Liza Minelli, Michael York, Joel Grey and Marisa Berenson attended the 40th Anniversary Blu-Ray DVD Screening of their 1972 film “Cabaret” which was celebrated a year late at the Ziegfeld Theatre on January 31, 2013 in New York City.
The cast was there to mark the release of the Blu-Ray restored 40th Anniversary DVD of Cabaret, which has been both a film and a Broadway show. The film is based on the 1951 Broadway play “I am a Camera,” adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s novel “Goodbye to Berlin.”
Restoring some 1.4 million original frames in the film was so laborious that they missed meeting the 2012 40th anniversary deadline. Additionally, the vertical cracks in the film meant that the film could not be shown for a decade until restored.
Reportedly, the Blu-Ray version is six times clearer than any previously released DVD. That alone should make fans want to revisit this stunning classic.
Set in pre-World War II 1931 Berlin, Cabaret centers around American performer Sally Bowles and the racy Berlin nightclub scene, specifically the “Kit Kat Club,” as well as her affairs with two men as the Nazi Party rises to power and alters their world.
Liza Minelli, who played the leading role in the film “Sally Bowles,” chose a black pants and blouse ensemble, accessorized with a long garland, earrings and a bracelet on the left wrist. She topped the outfit with a brown fur-trimmed black velvet coat. A slightly off-skew mouth and frozen countenance concerned some that perhaps Liza had suffered a minor stroke.
Marisa Berenson, who played the role of “Natalia Landauer,” looked elegant in her black tuxedo with satin lapels and piping on the sides, teamed with jeweled flats and lots of chunky jewelry.
Perhaps most changed in the group, even unrecognizable to some, was Michael York – “Brian Roberts” in the film – who wore squarish retro style black-framed glasses with amber colored lenses.
Cheeky “Master of Ceremonies” Joel Grey still looks very much like himself back in the early 1970’s and recognizable even without the theatrical makeup and tophat.
They were joined by film historian and host of Turner Classic Movies Robert Osborne, who interviewed them on stage.
Reportedly, Director Bob Fosse was given the task of directing Cabaret because Stage Director Hal Prince was too busy at the time.
Though raised in the theater, Fosse was a risk because he had only directed one other film, “Sweet Charity,” which had failed miserably.
Costar Joel Grey explained that Fosse “still managed to be phenomenal and make a groundbreaking, historic movie musical by rethinking it and changing musical movies forever.”
Speaking of his own role as the MC, Grey said it was “oddly much darker on-screen than it was onstage” and probably more developed.
Several songs were also deleted from the stage production while others were added to the film. All good choices since the film was a complete success and with quite a cult following…
Also attending the 40th Anniversary and Screening were actresses Arlene Dahl, Bernadette Peters and Nicole Fosse, who attended in a full-length animal print coat.
The Blu-Ray DVD of Cabaret sounds promising! Meanwhile, enjoy the slideshow…
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