This movie is so creepy. It perfectly shows how it happens. Evil creeps up around you and it's too late when you realize it.

It was not a Nazi event. That is what is so chilling about this scene. It is so idylic, people enjoying a Sunday afternoon, drinking coffee, eating pastries, just regular people, housewifes, workers, children. Then the Hitler Jugend, who just happened to be there, and wanted to make a statement, gets up and sings "Tomorrow belongs to me", and little by little they all join in, sans the old guy, who knows better. That is what was so insidious about the rise of the Nazi movement, just regular people getting caught up in movement that overtook the country and soon most of Europe, when Hitler starting to invade country after country.

Boys if you look closer at Cabaret the songs are actually commentary on what was happening in Germany and in the story. The song Tomorrow Belongs to Me is absolutely terrifying.

How sad to hear Michael York reduced to 'that guy from Austin Powers' ...

Not dude watching Liza leaving it all on the stage and saying “Is this entertaining to people?”

No one who watched this in 1972 was at all confused about what was going on in the movie. It was really interesting to watch a Millennial/Gen Z take on it and realise just how far removed from the events of the movie current generations are - perhaps far enough removed to prove the truth of the saying “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” There is some comfort in the fact that these reactors are smart enough to see the parallels between the past and the present day.

Cabaret ranks very high on the list of films you should deliberately watch twice. On first viewing, it's difficult to see how it all goes together. You're confused by the various forces (social mores, poverty, etc.) that are impacting the storyline's main characters. The cabaret sequences are a hallucinogenic mixture of funny, alien and weirdly menacing. The second time through, knowing who the characters really are, the main storyline is much more coherent, and you have the distance to see that the cabaret sequences each are directly paralleling it. It's an astonishing work of screenwriting and editing, used to describe how an enlightened people collapses, through inattention, personal ambitions, and hubris. And kudos to both of you for actually paying more attention to the important story, the political story. You would be amazed how many people watch this and think "it's a racy romance with great songs". Scary.

How did they not realize the two guys were bisexual even though Brian explicitly said they were screwing is beyond me

Thank you! As a Black woman who got chased by the Indiana Klan as a child, I thank you for seeing the current, alarming, prejudicial anti-Semitic dangers in this wonderful film.

Don't forget, Bob Fosse won the Academy Award for Best Director, beating out, among others, Frances Ford Coppola, for The Godfather.

The shots of audience members in the Cabaret (at the beginning and end of the film) were based from artworks of the time, especially by German artists who were labeled as “degenerate artists” and had much of their work confiscated by the Nazis or destroyed. The art was reviled by the Nazis for its modern style and deliberate intention of the artist to make viewers feel uncomfortable, as well as controversial subject matter which often included ambiguous sexuality, and inferences about power, money, violence, alcoholism, drug use and interracial relationships which were forbidden.

They didn’t go to a Nazi rally. They were in a Biergarten and a Nazi rally broke out. The story is based on reality and so is what we’re experiencing here today, as you noted. This is the first video of yours I’ve seen and I want to watch others especially if they’re classics.

RE Tomorrow Belongs to Me. The whole point is that it's taking place at a regular beer garden with regular people on a regular day, and they all (most) start to sing along. That's the chilling part. If it was a Nazi event filled with Nazis, it would be meaningless if everyone sang along.

I always thought the mirror at the begining and end had two purposes. One - it shows that the movie is a reflection of the society at that time, and two - the audience at the beginning were not primarily Nazi's where at the end of the movie the mirror reflected that there are mostly Natzi's in the audience. It reflects the change that happened during the events of the movie.

The origin of this was a book written by an English author who did go to live in Berlin at that time. It was then turned into a play, and then a non-musical film. Finally it became a musical and then the great Bob Fosse directed this film and won the Oscar. Try watching again and pay close attention to the script (maybe with subtitles) to get the subtle subtexts and gradual social change. It won a total of 8 Oscars and is considered a great American masterpiece.

Liza Minelli is Judy Garland's daughter, the emcee Joel Grey is the father of Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey.

It seems like you missed the line, he says screw Maximillian, and she say 'I do', and He says 'so do I'.

"Cabaret" is an outstanding movie that won Oscars for Liza Minelli, Joel Grey, among others. Great review and commentary.

