Liza & Fosse No. 2 - Filming Cabaret
- Lauryn Johnson
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
“Fosse also had a lot to prove with Cabaret, and he didn't play it safe. […] Fosse's earlier film debut as the director of Sweet Charity had bombed-and his future was not secure. Now, he was determined to make a film that some called an "anti-musical," a show for people who didn't like musicals. It's true that he and his producers had titanic clashes over casting and content as filming progressed. But they all agreed that Cabaret would not be a movie where actors stop what they're doing and break into song. This had been the classic style of movie musicals from the 1920s on, and the American public just didn't buy it anymore. It seemed forced and unreal.
“Instead, Fosse decided that all the songs but one in Cabaret would be performed in the Kit Kat Club, separate from the main action of the movie. Cold, cynical, and cutting, the ensemble was a Greek chorus commenting on the story and illuminating the violent world outside of the club. […] There had never been a movie musical like we were making, and Fosse's unorthodox style grabbed me from day one.
“Remember, I'm the daughter of a director. I used to joke that I came out of the womb looking for a good camera angle! Bobby had the same birthright. When he shot musical scenes, he didn't just position cameras to capture the action as Papa had done, like a gorgeous painting in motion. Instead, he moved around the performers onstage, circling them with a handheld camera. He captured movement from all perspectives, focusing on an elbow here, a knee there.
“You weren't just watching dancers going through our paces. You were feeling our exhaustion, sweat, and exhilaration, moment by moment. Fosse’s frantic crosscuts, zoom shots, and helter-skelter images became part of the choreography. It was breathtaking. Terrifyingly new.”
—Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli, 2026
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