomorrow does not belong to them all. Throughout the film, the audience comes to understand that the cabaret provides an escape from the burden of society's troubles. For her, the affirmation she gains from performing is enough to continue her hedonistic lifestyle. Sally 'loves a cabaret' for all it gives her, yet as the audience we have come to question its values by the conclusion. Sally is characteristically ignorant of the fact that Berlin may be in any kind of serious trouble.

Fosse specifically leaves the title number of the film for the finale. She tells us that 'life is a cabaret', and promotes a carefree, self-indulgent lifestyle, when in fact life at that time is about avoiding the persecution of a brutal and victimizing political party. Fosse clearly shows us that the only way life can exist as a cabaret is by living in a fantasy world. In the song 'Maybe this time', which is intercut with footage of Brian and Sally's relationship, the lyrics and cinematic structure are used to negatively answer the hopeful plea 'Maybe this time I'll win'. Although the cabaret world is false and often grotesque, at least she is one of its central focuses. Having touched upon a world of reality, Sally willingly returns to the fraudulent world of the cabaret and asserts for all she is worth that for her, life is indeed a cabaret. n (Michael York) is secondary even though he is the protagonist.

The only musical routine set outside the Kit Kat Klub, 'Tomorrow belongs to me', is symbolically the one which reveals most clearly the impending political realities for Germany. Sally invites her audience to live life as a 'holiday', much like the MC's encouragement to 'leave your troubles outside,. As the singer changes the tone of the song, and symbolically the German political culture, he is shown to lead the majority.

Approximate Word count = 1776
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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