This was based on Christopher Isherwood's semi-autobiographical collection of short stores, BERLIN STORIES. (Michael York's hair is brushed so he looks vaguely like Isherwood.) Isherwood was one of the first openly gay writers I ever knew of. I've heard he disliked this version of CABARET because he objected to Minnelli's depiction of Sally Bowles -- who was based on a real friend of his from his Berlin days.

LOVE this film. Its sad that one of the best songs is a nazi anthem...but amazing performances by all. I've seen the play many times, both on Broadway as well as in local small theaters and its just devastating. Based on Christopher isherwood's "Goodbye to Belin" and Sally was based on a friend of his, a Cabaret singer, Jean Ross. Glad you got to see this. It's creepy how relevant it still is.

Bob Fosse is The Goat! His movements inspired most of Michael Jackson's (and many many others, his style is so distinctive!). Liza showing she wasnt only the daugther of two Hollywood legends, but a legend on her own. I also saw the play in London...wow!

The songs here, by the way, aren't just entertainment in the cabaret: each song is a comment on what's happening, an exploration of character, or a jab at the characters and at us. Liza Minnelli is the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli. He was one of the greatest movie directors of his generation. And if you don't yet know who Judy Garland is, you have a fantastic treat in store, because she was simply one of the greats, and also one of the most damaged victims of the Hollywood system. Its effects led to her lifelong battle with addiction, which she lost at the age of 47. You owe it to yourself to get to know how Liza Minnelli inherited the gifts she has expanded on. "Cabaret" needs several re-watches: there is a lot going on with all the people we focus on, and the slow, frightening build-up of the Nazi threat. It's a careful, intelligent and scary structure.

strongly urge: "All That Jazz" - a 1979 American musical drama film directed by Bob Fosse. I also do not like musicals but I like these two.

I think you’d both REALLY enjoy Victor Victoria. It has Julie Andrews in it and is an excellent classic.

When I was a teenager, my parents would give me money for the bus and a movie. This came out when I was 13, and I saw it twice. It's one of two movies that changed the way I think about art and the world; the other was _2001: A Space Odyssey_ which my cousin took me to when I was nine. Brian was the first gay character I'd ever seen-which, as a 13 year old gay kid, meant a lot.

What a great reaction! Actually, Christopher Isherwood's novel "Goodbye to Berlin" was first published in 1939, then John Van Druten adapted it into a play "I Am a Camera" (1951), then Kander & Ebb (music) and Masteroff (book) adapted it into the musical "Caberet" which premiered on Broadway in 1966. Bob Fosse's 1972 film adaptation draws on its many iterations but, being a choreographer, he definitely put his stamp on it. It's been revived as a show countless times both on Broadway and the West End (London), most recently in 2021 and is coming back to Broadway next year, with Eddie Redmayne as the Emcee.

One of the frightening things about the "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" scene is that it wasn't at a nazi event. They were at a regular beer garden, which slowly turned into a nazi event as the song progressed.

you guys seem smart, but this is a great movie, you're commenting way too much without it playing out. You're half focused. Nice observations at the very end. But missed the power of it, by only half watching

Singing and dancing, just theater in general, is in Liza Minnelli’s blood. Her mother is Judy Garland who played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

This was based on screen play by Christopher Isherwood who was a novelist, playwright, screen-writer, autobiographer, and diarist. he spent time in berlin in the 1030s He was homosexual and made this a theme of some of his writing Including Cabaret.

Terrific reaction... as a musical theater buff, CABARET has always been one of the most interesting movie adaptations to me. The movie is significantly different from the play... The play was a mix of commentative numbers (as in the film) with non-diegetic "plot" songs. The non-diegetic numbers were dropped; they switched out the subplot from the stage musical (involving a love affair between the gentile landlady and a Jewish fruit seller) for the Natalia/Fritz story that was used in an earlier non-musical stage adaptation of Isherwood's stories (I AM A CAMERA); and they reversed the nationalities of the two leads: on stage, Sally is British and Brian (called Cliff in the play) is American. In reality their real life counterparts (Christopher Isherwood and Jean Ross) were both British. It's a great -- if somewhat flawed -- stage musical; and a brilliant -- nearly flawless -- movie musical.

Yes, this film is still so relavant... sadly. The series "Babylon Berlin" is worth the look to great more context to this period.

Liza is the daughter of iconic singer Judy Garland and A-list director Vincente Minnelli. She won the Oscar for Cabaret and has performed in many films, won other awards and had sold-out musical performances over the decades.

