US Cinema of the 1970s:

Genre and Mise-en-Scene in Cabaret

Prof. Julia Leyda

September 10, 2013

the musical genre

defined by its form: a movie with several musical

production numbers

typical plot patterns

backstage musical: main characters are singers and

dancers performing for an audience in the story (Moulin

Rouge)

straight musical: people sing and dance in “ordinary life,”

not for a show in the story (The Wizard of Oz)

often a romance plot and/or children’s story

often brightly lit with crane shots and high angles

the historical film

usually focuses on an important event, era, or

character

attempts to portray the time period authentically

through mise-en-scene, especially costumes, hair and

makeup, and props

emphasizes personal or cultural values important at

the time when the movie is made; sometimes

revisionist

focalizes the big picture of history through a few

carefully developed individual characters, allowing

audiences to feel emotionally involved in events of

history that may seem dull in textbooks

social function of genre

reflectionist: at certain times in history, the stories,

themes, values, or imagery of the genre reflect social

attitudes

be careful not to overemphasize the reflectionist

approach in your analysis

remember the industry’s profit motive in production

decisions that give the people what they want

popular movies both express and influence social

attitudes, and not always accurately

Cabaret (1972)

won 8 Oscars including director, actress, supporting

actor, music

backstage: set at the Kit Kat Klub, but only one main

character is a performer

historical: set in Weimar Republic 1931, just before

the Nazi era

shot on location in East and West Germany

Bob Fosse, director and choreographer

choreography: jazz dance with turned-in knees,

sideways shuffling, rolled shoulders, and jazz hands

costume and prop motifs: bowler hats, gloves, canes,

chairs

Cabaret as revisionist musical

not bright: dark, decadent, adult / sexual atmosphere

not for kids: cynical romance, adultery, gigolos /

golddiggers, also features transvestites, gay

characters

dark themes of nihilism / hedonism, ignoring reality

ominous historical / political subtext of anti-Semitism

and Nazi rise to power in pre-WWII 1930s Germany

not happy ending

sexually promiscuous lifestyles

bisexual love triangle

Nazi party gaining support

Natalia: victim of anti-Semitic terror

red communist symbol in background

spoofing militarism in performances

ambiguous politics of performances

ending: in the distorted mirror…

ominous ending: “life is a cabaret”--?

discussion questions

Discuss the musicals Saturday Night Fever (1977)

and Cabaret (1972) in terms of genre conventions and

revisionism. Compare them to other musicals you

have seen.

How does Cabaret (1972) compare with our other

historical film, Chinatown (1974)? How authentically

do they portray their respective settings?

How do these pairs of movies reflect the social

attitudes of the 1970s? Are they similar in these ways

to other movies we’ve discussed this semester?

costume in cinema

sometimes aims for realism and authenticity, other

times for expressiveness and exaggeration

conforms to contemporary body shapes and sense of

fashion

contributes to the visual style in color, texture,

movement

expresses a character’s personality (aggressive, shy,

masculine, feminine) or identity (class, nationality,

etc.)

matches or clashes with other characters and with

sets and decor

costume: men’s style

costume: hats

costume: hats

costume: mannish style

costume: closeup, political costume

hair and makeup in cinema

emphasize actor’s expressiveness: eyes, eyebrows,

mouth

express personality: naturalistic, theatrical, more for

performers

character’s relation to fashions of their time: trendy or

classic, classy or tacky, showy or understated?

create resemblance to historical characters, or

emphasize resemblance to other stars (including

relatives)

make characters attractive or less so depending on

their function and role in the story

hair and makeup: in performance

hair and makeup: theatrical

hair and makeup: naturalistic

hair and makeup: sleeping in makeup

hair and makeup: less makeup, Judy

discussion questions

Discuss the way hair and makeup in Cabaret support

the themes and meanings of the film.

How do you think the costumes in Cabaret were seen

in the 70s? As authentic or as anachronistic?

Did the hair and makeup and/or costumes in Cabaret

remind you of any of the other films we’ve discussed

so far? In what ways?