"The Nazis were seen as useful because they opposed the Communists" is such an important detail about the rise of Nazism and why nobody did anything at first until it was too late. In all of history this has been a pointed topic where the US and other countries would prop up or install a dangerous leader in a foreign country because they were anti-Communist. It was very us vs. them, but in that process of installing these leaders there were other horrible consequences of their actions.
It's also why liberals in the US are so willing to turn a blind eye toward fascists because they hate communists much more than they hate fascism. Oh, they love to pretend to be against fascism but that just means they intentionally define fascism in very narrow terms so they can keep enabling it while proudly proclaiming how "progressive" they are.
Hate to say it, but I also see parallels to modern America. All those folks who've lost the plot in the name of keeping power and serving their corporate masters.
Yes! Business interests will always back anticommunists, be they liberals or fascists. Virtually every instance of regime change the US participates in is to support anticommunists. Even if they’re self-described communists themselves, like the Khmer Rouge.
Forget horror movies, I feel the ending of Cabaret all the way in my bones. I remember showing it to a partner who had zero interest in it. By the end he was just sitting there in stunned silence. He finally said, “That’s not what I expected. At. All.” I’m so glad Hot Mess Fosse managed to make this amazing movie. It’s been a favorite of mine since I was too young to understand anything but the dancing, singing, and costumes.
Before I saw Cabaret, I didn't think I liked any musicals, but it easily won me over. Its ability to connect to different audiences is a testament to how well everything works together.
It is in my opinion, a slow burn dystopian horror movie. It's mind bending and thrilling. Think of some of the Twilight Zone episodes, same sort of chill.
I saw it on stage with Eddie Redmayne as the MC in 2022. I was familiar with some songs but not the plot. I, along with many others were floored when the military arm band was revealed. It was an incredible watch. And I have tried to force friends to watch Sweet Charity, to no avail. The dance sequence in Ghost World is iconic though. Thanks Bob!
When I was a teenager, my parents gave me money for the bus and a movie and never asked what I saw. I saw _Cabaret_ twice. For a gay teenage boy in Oklahoma, this was affirmation in the same way that David Bowie was affirmation. That it also taught me that evil advances slowly but visibly if you look for it is just as important today.
Isn't her performance of "come to the cabaret" beautiful and haunting. I had a crush on Liza as a child and it has only increased as a man, she will never age past this movie for me. I am unsure about there being evil in the world since is it a term from the buy-bull but psychopathy and narcissism run deep in our DNA and when people want power and have the ambition and lack of empathy to acquire it we will suffer as a species by our own hand and make the suffering of other species even greater. I hope your family learnt and accepted you as soon as you were able to inform them of who you were since that is something that is made a big deal of. It should be as easy an interrogative as knowing a person's favourite colour.
My (very deeply closeted) junior high school German teacher showed us Cabaret in the late 70s. Theater kids got it, for the most part, and Bowie. The model Gia Carangi was several years ahead of me and was our school's first Bowie kid.
I’ve always said the “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” sequence is one of the most disturbing scenes in movie history. Forget chain saws, this is truly horrifying.
oh my GOD bob fosse did NOT do a failed fucking backflip in front of joel that is one of the most insane things ive ever heard from production i burst out laughing
for all you chuds saying that this person is denying it happened they mean that they can’t BELIEVE it. it did happen, it’s just that it’s so hilarious that “there’s no way”. it’s hyperbole. jesus christ
My parents and I saw Cabaret in a large theater. When the Emcee says that you can't tell the gorilla is Jewish, the audience gasped. But - - - a few years later I was listening to a radio station when it played Tomorrow Belongs to Me as if it was a normal song. Other musicals have addressed controversial topics such as racism in South Pacific and Showboat but I think your point is well taken that Cabaret was - start to finish - much darker. Also to your point is that an audience will regard the cabaret as being a refuge from the horrors outside - until it shows itself the same as the outside. All in all, it was staggering in its effect.
It's also a misunderstood song. Remember that the gorilla doesn't drink, reads, is cultured, and has all the virtues the emcee lacks. It's sardonic and satyrical and can very easily cross the line - and was intended to do so.
The sexual revolution, which took place in the 1960s and 70s, challenged traditional attitudes towards sex and relationships, promoting ideas of sexual freedom and exploration. While the sexual revolution had positive outcomes such as increased awareness of sexual health and freedom for individuals to express their sexual desires, it also led to some negative consequences. One of the reasons that the sexual revolution led to negative outcomes is the increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. With the relaxation of societal norms around sex, many people engaged in risky sexual behaviors without proper protection, leading to a surge in STIs and unplanned pregnancies. Additionally, the sexual revolution contributed to the breakdown of traditional family structures and social values. With the focus on individual sexual gratification and freedom, the importance of commitment and monogamy in relationships was diminished. This led to higher rates of divorce, single-parent households, and a decline in marriage rates. Furthermore, the normalization of casual sex and objectification of individuals, especially women, in media and popular culture, can be attributed to the sexual revolution. This has fueled a culture of sexual exploitation, harassment, and assault. Overall, while the sexual revolution had positive aspects, such as promoting sexual liberation and autonomy, it also had negative consequences that continue to impact society today. It is important to recognize and address these issues in order to promote healthy and respectful relationships in the future.
My late music teacher was appearing in the German production of 'Sweet Charity' while Fosse was filming Cabaret, so he was also pulled in as an extra in some crowd scenes. He told me when he introduced himself to Liza she went wide-eyed and said "Oh my GOD, you're an AMERICAN?! How wonderful!" Exactly like you'd expect Sally Bowles to react.
I costumed a production of Cabaret, and my sister starred as the Emcee. To this day, it is still the greatest experience of my life. The cast and crew were all really close. The costuming was especially difficult, as opposed to other shows I had done. But I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. Almost a month with two or three shows a day, even five one time. The cast and crew got bagels between shows (which freaked people out because the cast refused to take off their show makeup). We always got "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" stuck in our heads between acts, and we always had to remind ourselves not to sing it. Everyone babbled about "The Mein Herr Incident", where before Mein Herr the music simply didn't come on, resulting in over 18 minutes of improv. Sorry, just wanted to dump what an amazing experience Cabaret was on everyone. Every time I see videos of it, I almost cry. I'd give anything to go back.
Im so happy Liza Minelli was cast as Sally Bowles. When I first watched Cabaret I was mesmerized by her character. I couldn't stop watching her, she was bewitching
You think? I always thought she had an odd face and wouldn't have gone anywhere without her parents being who they were. She could have been singing like her mom and dancing like Nureyev, with that nose she would never have made Hollywood without her last name.
@@Baccatube79 are we looking at the same woman? not only is she objectively attractive, what's wrong with her nose? this is some "scarlett johanssen is mid" incel bs.
@@JK-yt3dm I'm as gay as a candy cane, and I find her objectively unattractive. Her eyes are too far apart, and her nose is really, really not nicely shaped
Yeah, the first time I heard this I was in another room and had to go into the tv room to find why I was getting the creeps. Watching that scene stayed with me for days.
If there is ever a list of the most disturbing musical theater songs, tomorrow belongs to me is definitely number one. I’m surprised no one’s ever done or published a list like that for an article or a video.
Yeah me too!!! Every production has found such GREAT ways of connecting it to contemporary times, it always feels like it was written for "right now," whether that means the 1930s or 1960s or 1970s or 2020s.
@@AbsurdlyGeeky the only problem I have with that particular production was revealing the striped pajamas at the end, it seemed over dramatic and unnecessary, some things are better left to the audience imagination, we all know the horrors to come and the distorted reflection of brown shirts and swastikas in the final scene of the movie was all the more haunting and disturbing
The history bit had me so incensed. It's so important that people are aware of the parallels between the modern U.S. and Germany between world wars, how quickly our social progress could be upheaved, and how easily certain men would form ranks to scapegoat and wreak destruction on the marginalized and minority. Entitlement creates fragility, and when that fragility is challenged, seething hatred will fester among the favored as it always has.
I never imagined there was such struggle behind the making of Cabaret. Knowing what a dark complicated person Bob Fosse was, his health struggles, etc., I am appreciative that he gave it his ALL and triumphed in such a big way. What a compelling story.. Thank you for sharing the details. I must watch Cabaret again.
There’s something so unsettling about the way Cabaret was filmed. From Tomorrow Belongs to me, to seeing stormtroopers vandalizing Jewish homes from a distance. It’s all so disturbing.
Yep. It's always there in the background, creeping forward and getting progressively worse... but it's not until the end, where you see the audience is all Nazis (after the single one had been thrown out at the beginning of the film), that you recognize how far it had gone.
The real problem with Sweet Charity is that by the time the stage play got filmed 3 years later, its excessive use of modern stylings of 1966 were already horribly dated, for how fast everything was changing that decade. Part of Caberet’s genius was making it a period piece, and thus timeless.
@@MattBaume It’s a pleasure now that it has aged into a period piece, and thank god Chita Rivera finally got cast in a movie, after the West Side Story snub.