Another great older film judgement at nuremberg (1961) Nominated 11 oscars, won 3 Staring Spencer Tracy (oscar nom), Maximilian Schell (oscar won), Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift (oscar nom), Richard Widmark, Judy Garland (oscar nom), William Shatner and Werner Klemperer

Liza’s presence in Arrested Development is 100% Ron Howard….as a kid actor, he worked with her father, director Vincente Minnell in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.

The key word here is DECADENCE. Especially between Sally, Brian, and Max. And Joel Grey as the MC is the epitome of decadence. He's my favorite character. I love watching this movie for the wonderful musical numbers. Even Tomorrow Belongs to Me, which is actually frightening if you think about it.

I just watched this film a few days ago and I was blown away by how great it is. It's dark, it's funny, it's campy and conveys so many messages that I think are so relevant today. Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles was phenomenal. It's sad that her legendary mother Judy Garland had died 3 years prior to this films release and never got to see her win the Academy Award for Best Actress.

There really are two kinds of movie musicals. The complete fantasy type where people randomly break out in song at the drop of a hat and no one finds it odd in the least. Then there are the ones like Cabaret which could be classed as performative films where the musical numbers fall into the plot of the story and typically on a stage. Many of those center around the life of a singer or musician. For instance the 1955 film "Love Me or Leave Me" starring Doris Day and James Cagney chronicles 20's torch singer Ruth Etting's climb to fame while she was involved in an deeply troubled and abusive relationship with her manager/eventual husband mobster Marty "the Gimp" Snyder. There is also "I'll Cry Tomorrow" starring Susan Hayward which looks at Broadway musical star Lillian Roth's descent into blackout alcoholism and her slow crawl back to sobriety. In both case the character's are shown in performance and it gives the audience a chance to catch their breath as the heavy duty dramatics unfold. Actually one of the best of the films in the genre starred Liza's mother Judy Garland (if you aren't familiar with her she played Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz". The 1954 picture "A Star is Born" was the first musical adaptation of the story which had been made as a straight drama in 1937 and crafted excellent songs onto an already solid story with the main character now an aspiring singer.

they're not at a Nazi event just at a beer garden

This was set in the later years of the Weimar Republic of Germany, in which what became the Nazi party was ascendent. It is a dramatic glimpse of those years prior to a take over of the society, and a taking of power of the country and much of Europe. It is entertaining yes, but also foreboding. A great film. One of a kind.

In my opinion one of the best movies ever. A wonderful musical, every number on stage is perfectly linked to the developing story; great actors and dialogue; a dramatic portrait of nazism rising almost quietly, but like a mortal illness that destroys hearts and minds. A masterpiece.

Cabaret was a fantastic musical. Lizza Minnelli was perfect in this part as she was saucy but vunerable.

You guys, you have to listen to the movie! Every word in a classic like this one matters. It’s the reason screenwriters get Oscars and the big bucks. Fewer interruptions would help your understanding.

This film won multiple Oscars (8) multiple Golden Globes including best picture and multiple BAFTA awards including best film.

In the musical play, the emcee and the show girls come out for the encore. They bow. They all have tear away costumes, and when they rip off their costumes, underneath are concentration camp pajamas. 1930's Berlin was notoriously hedonistic with most rules of decorum abandoned, so this is actually a fairly realistic depiction of the scene. This aristocracy was notorious for being indolent and hedonistic, and they were later in part blamed by the Nazis for Germany's moral decline. This movie has been upheld as a celebration of alternative lifestyles. But, i dont think its so much a celebration as a cautionary tale. Most of the people are harmless, but their lifestyles don't make them happy, either. They worship pleasure and find no meaning in their lives. But, the ultimate danger is the escapism of the Kit Kat Club. "Leave your troubles behind!" But, leaving them behind leaves them unaddressed, and eventually they come for you. Ultimately, the only person in this movie that addresses his issues and makes good decisions is Brian. He's the only person stands up to evil and defends the Jews, who stands up for the baby, who commits to raise the child and form a family, and conducts business honestly. He's not penalized for living an alternative lifestyle, or at least experimenting. But, he remains based in morality. He is also the only person in the movie who is likely to live the next 15 years.

I saw this film for the first time very recently and could not help but think of what is happening in my country, the U.S., right now.

