Cabaret : Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Liza was PERFECT!!!!

So, I finally watched this film after seeing clips on youtube and reading about it (and its source material) online. What amazed me was the way Liza Minnelli portrayed Sally and revealed all of her different levels so effortlessly. Off-stage (the "real world") she was able to really display Sally's youthful carelessness and naivete, and the during the On-stage performances she had so much poise and presence and she even looked physically "older" during those scenes (to me, at least), and even in both "worlds" Sally's desperation and sadness was always there under the surface. It's a magnificent performance that really stands the test of time and earns a spot in the company of the all time greatest film performances ever.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

That all depends on weather you know the novel, play, and stage musical. "sally bowles" was english, and Cliff was american. Going by that the two leads could be said to be the worst casting in movie history.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

I suppose they could have changed the names to reflect the switch in nationalities.
But the important thing is not their nationalities, but that they're both alien to
German society. Isherwood was born in England and moved to America.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Also the character of Sally is supposed to be only an OK singer.

Let Zygons Be Zygons.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Yes, but...(see my reply to jschillig below)

I would say that Minnelli captures Sally's essential character traits-flightiness,
ability to self delude etc- very well.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

I agree. I couldn't have imagined her any other way (The American version of Sally that is). It's a shame how she turned out, she used to be so adorable.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

You could almost make a case that Liza was TOO good.

Acting-wise, she was perfect...but logically speaking, the way Sally Bowles is supposed to be written, she really shouldn't be that great a singer. The character as presented in the Isherwood stories, the original play and the stage musical is supposed to be a second-rate singer who'll always be stuck in a third-rate dive, while deluding herself that it won't always be like that.

I'm not the only one who's seen this movie and asked myself, "what's this phenomenal singer doing in this dump when it's more likely that she'd have Europe at her feet?"

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Look at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5U9CehM3tQ These just audio recordings. Click on Judi Dench singing "Cabaret" http://www.djdchronology.com/abcd/cabaret1968.htm
http://www.djdchronology.com/abcd/cabaret1968.htm
click on Judi Dench and Kevin Colson singing
Would you that Judi Dench was a better Sally Bowles than Liza? There a couple of the songs were not sung in the movie due plot changes and therefore songs written for the movie.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

No, jschillig, I've always felt the same. And from the first time I saw this movie when I was very young, I've been unable to see it as anything but fundamentally flawed.

Sally's living and working in total dives. The amazing thing about her character is that she shines so very brightly, way beyond her capacity to ever justify or fulfill. Her greatest talent is self-delusion -- or maybe call it an optimism that doesn't require reality to validate it -- and the fact that she even manages to sustain the fantasy she lives in is extraordinary, and in fact a little bit sad. Sally has always stayed in my memory, as one imagines her progenitor must have lingered in Christopher Isherwood's, and you can imagine him always wondering what ever happened to her, what her life turned out to be.

It's hard not to become enamoured of Minelli's vivacity and bubble, but I always felt she was just wrong, wrong, wrong for telling the story Isherwood fashioned. Fosse didn't tell that story, of course, he refashioned it into his own terms, and what an extraordinary job he did of it. But for all its success on some levels, it still always feels to me on other levels to be a bit of a missed opportunity.



You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Indeed, jschillig and puirt-a-beul, this is a criticism that has been levelled at this film since its release, and there's validity to it. But perhaps the dichotomy between the professional abilities of Sally and Liza has its own validity, in filmmaking terms.

One can look at it in the same way that one might view any musical of the 30's-40's-50's where, in an otherwise realistic context, characters burst into song and dance anytime, anywhere. The visual realism doesn't change, but the action does; we may still be on a farm in Oklahoma or the streets of Manhattan's lower east side, but the characters' behavior becomes stylized - with elaborate choreography and full orchestral accompaniment.

I think what Fosse was doing was turning that stylistic device on its head, in several ways. He does it visually by shooting the numbers on the Kit-Kat stage in a vivid, hyper-realistic way, with editing and camerawork that are explosive in their energy and force, while the dramatic scenes are shot in a rather gauzy, muted and more leisurely style no doubt meant to evoke not only a past era, but the dreariness of the depression and the coming political "storm." He does it thematically by having the numbers removed from, but commenting on, the story rather than propelling it, with all of them taking place in the only plausibly realistic setting...the Kit-Kat stage itself. And in the same way that we don't have to accept the idea that street gangs literally dance through their neighborhoods in semi-balletic fashion, we also don't necessarily have to view Sally's performances as what would actually be seen by the club's patrons. Those performances are strictly for us, rather than Brian, Fritz or anyone else there, and we're actually stepping out of the story as we view them. In that framework, perhaps we can accept Liza's/Sally's songs for exactly what they are: bravura musical performances (and film making).

Film musicals have always created their own "alternate realities," and Fosse, having put his individual stamp on an assemblage of bits from various sources, I think created his own fresh version of the "alternate reality" concept.