I disagree. I LOVED "Sweet Charity." However, there was a very simple reason why the movie version of this show failed. "Sweet Charity," like "Damn Yankees," was not relatable to the general public. The civil rights movement made "Cabaret" relatable. The O.J. trial basically resurrected "Chicago."
@@MattBaumeMatt, did you ever check out the very early I Love Lucy episode ‘Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying To Murder Her’? It’s the 4th episode of the show but might have been the first one shown. Aired in 1951, it has a blatant bi-sexuality/ queer joke in it that I still can’t believe got past the sensors of the time! Lucy finds a list of women she thinks Ricky is trying to replace her with. (In reality, it’s a lot of dogs in a dog act.). Lucy reads them out loud and then gets to the last one .. “Theodore.” She takes a moment to realize what she just said, and then exclaims, “Theodore!”
When I first saw Cabaret I was a minor that had the knowledge that I was queer, but my conservative family wouldn't understand. This movie made me realize that for my own safety I could only be myself around people like me, and shelter myself around those that could hurt me. I didn't come out to my family until I was an adult that could stand on my own two feet, but this movie was so important to me. I understood the messages in the storyline, and could relate to the human struggle of not being what others wanted you to be. It's one of those movies I return to every year just to remind myself that the danger of this world can be close to home and sitting right next to you.
Me, same, to the point that I remember what theater I saw Cabaret in in 1972, when I was 14. I was big for my age, so I went alone to one of those theaters that had reduced rates after the first run was over. It devastated me! It has always been in my top 5 films. "All That Jazz" is in my Top 10 -- Bob Fosse was a genius!
Love is an emotional connection that is built on trust, mutual respect, and communication. It involves caring deeply for someone, wanting the best for them, and being willing to make sacrifices for their happiness. Love is often characterized by a deep emotional bond, a sense of partnership, and a desire for long-term commitment. Lust, on the other hand, is primarily driven by physical attraction and desire for physical intimacy. It is a feeling of intense physical desire or craving for someone else's body. Lust is typically focused on the physical aspect of a relationship and may not involve the same level of emotional connection or depth of feeling as love. In summary, love is a deep and emotional bond between two people, while lust is primarily physical attraction and desire. Love involves caring for and supporting each other, while lust is focused on the physical aspect of a relationship.
@@PoisonelleMisty4311 Why are you spamming shitty chatGPT replies everywhere? They're barely even related to the comments you're replying to wtf are you yapping about?
Me, too! At age 15, the line "So am I..", changed my life. I went to the Paris, Ky movie theater three times that week. Every revival release found me there as well. Now, I knew that there was a world outside my town where I didn't have to sneak to be with boys (many of whom ended up married with children) and that I could be involved with attractive men rather than the unhappy, swishy stereotypes portrayed in film and on TV then.
I was 19 years old when I first saw this film in 1972. I’ve seen it a number of times since. Now it’s 2024, and I’m watching this documentary about it. It disturbed me then, and, being both gay and Jewish, disturbs me even more now. Germany, 1931, and America, 2024. The last scene in the film with the mirrors reflecting the crowd gives me even more chills now then it did in 1972. Cabaret should be seen; as a musical, a commentary and a warning. Thanks for show!
Amen my friend. A very timely movie, especially today! We need to be very diligent now…first time in US History rights have been taken away by the Supreme Court. We need to stop this crap now! I hope the “pick me”s of today learn of the German nazi history. I will continue to do my best to keep informing those who will be in danger if “project 2025” comes to fruition.
I'm Jewish and bisexual but the only reason I bring that up is because you did. The Communists lured gay Russians and other gay persons with Slav nations offering safety for them if they fought against the White Russians. Lenin had from the start told his group the promises given the the gay and homosexual groups was a fiction because whether it was Communist or Orthodox Christians that country needed lots of children and gays and homosexuals don't breed children but they did work to death in GULAGs.
Yup! This is a documentary of the film, but the subject of Cabaret it's so relevant today, that's terrifying that we, as a society, haven't change one bit in almost a century since the Nazis. I was crying a bit by the end of this just by thinking of everything that's happening now.
the trick is, the relevance is always there in any epoch, because there's always the risk of becoming too complacent and not see the evil growing around, whatever form that evil gets. That's why it's a timeless masterpiece
@@rafaelyaguaro2842 I've always had a deep interest in the downfall of the Wiemar Republic to Nazism. In light of recent SCOTUS rulings and Project 2025, that particular point in history is so insanely chilling. It's happening now.
@@annenelson5656she could do worse. It shows off both her acting chops and her singing chops. All while she's in the bloom of beautiful youth. But it does get boring to be pegged with something. I don't believe it hurt her career, though.
@@beejls I think the role rocketed her up to the top. She’ll always be remembered for that role. Liza with a Z was such an excellent showcase of her talent.
I was a surly teenager when my mom first showed me this movie and I went from ambivalent to enthralled. The slow dread that creeps throughout the movie, the gutpunches of the Gorilla scene and Tomorrow Belongs to Me. Absolutely harrowing cinema. Should be taught in schools.
"Thank you for breaking down the film. 'Cabaret' mirrors the unsettling facets of contemporary America. Does anyone else sense this striking parallel? It's a stark reminder that you can only turn a blind eye to reality for so long.
I grew up in an urban part of Brazil in the 00s and 2010s. When I started to watch Glee, I fell in love with so many songs, especially, their rendition of Maybe This Time. So, as a 13-year-old, I decided to watch it. The reaction I had to THAT ending was pure shock. I just stared at the TV paralyzed, with my eyes wide open, looking at the credits scrolling up. Still to this day, this is my favorite film.
A few months ago i met joel grey and was just in awe of him. Cabaret opened me up to everything from queer books like Christopher Isherwood, got me performing sgain, and made me fall in love with cinema. The fact that youre doing this video has me so excited
@@MattBaume he really is- it was really cool i was in an elevator coming from a show he directed and was signing asl with my mom. He saw that asked about it and i realized it was him! Ended up talking to him about Deaf theater for about 5 minutes once we got off. Such a sweet guy.
@@jnnx @ it’s called auto correct. I typed this on my phone and didn’t pick up on Joel’s name. No need to be pedantic. I obviously thought it was important thst i met him.
I think this is a perfect example of why remaking and adapting media can be important. Cabaret is an iconic work, but I imagine most people today haven't actually seen it, just know the name and the bits that broke through into pop culture. Whether or not adaptation lives up to the original, having updated media rolled out reintroduces important messages like this one to younger people who wouldn't have otherwise known or been interested. Some things don't really need that reintroduction, but something like this, which has such a unique message and themes that can't easily be conveyed the same way in just any story, bears repeating. Excellent video. Last week We had the US election of 2024, and the parallels are terrifying.
@jennifer3513 They would probably 💩 on it even more. It's not Liza, Joel, and Michael York. It's too PC, it's not like the original movie or original 1966 stage production. I went to a pretty good production of Cabaret and people still complained about this.
Matt, I saw a documentary in the early eighties that I cannot remember the title of, but there was historical footage in it where American soldiers were RETURNING a gay man back into the camp...i.e. Gay people were still considered legitimate criminals
Correct, in many "safe" allied countries queer people were put right back into prisons. In the UK chemical castration was still legal for years after the war.
Many camps became rehabilitation centers to treat starvation and illness until better institutional infrastructure could be established. So many Jews, gays, and Poles were "put back" into camps before being officially freed, as is depicted in Band of Brothers.
43:34 "In conservative areas, a preview audience complained about having to see a 'sex deviant' and called it a 'degenerate movie'." If only these fine volks had the backing of a group which would gather together all the other 'degenerate art' out there and put it on display to showcase the moral deviance of the artists involved they could find validation. Isn't that reich?
Every time someone says to me "people don't just burst into song," I want to sing at them "I doooo, don't you? Whatever do you do with an emotion that is too BIIIIG?"
I first saw Cabaret in college, I went into the performance totally blind, all I really knew was the Wilkommen song because my roommate was in the play & had been singing it for months. If You Could See Her Through My Eyes gave me literal chills the first time I saw it. It was so, so impactful and it really forces you back into the reality of when and where the play is set. Maybe because I watched the play first, I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie adaptation tbh, but I really enjoyed your commentary on it; some of the subtle storytelling totally slipped past me & it really makes me appreciate the film more!
As always, another great video. Thanks for the clip of Liza mentioning that New York, New York is HER song and not Sinatra's. Her rendition is possibly the greatest rendition of any song ever
To this day, it makes me irrationally pissed off that SOMEHOW, Sinatra's recording is THE version of NY, NY, and HE'S given credit for it as if he wrote it. Liza's version, and the NY, NY movie is iconic and horribly underrated, and IMO, Sinatra always went flat at the end of every musical phrase. NOT a good singer. People can flame me for that, I don't care! LOL
Sweet Charity is now a cult favorite. The songs get millions of views on UA-cam, and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" is played by every high school marching band in the country.