Hey guys! Greetings from Midtown. 😁☺️😘 For the last couple days I've been thinking I should watch Cabaret again. It affected me strongly the first time and I've seen it 3 or 4 times more over the years. Couldn't have better dudes with which to watch it again! I think you might have some problems with context which made some points in the movie confusing. If you want, checking out the Wikipedia articles on the Weimar Republic and Christopher Isherwood will probably clear that up. Enjoyed your reactions very much! 👏👏👏

41:32, problem is, if you're not rich/famous, what country would accept you?

What is amazing is that Director Bob Fosse won the Oscar over Francis Ford Coppola of The Godfather the most popular film of the year. Liza Minelli won over Cicely Tyson of Sounder and Diana Ross of Lady Sings the Blues which was a tragic masterpiece. Joel Grey astonishingly won over three nominated Supporting Actors from The Godfather: James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Al Pacino. Cabaret won a total of eight Oscars in 1973. Made it to the end!

The wealthy man was simply playing with Sally and Brian, seeing them as easy targets for his playboy lifestyle and the opportunity to enjoy a sexual relationship with both of them. He left for Africa as a way to get away from the political turmoil which he suspected was coming, especially after seeing what happened at the beer garden, and protect his wealth and also to get himself out of any possible complications with Sally and Brian.

If you'd like to see 180 degree reversal from Michael York, he plays Tybalt, Prince of Cats in Zefferelli's Romeo and Juliet, a seething, macho dude always on the verge of exploding in anger. And, of course, it's also an utterly exquisite movie. It was very interesting to watch your reaction to Cabaret. It's my favorite musical because it isn't trying for sweetness and light. I felt sad for you hoping everything would work out knowing it all goes to hell in its own complex fascinating fashion.

This musical is based on Christopher Isherwood's autobiographical book "Goodbye to Berlin"

Your suggestion that the jewish characters were the most aware of what was going on - I think the reason for that is fairly obvious. The nazi movement was the backdrop of the movie, not meant to be in the foreground. That scene at the country fair, it wasn't a nazi event, when the aryan youth stands up and starts singing and slowing those in the crowd start joining in singing is pivotal - representing the rise of nazism that was sweeping across germany...it's a brilliant depiction of how people were being drawn in to the movement, and how tomorrow belongs, tomorrow belongs to me. Liza and the movie won an oscar.

A chilling movie! The "Future Belongs to Me" scene scares the crap out of me.

I saw this movie in Berlin in 1973. The song Tomorrow Belongs to Me was the only thing that was cut. I can think of reasons.

Half of my family is German and they all speak both English and German. Both languages are very similar in structure and they share alot of words and pronunciations. I read somewhere that they are 60% similar lexically.

12:55 no there are basically no silent letters in German. The only real exceptions are "h" in words like "Ruhm" and "Höhle" where they (unnecessarily, as words like "Gen" and "malen" show) mark long vowels, and then words that are borrowed from French and keep the original pronunciation so Engagement is pronounced "on-gazh-MON" very roughly.

Sally Bowles was the OG manic pixie dream girl.

I lost some of my Berlin relatives in Auschwitz. "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" makes me cry every time!

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the original, (Judy Garland) is her mother, both ultimate super stars. Thay movie is also highly recommended. I watched until the end. For those who never saw this, the final song has a strong impact, so wished the editors had shown the full song. Talked that part over some.

All right fellas I've got to tell you that I read the musical play at least 3 times while in high school...it was available in the library and I attended a Catholic high school! I'm sure it would be banned in the public schools of many states today. Bob Fosse (director) transferred Cabaret from Broadway(1966) to film brilliantly by keeping all the musical numbers performed within the cabaret except for the young Nazi singing at the outdoor beer garden (not necessarily a Nazi event, it shows how they ingratiated themselves to the public with nationalism.) Every musical number coincides or comments with /on what is going on outside in the "real" world. Also, the songs that were dropped from the Broadway show for the movie were incorporated as background music in many of the scenes outside of the cabaret in the "real" world. On Broadway, Sally was British and Brian was an American named Cliff.

The songs were more than “fun”. They were either commentary or foreshadowing of action on the screen,tho you’re right being set in a cabaret kept the songs from interrupting the story

"The correct number of Nazis and white supremacists to have in your country is zero." Exactly. What makes "Cabaret" so powerful is, like you said, while it's about the rise of Nazis, that central story follows everyday people just trying to live their lives in the context of that time period. It's the perfect illustration of how evil can creep up on you without notice and, by the time you DO realize what's going on, it could be too late.