It's only fair to acknowledge the sole exception, "Tomorrow Belongs To Me," which, being an actual part of the plot and not a musical "number" in the same sense as the others, establishes a believable context by taking place in a beer garden - a traditional setting for communal song in Germany - with a small brass band. As such, it's fitting that it's the only musical interlude that doesn't involve any of the principle characters or cabaret performers. Incidentally, I think it's one of the most chilling musical moments ever put on film; the pastoral setting and the angelic face of the singer, contrasted with the increasingly emphatic presentation of the song, with its ominous lyrics and implications is...well, I can only say again: chilling.


Poe! You are...avenged!

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Excellent interpretation, Doghouse!

A bit harder to justify Frank Sinatra in the movie version of Pal Joey. Again, this was a character who was *supposed* to be a second-rate singer, but how do you cast a second-rate singer as the lead role in a musical? Gene Kelly was the stage's original Joey, and at the time, his singing voice was pleasant but not polished. However, you see a singer like Sinatra in the movie and you think, "No WAY would a talent like Sinatra be stuck in this dive. He'd probably hardly even glance at it on his way to Vegas." And in this case, you don't have the idea of a semi-surreal vision of a nightclub to justify it.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Thanks, jschillig, that's kind of you to say. I know exactly what you mean about Sinatra and PAL JOEY. It's a rather unusual problem, as you note, casting the lead in a musical when the role is that of a second-rate singer. Fortunately for we viewers, it's a problem specific to only a handful of musicals (that I can think of, anyway).

Certainly would have been interesting to see Kelly recreate his role for the film, as his vocal abilities struck just the right balance; someone you could believe might be working in a dive, yet would not be excruciating for an audience to listen to for the length of the picture.

For a film like CABARET, the casting does create a bit of a conundrum. Without someone of Minnelli's abilities, would the film have been as satisfying as musical entertainment? Just to indulge in a flight of fancy for a moment, let's suppose that someone like Audrey Hepburn (English-sounding, anyway, if not by birth), who could carry a tune but was certainly not what anyone would really call a "singer," had played Sally? Might have been truer to the character as originally conceived (and now I think of it, Sally Bowles and Holly Golightly aren't all that dissimilar, are they?), but it sure would have given the film an entirely different tone (no pun intended).


Poe! You are...avenged!

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

This argument (that Minnelli is "almost too good" for the role) is a non-sequitir.

There are plenty of extremely talented, totally unknown singers working in complete anonymity in bars and nightclubs and cabarets all over the world, waiting for that first big break, that makes them a "star".

It's not like Minnelli was 38 years old when this film was made. She was only 25 for crying out loud!! Perfectly plausible that "Sally" had not yet been "discovered".


"the best that you can do is fall in love"

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

i'd go a step further and say that i believed wholeheartedly that Liza's Sally would never be famous. Sally was a talent at the club, with a larger than life personality, but talent isn't a guarantee to stardom. considering the times, & the venue, i believed it was completely possible to shine at the club, but go completely unnoticed off stage. It added to the foreboding atmosphere of the whole movie, It wouldn't be long before her type of talent would be completely unappreciated. She was crying out to be noticed, to be shocking, for any extra attention. I thought Liza played that perfectly. Besides she was only there a short time, geez she wasn't THAT good.

I never read the original story, or saw either play, and I don't feel like i missed a thing.

"WHO'S ON TOP & WHO'S ON BOTTOM NOW, huh?! WHO'S ON TOP & WHO'S ON BOTTOM NOW!"

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Yes. But Liza was the box office draw and kind of had to be good and flashy to get
the movie bankrolled.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

It's a magnificent performance that really stands the test of time and earns a spot in the company of the all time greatest film performances ever.


I agree with you...one of the most richly deserved Best Actress Oscar winners ever...Minnelli completely commands the screen here in a way that few actresses ever have. Sadly, it was the zenith of her career and she never got another comparable role.

Liza Minnelli

"One of the most richly deserved Best Actress Oscar winners ever"

Yes indeed. Hopefully there will be ONE more great part for her in film. She deserves it.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

I Agree with the OP
She was fantastic
I loved her, Great Oscar Choice

Liban Kheer

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

A lot of words written, a lot of discussion held but I simply agree with the OP. Liza gave a powerhouse performance.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

A lot of words written, a lot of discussion held but I simply agree with the OP. Liza gave a powerhouse performance.

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exactly, but IMHO NONE of the discussion resolved itself to the horrendous events foreshadowed by the timing of the movie, for ALL the characters.

IMHO her personality totally reflected the "we will surely all be dead soon, so who cares" attitude that became part of the war's effect on the populations of all sides.

http://www.kindleflippages.com/ablog/

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

What strikes my attention is that she has a New York accent happening,..."with whom I shared for sordid rooms in Chelsea" a californian accent, ..."I have this dadish feeling about you" a British accent, (during the row boat scene with Brian and the Baron)...so I love all that flexibility.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Perfect. This movie couldn't be any better. So many storylines of such a serious nature while entertained with great music.

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

she was mesmerizing



so many movies, so little time

Re: Liza was PERFECT!!!!

Liza was set to star in the original Broadway production, but couldn't because of other
commitments. So she was not an unusual choice.
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