This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
The Virgin, the Baron, the Dancer & the Scholar
Plot Overview
In 1931 Berlin the people are
suffering economic hardship from Germany paying exorbitant
reparations from the Great War. The Social Democratic Party blames
a cabal of Jews, bankers & communists, and the Nazis cause
trouble in the streets. American singer/dancer Sally Bowles (Liza
Minnelli) is performing at the Kit-Kat Cabaret hoping to meet a
movie producer and sleep her way to a starring role. She runs into
British academic Brian Roberts (Michael York) and recommends
an inexpensive pension across the hallway from hers and offers
use of her more furnished apartment for him to be giving English
lessons in. In coming and going they are on top of each other and
end up in the sack together, Brian's confused sexuality
notwithstanding. When Brian's gigolo buddy Fritz Wendel
(Fritz Wepper) hears of his wealthy pupil heiress Natalia Landauer
(Marisa Berenson,) he stops by and those two hit it off, unlikely
as that may be.
Sally meets wealthy Baron Maximilian
von Heune (Helmut Griem) and invites him over where he soon
joins her and Brian to form a ménage à trois. Max and
his absent wife have a “special understanding” of
these matters. The cabaret numbers now include a troika. After Max
goes his way, Sally announces she's pregnant. She's infected by
Brian's delight and looks forward to being a stay-at-home mommmy.
The southern races are lacking in that particular kind of humor that finds entertainment in the defects and misfortunes bestowed by Nature. Owing to this defect in their constitution they are not moved to laughter (as are their northern brothers) by the spectacle of the deformed, the feeble-minded or the insane. (574)
As a special treat the cabaret offered a spoof of the Juden, which was a real hit with this crowd.
Ideology
At a beer garden a baby-faced brownshirt sang an angelic rendition of, “Tomorrow Belongs To Me.” So sweet was his song that the crowd joined in one by one. In fact it was crooned by some of the audience as they exited the theater, not that they hadn't more PC material to choose from. The sentiment in the film by those in the know was the Nazis were hooligans. They would take care of the communists, then “we” would take care of them. It would well illustrate the proverb, (Prov. 27:1) “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
The entity in Sally's womb
might not see any tomorrow if her original career goals came into
play. At that time & place, abortions were legal up to the time
of the quickening after which the fetus was considered sentient.
Although it would have been expensive—she needed
certification—she had the fur coat to sell that a gentleman
had given her.
Sadly, though Natalia and Fritz were in love, for them “the situation is impossible.” Even if she could get her dad on board for a known gigolo, there remains, “I'm a Jew and you are not. Goodbye dear prince.” Of course, technically it is possible for a goy to convert, but that would be highly not recommended in such a troubled climate.
Fritz has an issue with his wife. “Do you know what she has done to me?” he asks his confidant. “It's terrible! She has turned me into an honest man.” He feels compelled to confess that he is Jewish in the flesh though a Protestant on paper. His friend advises to give it a shot, maybe she will be tolerant. But even if she is, his friends will reject him, and the Nazis will give him the club.
Nobody's future is secure.Production Values
“” (1972) was directed by Bob Fosse. Its screenplay was written by John Van Druten, based on a book by Joe Masteroff, adapting the stories of Christopher Isherwood. It stars Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Helmut Griem. Minnelli is the star power her character aspires to. York tackles underplaying the queerness that would mark his character as too odd even for this group of artistic misfits. Joel Grey is fabulous as the emcee, up front and center on stage for long periods.
It is certified PG. The song and dance balances the story nicely. The violence depictions are muted. Runtime is 2 hours 4 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
A PG film in 1972 might still seem offensive to a modern audience that takes issue with blackface and the like. Overall it does seem racy and selective in its morals. Nevertheless the tunes are catchy and the drama engaging. Different subplots are well woven together. For the wild of taste.
Movie Ratings
Action Factor: Weak action scenes. Suitability for children: Suitable for children with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture was cited from the King James Version, Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software
Henry, O. The Admiral. Compiled in, Fifty Great Sea Stories. Copyright. London: Odhams Press, LTD. < 1937. Print.
bibles.n7nz.org