You asked if German has silent letters. The answer is no, they don't...borrowed words not withstanding. And this musical is based off a book written by Michael York's character about his time in Berlin during the beginnings of the Nazi regime. And he was gay.

There's a lot going on in the movie, particularly the musical numbers, which expresses the political complexity of Germany in the early thirties. A couple of the shots of motionless audience members are based on German expressionist paintings - the kind which Hitler would later outlaw as degenerate. The Emcee, Joel Grey, becomes increasingly more menacing as the film progresses, like Berlin itself. The original Broadway show was written in the 1960s with the relevance of the story to modern American politics in mind.

This movie was made during the late sixties when the civi rights movement was going on and the sexual revolution so they were drawing parallels between that time and the Weimar Republic in Germany. Based on a book of short stories by Christopher Irsherwood, who was there.

Autobiographical story by Christopher Isherwood. The real Sally Bowles was seen in the back row of a Berlin movie theater when the movie was released. She was still living in Berlin and did not comment.

I highly recommend the theater version of Cabaret done with Alan Cumming! There's a pro shot on youtube that is great (unfortunately they cut some songs for tv but it's still brilliant). There are great boots out there as well. It's different from the movie, and you may find it less confusing. It's much more, how shall I put this... In your face lol.

I made it all the way to the end! I love your reactions, but I think I get even more out of the post-reaction discussions. You guys always have such interesting insights, I gotta stay til the end!

Hi, I love your reaction❤ Please react to the musical, the full televised 1993 Broadway production is here on KZfaq. Btw, you’re wrong about a few things. 1. It wasn't a Nazi rally, the boy is from Hitler Youth, the song is a part of the Nazi propaganda, and the people who joined the singing were just ordinary people. 2. The emcee is not really mocking the Nazis, he represents the spirit of Berlin - at first he is welcoming and charming, but as things progress he becomes more and more sinister. 3. Although the Nazis were very vocal about their distaste for gays, many gay people supported the Nazis before the Nazis came to power, even owners of gay magazines and other very openly gay people. After the Nazis came to power, they arrested all these people, threw them into camps and killed many of them. 4. Brian and Maximilian are very obviously bisexual, Brian made it clear that he had sex with Maximilian, and Sally made it clear that it upset her that they had sex (she literally screamed at him), and she treated it as a competition (like when she emphasized the order of the names in Maximilian’s letter). The writer of the book that the musical was based on is a gay author who came to Berlin because of its gay scene. The character of Brian is based on him. 5. The final scene shows the Nazi takeover of the public space and the fact that it is no longer a single Nazi in the crowd, but slowly the whole crowd is becoming Nazi. The fact that we see it through a mirror is probably a way of saying that this might also reflect the reality of our time, and we need to be careful.

Excellent film and performances. Thanks for your reactions.

The Brit is gay. Indeed, the play was written based on his book about the dissolute cabaret life in pre-war Germany. Sally Bowles was also a real person he wrote about, the daughter of U.S. diplomat Chester Bowles.

Not only was this a lot of people's introduction to Liza Minelli, this was also general to actor Joel Grey at the time. He played the Emcee in the original Broadway production of Cabaret and of course reprised his role for this film. Most modern audiences of musical stage and screen recognize him as the original Wizard of Oz in _Wicked._ Brian -originally known as Clifford Bradshaw in the musical- and Sally actually swapped nationalities in the movie. In the stage production, Clifford was American, while Sally was from Britain. The musical (and subsequent film adaptation) were both widely praised for portraying taboo themes of identity, homosexuality and prejudice in a very thought-provoking way.

You got it quite right, guys. Congrats. Watch it a second time and all the pieces will fall in place.

Sally Bowles was based from a real person, the short story is in Isherwood's collected stories. Isherwood was a friend of WH Auden who spent the interwar years in Germany because of its somewhat liberal attitude around homosexuality. His writings of the interwar years in Germany are very interesting.

I don't know if you realize this but Liza Minnelli's mother was the late great Judy Garland who played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz

Watch "All That Jazz". It's essentially Bob Fosse's autobiography, to include foreshadowing his death from a heart attack. Roy Sscheider proves he could sing and dance. Ben Vereen costars. Or the mini series Fosse /Verdon, which was produced by Lin Manuel Miranda. Michelle Williams won an Emmy for playing his wife, Broadway legend Gwen Verdon. 44:08

I really appreciate the films you react to! Kudos!

