Film Techniques In Cabaret, Directed By Bob Fosse

The 1970 released musical Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse shows a clear use of film techniques that enables the audience to both admire and condemn certain characters in the film. Set in the early 1930’s, Cabaret follows the dramatized world of Berlin, Germany before the Second World War occurred. The musical song “life is a cabaret” perfectly describes how the depraved Berlin formulates a destructive and confusing array of characters. The film techniques of costume, camera angles and mise-en-scène create a variety of different perspectives with the audience able to see how the ignorant idea of “life being a cabaret” is tested by the atrocities committed by the Nazis, the mystery of Sally Bowles pregnancy and separation of Sally Bowles and Brian

Costuming as a film technique allows the audience to condemn and admire certain characteristics such as Sally Bowles’s naive attitude towards the natural world. Throughout the movie, Bowles is seen to boost her personal corruption by wearing extravagant and revealing clothing. Flaunting her promiscuity, the audience is able to gather the condemned idea that Sally Bowles uses her sexuality to move up in the social ladder. The use of Sally Bowles wearing bold makeup, fur coats, green nails and an unusual fringe allows the audience to see how Sally wishes to be seen as “shocking”. When Sally Bowles is in the real world, the audience can see just how flamboyant her attire really is with the contrastingly plain costumes of the Berlin women and men. The audience condemns Sally Bowles, and her repetition of cliché mannerisms, scripted lines and her ability to be completely oblivious to anything and everything;

From the humorous tales in the Kempinski Berlin hotel to the immediate eye level, medium shot of a lifeless and bloodied body, the viewers see the harsh contrast between fantasy and reality. Numerous cut-ins are used to display the Nazi propaganda plastered on flags and walls in the public space of a market. The under shots of police officers and witnesses are used to display how the characters are looking down upon the body in a state of disrespect. With all characters surrounding the body being completely frozen in time, the abnormality of stillness allows viewers to notice just how important this event was emphasising the phrase “tomorrow belongs to me”. The camera angles in this scene are used to allow the viewers to observe the power of the authorities and the nonchalant reactions of the main figures. As the car holding Sally, Brain and Fritz passes the scene, the eye level shot of Maximilian and Brian allows the viewers to see how they acquiesce the actions of the Nazis. It is obvious that both Maximilian and Brian notice the surrounding events but do not directly mention the circumstances. Sally still remains oblivious to the situation with a framed view of fritz looking at the scene and a voice over of Sally saying;