An iconic, incredibly stylish study of the hedonism and sexual ambiguity of pre-war Berlin, Cabaret was a huge, multi Oscar-winning hit for choreographer and director Bob Fosse in 1972, and made Liza Minnelli (who won Best Actress) a star.
Often described as a musical for people who don’t like musicals, it sets its scene in Berlin during the 1931 Weimar Republic, against a backdrop of increasing anti-semitism and the growth of the Nazi Party. Loosely based on the 1966 Broadway musical by Kander and Ebb, itself adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s novel Goodbye to Berlin, it follows Brian (Michael York), a new British arrival in the city, as he befriends Sally Bowles (Minnelli), a talented performer at the risqué Kit Kat Klub – with whom he navigates the decadence and nihilism of a city on the brink of war.
Full of brilliantly choreographed set-pieces, Cabaret influenced generations of filmmakers and remains a key queer cinema film with its early exploration of bisexuality on screen. It is also still a vibrant and incredibly singular musical, with its focus on the dark heart of 1930s Berlin, centred around a truly fabulous performance from Minnelli, evincing both exuberance and vulnerability as she wields glamour against despair.