This was fascinating. I tried watching Cabaret when I was too young to appreciate it. Now I want to see it again. Dare I even begin to list the parallels to the current societal and political climate? Truly chilling.
I saw it before I knew much modern history, so I missed the main throughline, and was mostly focused on the surface plot. I watched it later, though, and it totally smacked me in the face, and I finally recognized the importance of the film.
The melody of Tomorrow Belongs To Me is from " Lorelei " . Which is about a German siren from mythology who lures sailors to their deaths with her song from a rock on the Rhine river ! Oh how apropos is that ?
My middle daughter used to be a dancer. She was into ballet, tap, interpretive and jazz. The interpretive and jazz teachers taught them mostly Martha Graham and Bob Fosse choreography . She loved it.
My very straight-laced upper class English Dad loves this film, its one of his absolute faves of all time. Partly because hes got a huge subversive streak which I've always loved and admired. He also told me when his Dad saw it at the cinema, at Brian's 'so do I' line, his Dad got up and walked out. No subversive or even vaguely liberal streak there.
I first thought of Mel Brook’s rendition of To Be or Not to Be (the movie, not his music video) with their Naughty Nazis musical number, "A Little Piece...”.
when I was about 20, I took a course at UCLA on gay literature. The professor invited in the authors of the books that we were reading, one of whom was christopher Isherwood because we were reading, “a single man.“ another author was John Rechy for his book about hustlers in downtown LA, “city of night.“I was so lucky to have met these gay authors who started a movement in gay literature in the 1970s yet I didn’t appreciate it.
The. reflection - the mirror effect - was actually derived from the original Broadway production. A huge mirror hung from the flies, and it would sometimes be lowered so the audience was seeing itself. Per Harold Prince (in his book CONTRADICTIONS), the mirror did not originate with Prince, the director, but was a surprise and unasked for addition from set designer Boris Aronson.
I directed a student production of "Sweet Charity" in college. The movie is a LOT "sweeter" than the stage production, especially the ending. I LOVED the casting (especially Chita and Paula) and the choreography. It was fun.
Knowing the story now, I still want this-universe’s version of cabaret to exist, but I also desperately want to see the Bob-Fosse-as-the-emcee version.
One thing I wish more stories about Nazi Germany did was show how class privilege played out as the holocaust got worse. As things got progressively worse for the "out group", things got proportionally better for the "in group". Part of the reason they cheered on the persecution of others was because they were being given the spoils.
As a younger man I kept the view of "I don't care if you're gay, do whatever you want" and I considered myself progressive. When I first watched Cabaret it showed me why protecting queer people and their rights isn't a case of showing acceptance by ignoring them. Time and time again, throughout history, queer people have consistently been targets for awful treatment and we could backslide towards that ill treatment over the course of 1 aggresive government. Cabaret is a fantastic film, art should always challenge your views especially the ones you hold deepest.
Incredible work as always, Matt. Cabaret remains important and timely, which is actually kind of depressing; I'd like it to just be a good production about a particular time in history, but unfortunately, we're all still living in interesting times. Also, he pointed dig that begins at around 39:12 was also particularly satisfying, even if names weren't named.
I'm so pissed I missed the live stream. I have THOUGHTS on Dame Judi as Sally. Specifically, that she delivers the single best performance of the title song ever recorded. The way she is literally SHRIEKING the lyrics by the end, as the tempo of the orchestra continues ratchet upwards, it's bone-chilling in the best way, and fully hits the show: "just pretend nothings happening, everything is fine, just don't think about it" until you can't just not think about it anymore and try to return to ignorance.
I love your videos! Sometimes, I think, "Oh my god. It's 50 minutes! I don't have time for that!" Then I start watching and I can't stop until it's done. You do such a great job with these.
I never took the MC as antisemitic...I saw him as eager to burst people's artifices and expose them as they were...so he spoke the unspeakable and took glee in ripping away the veil
I had always likened him to the Shakespearean Fool: "The Fool does not follow any ideology. He rejects all appearances, of law, justice, moral order. He sees brute force, cruelty and lust. He has no illusions and does not seek consolation in the existence of natural or supernatural order, which provides for the punishment of evil and the reward of good [...] The Fool knows that the only true madness is to recognize this world as rational."
I cannot express how much I absolutely love the information and insight I get from your videos. I’m only out to myself and everyone else these past four years (I’m 53), and so much of movies and pop culture I’m looking at through accepting and loving eyes towards myself and others that I avoided and rejected because of denial and internalized homophobia. I’ve never seen Caberet even though I love musicals. I definitely plan to see it now.
I wonder if his warning might be too muted for most viewers. I hope not, but that’s the whole point of Cabaret, how too many people are blissfully, willfully blind to the truth, especially when it’s ugly.
Matt, I have always appreciated the good work that you do, but I must praise you for how much you have grown as a creator and presenter. The subjects and stories and works of art that you feature are substantial and important, none more so than this. Thank you for shedding some light during a dark and uncertain time. Doug
As a youngster aged 6-9 in early 1980s, Cabaret used to come on a local TV station in Chicago often. I never wanted to watch it because 1. it was not Disney/or other animation, and 2. I would not have been interested in the storyline(s). I thought it was about funny looking lady dancing on a chair in a dark room. Fast forward to last year (2023) when I finally decided to watch Cabaret on UA-cam. I had been watching a bunch of WWII videos and I think Cabaret appeared in my feed. So, I purchased it and watch. I was impressed! It is a stunningly beautiful and disturbing film. I watched in three or four more times within a week. Such a masterpiece, thank you for your analysis.
Matt, your channel is an entire queer film historical institute! I live for your lectures. Best college class I don’t even have to pay for! But since I do pay, excited to catch up on all the bonus Patreon content. :D
Thanks for this deep dive, Matt🎉 My parents, who were Holocaust survivors, took me to see Fosse's Cabaret in 1972 when I was just 12. I was already obsessed with Fosse's choreography as a result of Sweet Charity, but this time the music really spoke to me, perphaps because it felt organic, commenting on the plot developments, rather than distracting from them. I revisit Cabaret every few years on disc, and it is truly a timeless masterpiece 🏆
As a NJ kid in the ‘90s that got to see so many Broadway shows and love so many musicals (Chicago being one of my all time favorites). I’ve always been hesitant to watch Cabaret. It just seemed so raw, so gritty. I now realize that of course, that is the point, and will be watching it very soon. Thank you!
My parents took me to see this movie when it came out. I was 9. They were pretty conservative, but they thought it was important that I saw the effects of ignoring hate.
I first saw Caberet when I was 12 years old. My best friend's Mom, who was very progressive, took us to a local college production. It was my first time seeing live theatre. I was amazed and shock. Especially the scene with MC's gorilla comment. I remember turning to my friend's Mom and starting at her in disbelief. It was my first experience of understanding what an evil racism is.
This was terrific! I wasn't looking for it, it just popped up. Perhaps because it's been a bit more than a month since election day... Anyway, I wanted to express my appreciation. Anyone who intends to see 'Cabaret' would do well to include this wonderful video essay as an accompaniment. It enriches the experience.
The part of the narration that Sally Bowles singing Cabaret is an escape from encroaching evil makes the song already very powerful, as also having a strong context. Thanks for this
I watched this musical for my Literature Through Film course in college last year and I really enjoyed it especially as a history nerd because of how the Nazi party was subtly rising in the background. It just has so many layers and was one of the films I really enjoyed from the class that I felt wasn’t talked enough about the way other films I saw were.
@@AbsurdlyGeeky I never understood the do your own research kind of video essayists - like if you've put so much work into this and you care about it, citing sources is proof of the work you've done and opens the doors for other people to read those same sources and come to their own conclusions
@@TheJillersanyone who says “do your own research”, no matter the opinion they are sharing, are fundamentally dishonest to me. If you are not willing to share the sources you used to get to your conclusion it tells me you don’t have faith in the argument you drew from it.
Matt, thank you for this video. Your channel is great. In 1972 I was in 7th grade, and Cabaret was in theaters. On a Saturday afternoon, my mother took my little brothers to one movie and my dad took me to Cabaret. During one nightclub performance scene I whispered to my dad, "Why are those men dressed as women?" He answered, "That's decadence." LOL. I can't remember if I knew what that word meant, or if I had to look it up....
We've got to get out of this trap! Before this... decadence... saps our wits. I've got to be strong, and try to... hang on! Or else, my mind may well SNAP!
As soon as I see there's a new video from Matt, I start to plan my day around having the time to sit back and watch it. This is easily one of the very best channels on the platform. Thank you, Matt!
That backflip story was hilarious, but yeah, Joel Gray was perfect for that part. It's amazing that such an influential film had such as tumultuous production.
Exactly. Especially how the left are the antisemites and the people using abortion to wipe out a particular race. How well they disguise themselves as the good people. I totally agree with you.
