Cabaret

Cabaret

"Cabaret suggests that society pays a price when individuals seek to escape from reality" Do you agree.

Cabaret shows an interesting and tragic way that society can pay for an individuals escape from reality. The characters from the film demonstrate to the viewer how the people of Berlin suffer greatly from their attempt to escape reality. For through their own disillusions they allow the Nazi regime to come into power. As a consequence of this, society pays a price through suffering through the turmoil of the rule of the Nazi party.

Sally Bowles is both an interesting and complex character. Her continuous illusion of wanting to be "a big movie star" demonstrates to the audience that she attempts to escape reality on a regular basis. Sally is so wrapped up in her own world that nothing seems to affect her. A key scene demonstrating this is when Max's limo drives pass the Nazi bashing in the street. Bob Fosse has enhanced this seen by using freeze framing to give it a more dramatic effect and also create resent towards the Nazis. This seen also provides the viewer with an insight on Sally's unawareness of the outside world by showing her interrupting Max's and Brian's conversation, by saying "Hey Max, can we go to th

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The MC also makes constant reference to the impending Nazi uprising through his distasteful Cabaret acts and also his comments. We are shown slight resistance through Brian and also the Klub owner. They can see the path, which Germany is about to follow and are wishing for less turmoil. Clearly Sally is living the life of the Cabaret, constantly making her life to be something it's not. Although the older German population represented by Fraulein Schneider, wished that "the Kaiser was still here" so that order would be restored. Thus condemning German society through his own disillusions and escapism from reality, to a fate of terrible wrath.

As a representative of the ruling elite that was under siege by the imminent rise of the Nazi party, Max avoided all possible involvement in the plight that Germany found herself in, preferring to maintain the same cold, ironical distance that characterises his relationships. You were either with them or you were dead. They were all in constant fear of being beaten badly or killed for objecting