Cabaret (1981) User Reviews

Oustanding masterpiece

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 2 June 2012]

I saw this magnificent short in the third volume of the "Masters of Russian Animation" collection.

"Cabaret" it's such an incredible film. Loosely inspired in some plays from the Spanish author Federico Garcia Lorca("The Puppet Play of Don Cristóbal", "The Billy-Club Puppets" and "Doña Rosita the Spinster"), this short does an incredibly job capturing all the poetry from those literary works, adding a new level of beauty to them by the art of puppetry and stop-motion animation.

"Cabaret" starts as a bizarre comedy filled with many extravagances, then, it quickly evolves into a heart-breaking (But at the same time, captivating) tragedy, filled with a breathtaking lyricism that leads into a memorable ending, having some of the most beautiful lines that have been ever spoken in any animated film.

This is an astonishing, life-changing work of art. Words are short to describe the greatness of this.

Soyzmultfilm meets Lorca

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 8 June 2021]

The concept for 'Cabaret' sounded absolutely fascinating. It is also hard to go wrong with Soyuzmultfilm, the concept suited them perfectly and much of me had no doubt that the studio would do wonders with it. That it is adapted from some of the work of the underrated dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca (know him best from 'Blood Wedding' and from Eric Whitacre's "With a Lily in Your Hand" being set to his words), who died a tragic early death.

'Cabaret' doesn't disappoint and is as fascinating as it sounds. It is not one of the studio's finest, most ambitious or most important, but it is still gorgeously done and does a great job making the mix of Lorca's work accessible. Despite what one might think, 'Cabaret' does not make the mistake of feeling too much of a tale of two halves. Which can often be the case with anything that has two very tonally contrasting sections. It's not a case too of one being weaker than the other.

What immediately stands out is the visual style, Soyuzmultfilm never disappointed in this regard and 'Cabaret' is no exception. It is remarkably vibrant and full of atmosphere in the first half, with some nice humorous movement, and even better is the simpler and more dreamy quality in the second half in particularly the beautiful colours in the backgrounds. Don Cristobal's transformation is also handled very well in the visuals and is very memorable, the grotesque face is suitably nightmarish and the nobler one quite poignant. The puppet-like characters are well designed and charmingly old fashioned, making one nostalgic for 50s puppeteering.

Really liked the music too. There is an energetic, playful avant garde quality in the first half, contrasted beautifully with a lyrical, ethereal quality in the second half. These two styles are perfectly suited to the atmosphere of the storytelling and visuals of both halves. 'Cabaret' is entertainingly and sincerely written, never sounding childish or sentimental and at times quite poetic.

Loved the storytelling in both halves. The first half goes at a suitably hectic pace and is constantly amusing, the atmosphere is incredibly vivid. The second half is slower, more ardent and very touching, it did leave me very moved. The shift between the two halves is handled beautifully despite it being very drastically dramatic, was worried that the two different halves would be too disjointed and too much like two shorts in one. It didn't feel like that and the two halves are equally wonderful in their own way.

Furthermore the characters are beautifully written and worth caring for, particularly in the second half. It was well worth investing in their journey. Dynamic characterisation too.

All in all, wonderful. 10/10.