Thank you for spelling out the underlying meaning of Fosse's CABARET. I apparently was too "distracted" by the story and characters to go deeper. So now I'm thinking... isn't this what's happening in the US right now?
I saw cabaret a few times in my local theatre in Weimar, we have such a close historical connection to the Nazis here. I cried three times every time. I cried during “maybe this time” for personal reasons but the party scene where they sang “tomorrow belongs to me” actually scared me to the bones, I sat in the middle right in the first row every time and I stared up there at the actors with actual fear when thinking about the rise of the right wing party in germany currently. And then the end left me broken and scared of course. I talked to the Ernst actor a few times and he actually apologised for making me cry but I told him it just means he did an amazing job. It was such an emotional experience, I’m so sad that it’s not on stage anymore…
I guess perhaps that's a particular hallmark of truly good art, that it still remains relevant over long periods of time even well after its original context disappears? Because it's based on incisive observation of human nature, & bravery to challenge assumptions of its time, & thus carries deeper meaning. It can be a bit terrifying however when works from these prior turbulent periods of history start speaking so clearly to our current condition!! 😬
You'd love Caelan Conrad's video on it - they read her to *filth* and dropping anvils of wisdom, research, and scalding wit. The library wasn't just open; the *non* fiction section was orated for the occasion.
This is absolutely brilliant! This film has haunted me in so many ways over the years it was a first of it's kind. Everything just came together against all odds. Still so relevant today; pay attention out there America!
YES!!!! My favorite movie musical of all time! Thanks, Matt, for your brilliant(as usual) thorough history and analysis. As a scared, closeted gay kid, I was instantly drawn to Michael York's character. As a political liberal/progressive, the socio-political themes are a chilling lesson that is unfortunately all too important in this surreal polarization between MAGA fascism and liberal inclusive democracy.
Hi from Seattle! I was a little girl when this movie was released, having just moved here, and Joel Grey was on game shows for a long time. I had a big crush on him, not knowing what the movie was about or who he was! I was just eight. Finally I saw the movie in my thirties. The beer garden scene and the final shot are pretty chilling. But, for me, the most shocking moment is when Marisa Berenson finds her dead dog on her doorstep. I think maybe the key is that brilliant editing! It creates a chilling feel throughout, like when Liza imagines life as a mother and ... screams. Hard to believe this was over 50 years ago, but it definitely holds up. It's a lot scarier today.
I have to say, Matt, that this is the fourth time now that you've inspired me to watch a film that you've covered on your channel. "Psycho", "Rebel Without a Cause", "Victim", and now "Cabaret". I honestly had no idea how important these films truly were, cinematically or in terms of queer history and culture. That's part of why I return to your channel over and over, and why I got your book. It's almost like genealogy learning queer history, family you never knew you had in a way. :)
Amazing video. I didn't get enough from “a legend in making” documentary. I wish people like you existed back then to discuss the film and its context in this level of detail.
Absolutely fabulous telling of the magic that brought this movie to us. Going to have to re-watch it. One of my alltime favorite movies and really resonates with what is happening now. Thank you so much!
"The Nazis were seen as useful because they opposed the Communists" is such an important detail about the rise of Nazism and why nobody did anything at first until it was too late. In all of history this has been a pointed topic where the US and other countries would prop up or install a dangerous leader in a foreign country because they were anti-Communist. It was very us vs. them, but in that process of installing these leaders there were other horrible consequences of their actions.
Yep, the people in charge of Germany made a HUGE mistake when they made Adolf Hitler chancellor!
They are still at it. We have right wing morons everywhere equating communism with fascism while they endorse actual fascist policies
It's also why liberals in the US are so willing to turn a blind eye toward fascists because they hate communists much more than they hate fascism. Oh, they love to pretend to be against fascism but that just means they intentionally define fascism in very narrow terms so they can keep enabling it while proudly proclaiming how "progressive" they are.
Hate to say it, but I also see parallels to modern America. All those folks who've lost the plot in the name of keeping power and serving their corporate masters.
Yes! Business interests will always back anticommunists, be they liberals or fascists. Virtually every instance of regime change the US participates in is to support anticommunists. Even if they’re self-described communists themselves, like the Khmer Rouge.
Forget horror movies, I feel the ending of Cabaret all the way in my bones. I remember showing it to a partner who had zero interest in it. By the end he was just sitting there in stunned silence. He finally said, “That’s not what I expected. At. All.” I’m so glad Hot Mess Fosse managed to make this amazing movie. It’s been a favorite of mine since I was too young to understand anything but the dancing, singing, and costumes.
Before I saw Cabaret, I didn't think I liked any musicals, but it easily won me over. Its ability to connect to different audiences is a testament to how well everything works together.
It is in my opinion, a slow burn dystopian horror movie. It's mind bending and thrilling. Think of some of the Twilight Zone episodes, same sort of chill.
I saw it on stage with Eddie Redmayne as the MC in 2022.
I was familiar with some songs but not the plot.
I, along with many others were floored when the military arm band was revealed.
It was an incredible watch.
And I have tried to force friends to watch Sweet Charity, to no avail.
The dance sequence in Ghost World is iconic though. Thanks Bob!
@@jerrimenard3092you should look into the TV movie Evening Primrose by Stephen Sondheim. It's a true Twilight Zone musical.
@@Dorian_sapiensit’s so great when a movie can do that. Have you enjoyed any other musicals?
"SCREW MAXIMILLAN!" ".....I am." ".....So am I."
Iconic behavior.
I DO . . . So do I
Actually "I DO." "So do I."
I was so young I didn't know why I was thinking, WHO is that gorgeous guy with a lopsided smile whatername is playing with?""""😆😆😆😆😆😆
More like BI-conic! 😃 🩷💜💙
…I’ll see myself out.
In the original he says fuck.
When I was a teenager, my parents gave me money for the bus and a movie and never asked what I saw. I saw _Cabaret_ twice. For a gay teenage boy in Oklahoma, this was affirmation in the same way that David Bowie was affirmation. That it also taught me that evil advances slowly but visibly if you look for it is just as important today.
Isn't her performance of "come to the cabaret" beautiful and haunting. I had a crush on Liza as a child and it has only increased as a man, she will never age past this movie for me.
I am unsure about there being evil in the world since is it a term from the buy-bull but psychopathy and narcissism run deep in our DNA and when people want power and have the ambition and lack of empathy to acquire it we will suffer as a species by our own hand and make the suffering of other species even greater.
I hope your family learnt and accepted you as soon as you were able to inform them of who you were since that is something that is made a big deal of. It should be as easy an interrogative as knowing a person's favourite colour.
My (very deeply closeted) junior high school German teacher showed us Cabaret in the late 70s. Theater kids got it, for the most part, and Bowie. The model Gia Carangi was several years ahead of me and was our school's first Bowie kid.
One of my favorite movies as a kid I think we stayed and watched it 3 times before we left
This is brilliantly done. Such a great piece.
Well said
I’ve always said the “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” sequence is one of the most disturbing scenes in movie history. Forget chain saws, this is truly horrifying.
oh my GOD bob fosse did NOT do a failed fucking backflip in front of joel that is one of the most insane things ive ever heard from production i burst out laughing
You're saying it didn't happen?
It seemed so real as he was telling it.
RIGHT OH MY GOD THE EMBARRASSMENT 😭😭😭😭
That's interesting! Did you work on the film? I've heard Joel tell it twice. It didn't occur to me that it didn't happen!
for all you chuds saying that this person is denying it happened they mean that they can’t BELIEVE it. it did happen, it’s just that it’s so hilarious that “there’s no way”. it’s hyperbole. jesus christ
@@christinehaley8097@websurfer5772 I don’t think they’re literally saying it didn’t occur, just phrasing it that way to express shock that it happened
My parents and I saw Cabaret in a large theater. When the Emcee says that you can't tell the gorilla is Jewish, the audience gasped. But - - - a few years later I was listening to a radio station when it played Tomorrow Belongs to Me as if it was a normal song.
Other musicals have addressed controversial topics such as racism in South Pacific and Showboat but I think your point is well taken that Cabaret was - start to finish - much darker. Also to your point is that an audience will regard the cabaret as being a refuge from the horrors outside - until it shows itself the same as the outside. All in all, it was staggering in its effect.
It's also a misunderstood song. Remember that the gorilla doesn't drink, reads, is cultured, and has all the virtues the emcee lacks. It's sardonic and satyrical and can very easily cross the line - and was intended to do so.
Tomorrow Belongs To Me is, IMHO, the scariest song in film history. The first time I saw it, it gave me "bad goosebumps". It still does!
The sexual revolution, which took place in the 1960s and 70s, challenged traditional attitudes towards sex and relationships, promoting ideas of sexual freedom and exploration. While the sexual revolution had positive outcomes such as increased awareness of sexual health and freedom for individuals to express their sexual desires, it also led to some negative consequences.
One of the reasons that the sexual revolution led to negative outcomes is the increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. With the relaxation of societal norms around sex, many people engaged in risky sexual behaviors without proper protection, leading to a surge in STIs and unplanned pregnancies.
