"Beedle dee, dee dee dee,
Two winners.
Beedle dee, dee dee dee,
And I'm the only man,
Ja!"
It's time to announce the winners of the Cabaret contest, pulled randomly from your entries which were doubled if you sent along a Cabaret inspired photo along with your note about your favorite moment in the 1972 masterpiece.
I had fun reading all of your opinions and even more fun watching the film again... though the strangest thing about seeing it on the big screen for the first time after a lifetime spent watching it on various sizes of screens at home was that it suddenly seemed to have less musical numbers. Minnelli's peak razzle dazzle and Joel Grey's indeligible emcee suck up all the oxygen in terms of memories of the movie but there is so much more to the movie which is a really brilliant and disturbing drama about a world(s) about to collapse, specifically Weimar Era Germany (and its funhouse mirror in the Kit Kat Club).
Anyway... I asked you to either "like" the film experience facebook page and tell us your favorite bit of Cabaret or do the same thing by email with a "photo" inspired by Cabaret to win yourself an extra contest entry. The winners of the remastered restored and booklet-beautiful 40th anniversary blu-ray, chosen randomly are:
JOSHUA FLOWER who writes:
My favorite moment comes right at the top - the opening shot that pulls back off the reflection of Joel Grey as he turns to the camera/audience and starts singing "Vilkommen." It might be my favorite opening shot, period. The precision and energy of the camerawork, the hall of mirrors distortion of the reflection, in contrast to the reality, which is kind of garish and severe, combined with the music, which is peppy and weirdly melancholy at the same time... That one shot has always felt like a perfect little encapsulation of the movie as a whole, somehow.
KATE IMY who sent a photo of herself performing "Money Money Money" - how cool is that? She writes:
...a too-literal entry into your "inspired" photo challenge. These are from when a friend and I sang the song "Money Money" in our high school Broadway review style show "Knights on Broadway." Thankfully they hide the fact that I was/am an atrocious singer. My friend with the fantastic makeup was actually quite good. So for purely selfish and awkwardly self-promotional reasons "Money Money" has a special place for me in the movie. Especially the "When you haven't any coal in the stove..." bit. So hard to do but so exciting to watch when it's done well (in the movie).
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSHUA & KATE!
After the jump, I thought you might enjoy a few more losing but great contest entries from readers. I'm sorry I didn't have dozens of blu-rays to give away but you all won my heart and that has to count for something!
NON-WINNING AWESOME ENTRIES
Bobby actually met LIZA with that photo above to prove it. So you know, even without a blu-ray, he's clearly won at life. His favorite part of Cabaret?
Brian: "Oh, screw Maximillian!"
Sally: "I do."
Brian: (laughs) "So do I."
I wanted to share Joel's little message because it's SO true (about quotability of favorite films).
You know a movie is a favorite when you seen it so many times you actually recite lines from it at random moments. At Breakfast: "Prairie Oysters Darling!" When you're about to start work: "Meine Damen und Herren!" and while getting ready: "Doesn't my body drive you wild with desire?" Favorite moment, "Maybe This Time" with Liza in the Kit Kat.
Denny's first paid job as a choreographer was Cabaret so it holds a special place in his heart. He received this memento gift at the end of the show from his KitKat Club dancers:
...It's centered around one of the period bras they wore and it has (or had, a lot have fallen off) doll heads representing each of them, and pictures of course. I treasure it to this day; it's a completely unique end-of-show gift, the most creative one I've ever gotten. It was an experience I'll never forget - especially because for one fleeting moment, I felt like Bob Fosse.
Fosse's work on this film is so iconic, especially in "Mein Herr" which has become such a part of Cabaret that ever since the film theaters have added it to their productions, whether they actually have the rights to do so or not. When it came time to do the actual number for the show, I knew I wanted to tip my hat to Fosse, but I also wanted to put my stamp on it. It's a great number, but also difficult since it essentially has to work on three levels: it has to be a number that Sally would perform in the Kit Kat Klub on a regular basis, it has to be infused with how she's feeling toward the manager who just solicited her, and it has to be directed to her lover in the audience. I kept the chairs that Fosse used, but put the chorus girls in men's shirts and bowler hats - a "lesbian romp", as the director put it, for the club, and offering plenty of opportunity for Sally to flirt and be the aggressor. (I wish I had a video to send you but I'm not that technologically adept) It was everyone's favorite number, which made me feel really good!
Feeling like Bob Fosse even for a fleeting moment must have been heady. What a genius that man was.
Finally... I'll leave you with this awesomeness from Roberta Lipp who dressed up as Elsie "Elsie, the dead 1930s English prostitute."
How ridiculously awesome is that as photo op ideas go? ♫ when i go... i'm going like Elsie ♪ She writes:
One of my top two favorite films, and choosing a favorite moment is ridiculous. When I was a very young kid I saw it in the movies, and "Mein Herr" was the first time I was ever rocked by dance-- I could not believe all the things Liza did on that chair. Although as I've grown older, "he pounced" delights me.
If you've never seen Cabaret, take mine and all of these readers words for it and buy the Blu-Ray. That's a memento of showbiz history you'll be glad you own.