cw (03/23/83)
"Caberet" was shown locally tonight and I caught just the tail end
of it. Once again I am brought to the conclusion that this is not
just a very successful movie version of a musical, but a very
successful movie without the need for a genre qualification. In
particular, the performances of Liza Minelli (an actress whose
personal and professional style otherwise rather grates on me) and
Joel Gray (sp?--does he use Grey?) are superb. Gray's persona
is one of the most memorable in all the movies I have ever seen;
it has made me a fan of his even though I know of no other work by
him. I do like Michael York generally; this, though, is not his
best movie.
When one considers the big budget movies from Hollywood that sink
without a trace ("Bluebird"--or whatever it was--and "Annie") and
others that are at best momentarily enjoyable ("Raiders of the Lost
Ark"), it is amazing how well "Caberet" stands up. If you have a
chance, see it or see it again; try to do so in a theater with a good
sound system.
Charles