Additionally, the sexual revolution contributed to the breakdown of traditional family structures and social values. With the focus on individual sexual gratification and freedom, the importance of commitment and monogamy in relationships was diminished. This led to higher rates of divorce, single-parent households, and a decline in marriage rates.
Furthermore, the normalization of casual sex and objectification of individuals, especially women, in media and popular culture, can be attributed to the sexual revolution. This has fueled a culture of sexual exploitation, harassment, and assault.
Overall, while the sexual revolution had positive aspects, such as promoting sexual liberation and autonomy, it also had negative consequences that continue to impact society today. It is important to recognize and address these issues in order to promote healthy and respectful relationships in the future.
Only a Jewish actor like Joel Grey could have gotten away with saying that line.
It gave it irony and gravitas.
@@lynn69jackson In my family we know Joel Gray as Mickey Katz's son. How about that!
My late music teacher was appearing in the German production of 'Sweet Charity' while Fosse was filming Cabaret, so he was also pulled in as an extra in some crowd scenes. He told me when he introduced himself to Liza she went wide-eyed and said "Oh my GOD, you're an AMERICAN?! How wonderful!" Exactly like you'd expect Sally Bowles to react.
That's coincidentally one of the lines said in the stage version of cabaret
I costumed a production of Cabaret, and my sister starred as the Emcee. To this day, it is still the greatest experience of my life. The cast and crew were all really close. The costuming was especially difficult, as opposed to other shows I had done. But I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. Almost a month with two or three shows a day, even five one time. The cast and crew got bagels between shows (which freaked people out because the cast refused to take off their show makeup). We always got "Tomorrow Belongs To Me" stuck in our heads between acts, and we always had to remind ourselves not to sing it. Everyone babbled about "The Mein Herr Incident", where before Mein Herr the music simply didn't come on, resulting in over 18 minutes of improv. Sorry, just wanted to dump what an amazing experience Cabaret was on everyone. Every time I see videos of it, I almost cry. I'd give anything to go back.
The transient nature of theater has always struck me as being a bit melancholy like that.
The “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” scene was simultaneously beautiful and terrifying, which I guess was the point.
Like Nazi Germany.
Im so happy Liza Minelli was cast as Sally Bowles. When I first watched Cabaret I was mesmerized by her character. I couldn't stop watching her, she was bewitching
The camera loves her! Just absolutely spellbinding.
You think? I always thought she had an odd face and wouldn't have gone anywhere without her parents being who they were. She could have been singing like her mom and dancing like Nureyev, with that nose she would never have made Hollywood without her last name.
@@Baccatube79 are we looking at the same woman? not only is she objectively attractive, what's wrong with her nose? this is some "scarlett johanssen is mid" incel bs.
@@JK-yt3dm I'm as gay as a candy cane, and I find her objectively unattractive. Her eyes are too far apart, and her nose is really, really not nicely shaped
It's our imperfections that make us unique.
When anybody asks me what do I feel is the most chilling scene in movie history I always reply the “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” scene.
Yeah, with the perfect gut-punch line at the end.
For sure!
Same
Yeah, the first time I heard this I was in another room and had to go into the tv room to find why I was getting the creeps. Watching that scene stayed with me for days.
If there is ever a list of the most disturbing musical theater songs, tomorrow belongs to me is definitely number one. I’m surprised no one’s ever done or published a list like that for an article or a video.
the ending of both the movie and stage musical Cabaret give me nightmares to this day it’s so so effective and incredible
Yeah me too!!! Every production has found such GREAT ways of connecting it to contemporary times, it always feels like it was written for "right now," whether that means the 1930s or 1960s or 1970s or 2020s.
I went to an MCC performance in San Francisco circa 1998 and it was amazing. That "Tomorrow Belongs" song chilled me to the bone.
And timely.
I love Joel Grey as the MC, but I also really like Alan Cumming. I'm just the right age to have seen ads for it before I ever found the original.
@@AbsurdlyGeeky the only problem I have with that particular production was revealing the striped pajamas at the end, it seemed over dramatic and unnecessary, some things are better left to the audience imagination, we all know the horrors to come and the distorted reflection of brown shirts and swastikas in the final scene of the movie was all the more haunting and disturbing
The history bit had me so incensed. It's so important that people are aware of the parallels between the modern U.S. and Germany between world wars, how quickly our social progress could be upheaved, and how easily certain men would form ranks to scapegoat and wreak destruction on the marginalized and minority. Entitlement creates fragility, and when that fragility is challenged, seething hatred will fester among the favored as it always has.
And here we are.
@@AnimusBehemoth exactly what im thinking as i reached the end of the video
Well, we in the. U.S. are here! Due to the election results... we only have 16.5 days of guaranteed rights... then most of us are screwed!
I never imagined there was such struggle behind the making of Cabaret. Knowing what a dark complicated person Bob Fosse was, his health struggles, etc., I am appreciative that he gave it his ALL and triumphed in such a big way. What a compelling story.. Thank you for sharing the details. I must watch Cabaret again.
It holds up so well. After Cabaret, watch All That Jazz!
There’s something so unsettling about the way Cabaret was filmed. From Tomorrow Belongs to me, to seeing stormtroopers vandalizing Jewish homes from a distance. It’s all so disturbing.
Yep. It's always there in the background, creeping forward and getting progressively worse... but it's not until the end, where you see the audience is all Nazis (after the single one had been thrown out at the beginning of the film), that you recognize how far it had gone.
Tomorrow belongs to me should be the MAGA theme song
Is the way I feel about American politics right now.
Yes we have Jewish people being attacked now, only it's muslims and far leftists doing it. A slightly different set of circumstances.
That's kinda the point.
Every time I hear Fosse, it reminds me of an animated Robin Williams going “Fosse Fosse Fosse!” in ‘The Birdcage’.
Literally what I started singing when I saw the title. Lol
@@rookangelofmercy7283 Fosse! Fosse! Fosse! Twyla! Twyla! Twyla!
😂 same!
"But you keep it all inside"
@@dharusiokay9426 MADONNA MADONNA MADONNA
The real problem with Sweet Charity is that by the time the stage play got filmed 3 years later, its excessive use of modern stylings of 1966 were already horribly dated, for how fast everything was changing that decade.
Part of Caberet’s genius was making it a period piece, and thus timeless.
That's a good point. It looks SO mid-60s, especially the hippie stuff in the Rhythm of Life song.
@@MattBaume It’s a pleasure now that it has aged into a period piece, and thank god Chita Rivera finally got cast in a movie, after the West Side Story snub.
Now post Carnaby St. we can enjoy the aesthetic!
I disagree.
I LOVED "Sweet Charity."
However, there was a very simple reason why the movie version of this show failed. "Sweet Charity," like "Damn Yankees," was not relatable to the general public.
The civil rights movement made "Cabaret" relatable. The O.J. trial basically resurrected "Chicago."
@@MattBaumeMatt, did you ever check out the very early I Love Lucy episode ‘Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying To Murder Her’? It’s the 4th episode of the show but might have been the first one shown. Aired in 1951, it has a blatant bi-sexuality/ queer joke in it that I still can’t believe got past the sensors of the time! Lucy finds a list of women she thinks Ricky is trying to replace her with. (In reality, it’s a lot of dogs in a dog act.). Lucy reads them out loud and then gets to the last one .. “Theodore.” She takes a moment to realize what she just said, and then exclaims, “Theodore!”
When I first saw Cabaret I was a minor that had the knowledge that I was queer, but my conservative family wouldn't understand. This movie made me realize that for my own safety I could only be myself around people like me, and shelter myself around those that could hurt me. I didn't come out to my family until I was an adult that could stand on my own two feet, but this movie was so important to me. I understood the messages in the storyline, and could relate to the human struggle of not being what others wanted you to be. It's one of those movies I return to every year just to remind myself that the danger of this world can be close to home and sitting right next to you.
Me, same, to the point that I remember what theater I saw Cabaret in in 1972, when I was 14. I was big for my age, so I went alone to one of those theaters that had reduced rates after the first run was over. It devastated me! It has always been in my top 5 films. "All That Jazz" is in my Top 10 -- Bob Fosse was a genius!
Love is an emotional connection that is built on trust, mutual respect, and communication. It involves caring deeply for someone, wanting the best for them, and being willing to make sacrifices for their happiness. Love is often characterized by a deep emotional bond, a sense of partnership, and a desire for long-term commitment.
Lust, on the other hand, is primarily driven by physical attraction and desire for physical intimacy. It is a feeling of intense physical desire or craving for someone else's body. Lust is typically focused on the physical aspect of a relationship and may not involve the same level of emotional connection or depth of feeling as love.
In summary, love is a deep and emotional bond between two people, while lust is primarily physical attraction and desire. Love involves caring for and supporting each other, while lust is focused on the physical aspect of a relationship.