Fun fact, Liza Minnelli is Judy Garland's daughter!

"I hope nothing bad happens" !?! plus you saying, "oh is this movie about the rise of Nazism" made me realize that you literally know NOTHING about Cabaret. 🤣😭 I imagine it's what I'd feel sitting down to watch Titanic with someone who'd never heard of it. 🤣 That's great. I've never actually watched the movie version in full, but I'm obsessed with the theater production.

This is a horrifying movie once you sit with it for a bit. Shows how fast a country can change for the worse.

Love your reactions and commentary!

This movie WAS certainly a '70s take' on the 1930s. The 'Brian Roberts' character in the original _Christopher Isherwood_ source books, was out-and-out gay. He went to 1930s Berlin precisely _because_ he could enjoy being openly homosexual there, which he couldn't in democratic, nazi-free Britain. That aspect of Brian's character, just wouldn't wash in a 70s movie, so he was watered down into a sexually naive character, going any which way the wind blows.

Back then they didn't have tv

Yeah... they had to really tone down the musical/cabaret numbers from the play..... which was a quite toned down for real cabarets at the time.

Great reaction, guys! When you gasped at the end of that gorilla tableau I actually got the chills. Btw, you were right that the young man singing the nazi hymn was dubbed. Guess whose voice it was? Joel Grey, the crazy MC sang that as well. He was such a mammothly talented performer and actor.

Liza is Judy Garland's daughter. Joel Grey is Jennifer Grey's father.

I adore this film

Being as ‘fatal’ as an after dinner mint, meant that she is just pretending to be a femme fatale, when she really isn’t.

The ice came for a ice house

Well done for going outside your comfort zone. I do think musicals get lumped together as romantic stories with little extra meat on the bone but Cabaret, based on Christopher Isherwood's fantastic novel, Goodbye to Berlin - which is well worth a read - shows there can be a lot more depth. I would urge you to watch ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS - 1986 - based on Colin McInnes novel about life in 1950s London. It has similar depth and the music and topics are somewhat easier to understand being more contemporary. David Bowie is fantastic and there are other fantastic pop/rock artists starring in it to - no spoilers ;-0

A lot of Germans,especially in the North,speak English...but by no means most (Still more than the other way round)🎩

About Liza Minelli's pipes... She's the daughter of Judy Garland. Not sure if you've mentioned it, and I haven't seen any comment about that particular thing... so I'll just put it out here. Not that a kid usually get the talent from the parent, but she kinda did. At least to some degree. Otherwise I love your take of this movie, that I actually saw at least twice back then. (When I was a teenager)

At the beginning, Brian tells you he is a student of philosophy at Cambridge. Dadaism developed in Germany during and after World War I. It argued that you never have to make moral choices. Tra-tra-tra-ta-tra-thrah, Live for Today. We may die tomorrow. This story is about what happens to people who refuse to make moral choices. Other people make them for you. You will sure as Hell not like them.

Great reaction! It is very interesting to see your joint reaction to the film Robocop 1987. This is a cool movie! 👍🔥

you asked "where are the robots" then i definitely have a movie for you, The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Sorry but I had to stop watching when one of them asked ''Is this entertaining?' 🧐

I'm here at the end. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and understood its overarching premise. You say that the rise of the Nazis is in the background, and it more or less is. Yet that is the backdrop against which their lives are taking place. And the songs on stage are commenting on the story. You caught that with "Two Ladies" and "If You Could See Her Through My Eyes." But every single song does that--even the title song. Brian leaves Berlin, but Sally decides to stay. "Life Is a Cabaret." And we go out over a warped mirror with the swastika being the only thing that's clear. And there's more there to reward a second viewing.

This movie was set in Berlin 1931. The characters did not (and could not) know what was going to happen 10 years later - this movie show bits and pieces of foreshadowing in both the songs and events. Seems to me that you are looking for a coherent plot between the main characters and there really isn't a one. It's just a snapshot of that time. Do you know what will be happening 10 years from now - where and who you will be? I doubt it.

As some others have said, this is a movie that *really* needs/deserves more than just a single viewing. It has so many layers, so much depth of meaning, and so much subtle commentary between songs and scenes, that you'll never catch it all the first time. Or even the second or third time. Luckily it's one of the most entertaining and best directed movies ever made, so by all means do watch it again and again!