@@PoisonelleMisty4311 Why are you spamming shitty chatGPT replies everywhere? They're barely even related to the comments you're replying to wtf are you yapping about?
Me, too! At age 15, the line "So am I..", changed my life. I went to the Paris, Ky movie theater three times that week. Every revival release found me there as well. Now, I knew that there was a world outside my town where I didn't have to sneak to be with boys (many of whom ended up married with children) and that I could be involved with attractive men rather than the unhappy, swishy stereotypes portrayed in film and on TV then.
Same. I saw it with my mother. I was 13. I dragged her to it.
I was 19 years old when I first saw this film in 1972. I’ve seen it a number of times since. Now it’s 2024, and I’m watching this documentary about it. It disturbed me then, and, being both gay and Jewish, disturbs me even more now. Germany, 1931, and America, 2024. The last scene in the film with the mirrors reflecting the crowd gives me even more chills now then it did in 1972. Cabaret should be seen; as a musical, a commentary and a warning. Thanks for show!
I am the same age as you (19 in 1972) and your observations are exactly the same as mine.
Amen my friend. A very timely movie, especially today! We need to be very diligent now…first time in US History rights have been taken away by the Supreme Court. We need to stop this crap now! I hope the “pick me”s of today learn of the German nazi history. I will continue to do my best to keep informing those who will be in danger if “project 2025” comes to fruition.
I'm Jewish and bisexual but the only reason I bring that up is because you did. The Communists lured gay Russians and other gay persons with Slav nations offering safety for them if they fought against the White Russians. Lenin had from the start told his group the promises given the the gay and homosexual groups was a fiction because whether it was Communist or Orthodox Christians that country needed lots of children and gays and homosexuals don't breed children but they did work to death in GULAGs.
Jews and gays are not the only victims of WW2. Far from it.
Gay and Jewish?
Shocking
I get why you wanted to do a video about this movie now. The relevance is terrifying. Your work is so important.
Yup! This is a documentary of the film, but the subject of Cabaret it's so relevant today, that's terrifying that we, as a society, haven't change one bit in almost a century since the Nazis.
I was crying a bit by the end of this just by thinking of everything that's happening now.
the trick is, the relevance is always there in any epoch, because there's always the risk of becoming too complacent and not see the evil growing around, whatever form that evil gets. That's why it's a timeless masterpiece
Ditto my friends ….
Are we awake now🕊
@@metgirl5429No, even people here are still confused and in denial.
@@rafaelyaguaro2842 I've always had a deep interest in the downfall of the Wiemar Republic to Nazism. In light of recent SCOTUS rulings and Project 2025, that particular point in history is so insanely chilling. It's happening now.
This really is the role Liza was born to play.
It’s still her defining role and probably always will be.
@@annenelson5656she could do worse. It shows off both her acting chops and her singing chops. All while she's in the bloom of beautiful youth.
But it does get boring to be pegged with something. I don't believe it hurt her career, though.
@@beejls I think the role rocketed her up to the top. She’ll always be remembered for that role. Liza with a Z was such an excellent showcase of her talent.
"Romping through the gay uncluttered world of Nazi Germany".
I wish this video weren't so damn timely
Also, UA-cam IS the cabaret
UA-cam or TikTok or Instagram or Reddit ... basically any social media site.
I'm a queer, Jewish mama and 2 of my kids are trans. I wish I could disagree with you...
@@BTScrivineryou could just say. . .”THE INTERNET”
I was a surly teenager when my mom first showed me this movie and I went from ambivalent to enthralled. The slow dread that creeps throughout the movie, the gutpunches of the Gorilla scene and Tomorrow Belongs to Me. Absolutely harrowing cinema. Should be taught in schools.
Why?
We've had enough propaganda thankyouverymuch.
@@rdred8693 clearly someone missed some media literacy clases
@@Littlestraincloud
Don't need college to get an education.
@@rdred8693 In your case you would need it spoon fed to you like a child.
@@rdred8693media literacy is literally taught in high school English classes.
"Thank you for breaking down the film. 'Cabaret' mirrors the unsettling facets of contemporary America. Does anyone else sense this striking parallel? It's a stark reminder that you can only turn a blind eye to reality for so long.
My very thought! These are scary times.
Yes! tRump& muskRat
Have mesmerised their cult, sheeple who don't hear, don't think, and hate people they're Told to hate 🥺😳😶🌫️🤯‼️
I grew up in an urban part of Brazil in the 00s and 2010s. When I started to watch Glee, I fell in love with so many songs, especially, their rendition of Maybe This Time. So, as a 13-year-old, I decided to watch it. The reaction I had to THAT ending was pure shock. I just stared at the TV paralyzed, with my eyes wide open, looking at the credits scrolling up. Still to this day, this is my favorite film.
A few months ago i met joel grey and was just in awe of him. Cabaret opened me up to everything from queer books like Christopher Isherwood, got me performing sgain, and made me fall in love with cinema. The fact that youre doing this video has me so excited
Oh wow that's awesome! He's such an inspiration.
@@MattBaume he really is- it was really cool i was in an elevator coming from a show he directed and was signing asl with my mom. He saw that asked about it and i realized it was him! Ended up talking to him about Deaf theater for about 5 minutes once we got off. Such a sweet guy.
Joel Gray is my all time favorite Emcee
Is Joel Grey less important than Christopher Isherwood? Why did you put his name in all lower case?
@@jnnx @ it’s called auto correct. I typed this on my phone and didn’t pick up on Joel’s name. No need to be pedantic. I obviously thought it was important thst i met him.
Matt, it is such a pleasure to review your presentations. This one, Cabaret, is especially insightful. Thank you 😊
Thank you for watching!
@@MattBaume Just keep up the great work, son. You are giving a seventy-one year old, retired, disabled veteran much to watch and think about.
When I see a video that is nearly an hour long, I usually groan. Not with Matt’s! Seriously easy watching.
Seeing this post-election and it is chilling. Excellent work, as always.
I think this is a perfect example of why remaking and adapting media can be important. Cabaret is an iconic work, but I imagine most people today haven't actually seen it, just know the name and the bits that broke through into pop culture. Whether or not adaptation lives up to the original, having updated media rolled out reintroduces important messages like this one to younger people who wouldn't have otherwise known or been interested. Some things don't really need that reintroduction, but something like this, which has such a unique message and themes that can't easily be conveyed the same way in just any story, bears repeating.
Excellent video. Last week We had the US election of 2024, and the parallels are terrifying.
A modern remake of Cabaret would be interesting to imagine 🤔
@bemiatto67 They did a new staged version and people 💩 on it for being too PC.
A movie remake may go better than the stage version. Cabaret is a wake call more people need to hear above the noise.
@jennifer3513 They would probably 💩 on it even more. It's not Liza, Joel, and Michael York. It's too PC, it's not like the original movie or original 1966 stage production.
I went to a pretty good production of Cabaret and people still complained about this.
@@Fimbleshanks not reason not to remake the movie.
Matt, I saw a documentary in the early eighties that I cannot remember the title of, but there was historical footage in it where American soldiers were RETURNING a gay man back into the camp...i.e.
Gay people were still considered legitimate criminals
That documentary might've been Paragraph 175?
Correct, in many "safe" allied countries queer people were put right back into prisons. In the UK chemical castration was still legal for years after the war.
Until 1995 roughly. Definitely solidly after reunification
One of the few laws from the Third Reich that was kept by the succeeding West German government...
Many camps became rehabilitation centers to treat starvation and illness until better institutional infrastructure could be established. So many Jews, gays, and Poles were "put back" into camps before being officially freed, as is depicted in Band of Brothers.
43:34 "In conservative areas, a preview audience complained about having to see a 'sex deviant' and called it a 'degenerate movie'." If only these fine volks had the backing of a group which would gather together all the other 'degenerate art' out there and put it on display to showcase the moral deviance of the artists involved they could find validation. Isn't that reich?
They were right.
Every time someone says to me "people don't just burst into song," I want to sing at them "I doooo, don't you? Whatever do you do with an emotion that is too BIIIIG?"
I first saw Cabaret in college, I went into the performance totally blind, all I really knew was the Wilkommen song because my roommate was in the play & had been singing it for months. If You Could See Her Through My Eyes gave me literal chills the first time I saw it. It was so, so impactful and it really forces you back into the reality of when and where the play is set. Maybe because I watched the play first, I wasn't the biggest fan of the movie adaptation tbh, but I really enjoyed your commentary on it; some of the subtle storytelling totally slipped past me & it really makes me appreciate the film more!
I can't believe I'm 60 years old and I've never seen Cabaret! I'll come back to your video after I watch Cabaret!
Did you watch it? What'd you think?
As always, another great video.
Thanks for the clip of Liza mentioning that New York, New York is HER song and not Sinatra's.
Her rendition is possibly the greatest rendition of any song ever
To this day, it makes me irrationally pissed off that SOMEHOW, Sinatra's recording is THE version of NY, NY, and HE'S given credit for it as if he wrote it. Liza's version, and the NY, NY movie is iconic and horribly underrated, and IMO, Sinatra always went flat at the end of every musical phrase. NOT a good singer. People can flame me for that, I don't care! LOL
Sweet Charity is now a cult favorite. The songs get millions of views on UA-cam, and "If My Friends Could See Me Now" is played by every high school marching band in the country.
Hahaha it truly cracks me up when that song is played in more innocent contexts -- it was like THE anthem for a cruise line in the 80s!
It was also the theme for the pilot episode of The Nanny. But it’s been practically been hard to find.
I saw Juliet Prowse in Sweet Charity at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas in 1960-something. I’m old. 😁
I saw Shirley MacLaine do If My Friends Could Se Me Now live in the mid 80s. It was iconic.
@@MaggieLarocque That sounds so cool! Lucky you!
This was fascinating. I tried watching Cabaret when I was too young to appreciate it. Now I want to see it again. Dare I even begin to list the parallels to the current societal and political climate? Truly chilling.
I saw it before I knew much modern history, so I missed the main throughline, and was mostly focused on the surface plot. I watched it later, though, and it totally smacked me in the face, and I finally recognized the importance of the film.
You expressed my sentiments to a T!
Watching this with the current political climate of America definitely makes the last scene a lot more bone chilling. Vote y'all 🥲
@@mechanicalbrideez Agreed
The melody of Tomorrow Belongs To Me is from " Lorelei " . Which is about a German siren from mythology who lures sailors to their deaths with her song from a rock on the Rhine river ! Oh how apropos is that ?
Wow, eerie!
Wonderful detail. A gem in the banality of comments here. Thank you so much.
My middle daughter used to be a dancer. She was into ballet, tap, interpretive and jazz. The interpretive and jazz teachers taught them mostly Martha Graham and Bob Fosse choreography . She loved it.
Check out "All That Jazz," Fosse's movie that's pretty much about Fosse. He'd have to build in superb choreography in that one, wouldn't he?
Don't forget Joel Gray's other iconic role as that demon with the frog tongue from Season 5 of Buffy.
Who could forget such a thing?
thank you
Check him out in Dancer in the Dark with Borjk by Lars Von Trier - heartbreaking.
Doc. His name in Buffy was "Doc"
I always remember an actor's Buffyverse or X-files cameo when I see them on screen. Joel Grey does not disappoint.
My very straight-laced upper class English Dad loves this film, its one of his absolute faves of all time. Partly because hes got a huge subversive streak which I've always loved and admired. He also told me when his Dad saw it at the cinema, at Brian's 'so do I' line, his Dad got up and walked out. No subversive or even vaguely liberal streak there.
"Nifty Nazi Follies" would've been an awesome title
Honestly it is quite catchy
@@MattBaume If you cover The Producers, it could work.
Honestly, as soon as Liza said that, my mind started playing "Springtime For Hitler" from The Producers LOL
@@joelsmith6641 The "Every hotsy totsy Nazi" line comes to mind 😂
I first thought of Mel Brook’s rendition of To Be or Not to Be (the movie, not his music video) with their Naughty Nazis musical number, "A Little Piece...”.
when I was about 20, I took a course at UCLA on gay literature. The professor invited in the authors of the books that we were reading, one of whom was christopher Isherwood because we were reading, “a single man.“ another author was John Rechy for his book about hustlers in downtown LA, “city of night.“I was so lucky to have met these gay authors who started a movement in gay literature in the 1970s yet I didn’t appreciate it.
The parallels to America today, Nov. 6 2024, are truly horrific.
Agreed. Terrified. Someone once said “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” We are here.
The. reflection - the mirror effect - was actually derived from the original Broadway production. A huge mirror hung from the flies, and it would sometimes be lowered so the audience was seeing itself. Per Harold Prince (in his book CONTRADICTIONS), the mirror did not originate with Prince, the director, but was a surprise and unasked for addition from set designer Boris Aronson.
0:28 Sweet Charity is one of my favourite films. It's so silly, sweet, and very 60s! Shirley MacLaine is adorable in that role.
I directed a student production of "Sweet Charity" in college. The movie is a LOT "sweeter" than the stage production, especially the ending.
I LOVED the casting (especially Chita and Paula) and the choreography.
It was fun.
Knowing the story now, I still want this-universe’s version of cabaret to exist, but I also desperately want to see the Bob-Fosse-as-the-emcee version.
Joel Grey really is Emcee for me but I have loved to see that too.
Make it a proper film festival with the hypothetical Ruth Gordon version too!
One thing I wish more stories about Nazi Germany did was show how class privilege played out as the holocaust got worse. As things got progressively worse for the "out group", things got proportionally better for the "in group". Part of the reason they cheered on the persecution of others was because they were being given the spoils.
As a younger man I kept the view of "I don't care if you're gay, do whatever you want" and I considered myself progressive. When I first watched Cabaret it showed me why protecting queer people and their rights isn't a case of showing acceptance by ignoring them. Time and time again, throughout history, queer people have consistently been targets for awful treatment and we could backslide towards that ill treatment over the course of 1 aggresive government.
Cabaret is a fantastic film, art should always challenge your views especially the ones you hold deepest.
Love being italian and reading this "liza! If she was! Hitler?!"
😅😅😅
lmaoooo
Also works in portuguese too lol
exactly what I read too 😭
Yes! Exactly! The thumbnail got me confused for a second!
Michael York gives his A game in this he always does from Romeo and Juliet to Logan’s run.
"Good form Basil!" - Austin Powers
Incredible work as always, Matt. Cabaret remains important and timely, which is actually kind of depressing; I'd like it to just be a good production about a particular time in history, but unfortunately, we're all still living in interesting times. Also, he pointed dig that begins at around 39:12 was also particularly satisfying, even if names weren't named.
I'm so pissed I missed the live stream. I have THOUGHTS on Dame Judi as Sally. Specifically, that she delivers the single best performance of the title song ever recorded. The way she is literally SHRIEKING the lyrics by the end, as the tempo of the orchestra continues ratchet upwards, it's bone-chilling in the best way, and fully hits the show: "just pretend nothings happening, everything is fine, just don't think about it" until you can't just not think about it anymore and try to return to ignorance.
I love your videos! Sometimes, I think, "Oh my god. It's 50 minutes! I don't have time for that!" Then I start watching and I can't stop until it's done. You do such a great job with these.
Haha I think the same thing when I finish a script and see how much I've written!
@@MattBaumeyou did an outstanding job in reviewing this gold standard performance. The 2024 revival pales as it’s too circus like
I never took the MC as antisemitic...I saw him as eager to burst people's artifices and expose them as they were...so he spoke the unspeakable and took glee in ripping away the veil
Same.
I thought he was himself Jewish
That was also always my assessment of him. I saw his grin during Tomorrow Belongs to Me as an I told you so. Here it comes.
I had always likened him to the Shakespearean Fool:
"The Fool does not follow any ideology. He rejects all appearances, of law, justice, moral order. He sees brute force, cruelty and lust. He has no illusions and does not seek consolation in the existence of natural or supernatural order, which provides for the punishment of evil and the reward of good [...] The Fool knows that the only true madness is to recognize this world as rational."
Absolutely! And the gorilla was a joke ON antisemitism!
I cannot express how much I absolutely love the information and insight I get from your videos. I’m only out to myself and everyone else these past four years (I’m 53), and so much of movies and pop culture I’m looking at through accepting and loving eyes towards myself and others that I avoided and rejected because of denial and internalized homophobia. I’ve never seen Caberet even though I love musicals. I definitely plan to see it now.
I am like you, 53 and Queer, battling all those dark feelings that kept me down so long. Please watch this movie. It is wonderful! Happy Pride!
Thanks for the warning Matt. This might be your most important work yet. Your brilliance shines bright.
I wonder if his warning might be too muted for most viewers. I hope not, but that’s the whole point of Cabaret, how too many people are blissfully, willfully blind to the truth, especially when it’s ugly.
@@jlee4039 We've been trying and there is just NO waking some of them up. They'll go to their graves insisting we're just con spir theorizers.
Matt, I have always appreciated the good work that you do, but I must praise you for how much you have grown as a creator and presenter. The subjects and stories and works of art that you feature are substantial and important, none more so than this.
Thank you for shedding some light during a dark and uncertain time.
Doug
As a youngster aged 6-9 in early 1980s, Cabaret used to come on a local TV station in Chicago often. I never wanted to watch it because 1. it was not Disney/or other animation, and 2. I would not have been interested in the storyline(s). I thought it was about funny looking lady dancing on a chair in a dark room. Fast forward to last year (2023) when I finally decided to watch Cabaret on UA-cam. I had been watching a bunch of WWII videos and I think Cabaret appeared in my feed. So, I purchased it and watch. I was impressed! It is a stunningly beautiful and disturbing film. I watched in three or four more times within a week. Such a masterpiece, thank you for your analysis.
Matt, your channel is an entire queer film historical institute! I live for your lectures. Best college class I don’t even have to pay for!
But since I do pay, excited to catch up on all the bonus Patreon content. :D
Thanks for this deep dive, Matt🎉 My parents, who were Holocaust survivors, took me to see Fosse's Cabaret in 1972 when I was just 12. I was already obsessed with Fosse's choreography as a result of Sweet Charity, but this time the music really spoke to me, perphaps because it felt organic, commenting on the plot developments, rather than distracting from them.
I revisit Cabaret every few years on disc, and it is truly a timeless masterpiece 🏆
As a NJ kid in the ‘90s that got to see so many Broadway shows and love so many musicals (Chicago being one of my all time favorites). I’ve always been hesitant to watch Cabaret. It just seemed so raw, so gritty. I now realize that of course, that is the point, and will be watching it very soon. Thank you!
Sex worker of over a decade here, I absolutely loooove Sweet Charity. It was one of the first times I ever even heard of SW as a kid.
Incredible research! I'm always gobsmacked at how much Matt Baume is able to bring to light. Unprecedented. ❤
Amazing job on this one Matt! Appreciate all your work of course, but Cabaret takes the cake for me.
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. :)
My parents took me to see this movie when it came out. I was 9. They were pretty conservative, but they thought it was important that I saw the effects of ignoring hate.
I first saw Caberet when I was 12 years old. My best friend's Mom, who was very progressive, took us to a local college production. It was my first time seeing live theatre. I was amazed and shock.
Especially the scene with MC's gorilla comment. I remember turning to my friend's Mom and starting at her in disbelief. It was my first experience of understanding what an evil racism is.
This was terrific! I wasn't looking for it, it just popped up. Perhaps because it's been a bit more than a month since election day...
Anyway, I wanted to express my appreciation. Anyone who intends to see 'Cabaret' would do well to include this wonderful video essay as an accompaniment. It enriches the experience.
The part of the narration that Sally Bowles singing Cabaret is an escape from encroaching evil makes the song already very powerful, as also having a strong context. Thanks for this
I watched this musical for my Literature Through Film course in college last year and I really enjoyed it especially as a history nerd because of how the Nazi party was subtly rising in the background.
It just has so many layers and was one of the films I really enjoyed from the class that I felt wasn’t talked enough about the way other films I saw were.
Thanks for adding in your sources in the videos!
You're very welcome! Glad they're helpful.
@MattBaume literally the opposite of "do your own research"... much love!
@@AbsurdlyGeeky I never understood the do your own research kind of video essayists - like if you've put so much work into this and you care about it, citing sources is proof of the work you've done and opens the doors for other people to read those same sources and come to their own conclusions
@@TheJillersanyone who says “do your own research”, no matter the opinion they are sharing, are fundamentally dishonest to me. If you are not willing to share the sources you used to get to your conclusion it tells me you don’t have faith in the argument you drew from it.
I'm afraid we didn't learn much from history.
Unfortunately I have to agree. I'm profoundly sad.
Nope. Not a damned thing.
Oh ffs 🙄
@@mjpsy7121 gfy.
Never disappointed by your takes on things. This is no exception, but also it’s so terrifying.
Thank you for sharing literally the best commentary of Cabaret I’ve seen on UA-cam! Incredible video!!
Matt, thank you for this video.
Your channel is great.
In 1972 I was in 7th grade, and Cabaret was in theaters.
On a Saturday afternoon, my mother took my little brothers to one movie and my dad took me to Cabaret.
During one nightclub performance scene I whispered to my dad, "Why are those men dressed as women?"
He answered, "That's decadence."
LOL.
I can't remember if I knew what that word meant, or if I had to look it up....
We've got to get out of this trap! Before this... decadence... saps our wits. I've got to be strong, and try to... hang on! Or else, my mind may well SNAP!
As soon as I see there's a new video from Matt, I start to plan my day around having the time to sit back and watch it. This is easily one of the very best channels on the platform. Thank you, Matt!
That backflip story was hilarious, but yeah, Joel Gray was perfect for that part. It's amazing that such an influential film had such as tumultuous production.
It's amazing how this film eventually got everything right considering how easily it could have gone horribly wrong.
Sometimes we just get lucky.
Really well done. Factual but without judgement
Interesting and funny. You should have your own show.
Thank you !
33:43 “The Nazis didn’t care they were one of the “good ones”. Oh how history loves to repeat itself. Sounds like a premonition for certain queers.
Thank you for making this and reminding us the resurgent evil bubbling up around us.
Seldom stop to take in this sort of entertainment analysis, but something about this one just grabbed me and I took it all in. Fascinating.
This, and Victor Victoria, have always been a favorite of mine for many years! I never knew about the filming drama til now. This was a fun watch!!
Wow! The parallels with current events are quite chilling. Very timely video.
Exactly. Especially how the left are the antisemites and the people using abortion to wipe out a particular race. How well they disguise themselves as the good people. I totally agree with you.
Thank you for spelling out the underlying meaning of Fosse's CABARET. I apparently was too "distracted" by the story and characters to go deeper. So now I'm thinking... isn't this what's happening in the US right now?
I saw cabaret a few times in my local theatre in Weimar, we have such a close historical connection to the Nazis here. I cried three times every time. I cried during “maybe this time” for personal reasons but the party scene where they sang “tomorrow belongs to me” actually scared me to the bones, I sat in the middle right in the first row every time and I stared up there at the actors with actual fear when thinking about the rise of the right wing party in germany currently. And then the end left me broken and scared of course. I talked to the Ernst actor a few times and he actually apologised for making me cry but I told him it just means he did an amazing job. It was such an emotional experience, I’m so sad that it’s not on stage anymore…
This film is even more urgently appropriate for our time than it was in the 1960s-70s. I'm so glad it wasn't censored to death.
I guess perhaps that's a particular hallmark of truly good art, that it still remains relevant over long periods of time even well after its original context disappears? Because it's based on incisive observation of human nature, & bravery to challenge assumptions of its time, & thus carries deeper meaning. It can be a bit terrifying however when works from these prior turbulent periods of history start speaking so clearly to our current condition!! 😬
I don't know how much time you put into researching your topics Mr. Baume, but the details in your narrations and your story telling, keep me riveted.
That backflip story has me rollling omg
So well done. So much interesting information but not too much. What a fantastic historical piece on cabaret.
Love the dig about She Who Shall Not Be named and her Holocaust denialism!
You'd love Caelan Conrad's video on it - they read her to *filth* and dropping anvils of wisdom, research, and scalding wit. The library wasn't just open; the *non* fiction section was orated for the occasion.
Who?
@@teijaflink2226 I'm assuming J. K. Rowling ua-cam.com/video/whJJGqVtkEk/v-deo.htmlsi=DbD-KdqfsyXqSwyT
@@teijaflink2226JK Rowling claimed that the Holocaust didn’t start with and target gay and trans people
@@teijaflink2226jk Rowling.. a while ago she was denying that trans ppl were persecuted during the holocaust
This is absolutely brilliant! This film has haunted me in so many ways over the years it was a first of it's kind. Everything just came together against all odds. Still so relevant today; pay attention out there America!
YES!!!! My favorite movie musical of all time! Thanks, Matt, for your brilliant(as usual) thorough history and analysis.
As a scared, closeted gay kid, I was instantly drawn to Michael York's character. As a political liberal/progressive, the socio-political themes are a chilling lesson that is unfortunately all too important in this surreal polarization between MAGA fascism and liberal inclusive democracy.
Hi from Seattle! I was a little girl when this movie was released, having just moved here, and Joel Grey was on game shows for a long time. I had a big crush on him, not knowing what the movie was about or who he was! I was just eight. Finally I saw the movie in my thirties. The beer garden scene and the final shot are pretty chilling. But, for me, the most shocking moment is when Marisa Berenson finds her dead dog on her doorstep. I think maybe the key is that brilliant editing! It creates a chilling feel throughout, like when Liza imagines life as a mother and ... screams. Hard to believe this was over 50 years ago, but it definitely holds up. It's a lot scarier today.
I have to say, Matt, that this is the fourth time now that you've inspired me to watch a film that you've covered on your channel. "Psycho", "Rebel Without a Cause", "Victim", and now "Cabaret". I honestly had no idea how important these films truly were, cinematically or in terms of queer history and culture. That's part of why I return to your channel over and over, and why I got your book. It's almost like genealogy learning queer history, family you never knew you had in a way. :)
I think this is one of your best videos yet!
Thank you so much!
Matt, you're a phenomenal video essayist. I've learned a ton from you and your videos. Excellent work!
Really excellent (as usual). Great find on the Reagan clip!
Amazing video. I didn't get enough from “a legend in making” documentary. I wish people like you existed back then to discuss the film and its context in this level of detail.
Absolutely fabulous telling of the magic that brought this movie to us. Going to have to re-watch it. One of my alltime favorite movies and really resonates with what is happening now. Thank you so much!